Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-30
History of Towns
in the War Zone

GOVERNMENT OF BAZU-A little
peninsula jutting out into the Caspian
sea which is one of the centers of the
petroleum industry of the world. 1t
is called Apsheron and belongs to the
Russian empire. For hundreds OF
miles up and down the water, depart
ing from Apsheron, the coastal lines
of the Caspian sea are almost sternly
self-repressed, meeting in the oil re-
gion to form the fartherest easterly
projection of the west Caspian coast.
The peninsula is dry and monotonous,
distinguished for three things-its oil,
its sand wastes and it's wind storms.
The oil fields OF Apsheron are stu
ated to the south of the Caucasus
mountains, and are separated from
Asia Minor by a rough mountainous
country with almost no avenues of
communications between them.
BAKU-The chief city of the gov
eminent of that name, is port OF
Apsheron and the oil metropolis OF
Russia 1t is said never to overcome
its most insistent characteristics, that
of a thick naptha and gasoline frag-
rance, not even its famous wind
storms from the northeast being able
to drive this odor out over the Cas-
plan sea- The city is surrounded with
great refineries and its outlying terri
tory is dotted with a whole army
corps of oil tanks. Some 60,0OO,OOO
barrels of oil were produced in this
district and handled through Baku
in 1911.
Besides its oil industry, Baku, ow-
ing to its excellent harbor and its I'M
usually good railway advantages for
port east of the Caucasus mountains,
is the import and export center of the
Russian-Persian trade. Wine, silk,
dried fruit, Persian woods and woven
goods, rice, fish and other products
of nearer Asia are sold into Russia
and other parts of Europe through
Baku, while Russian manufactures are
gathered at this depot for Persian and
Asia Minor consumption.
1t is owing to Baku's stores of oil.
however, that its prestige as port OF
the near east is maintained. From its
wells. in the past, came an oil pro-
duction for long time surprising that
of the United States, though this coun-
try is now far ahead of Russia in the
production of petroleum.
DEPARTMENT OF AISNE-One of
the northern provinces of France, ly-
ing in a direct line between Namur
and Paris Only very small section
of its northern boundary touches Bel
GUM, the department of the north
leaving it only a five-mile participa-
do
Within it's borders many historic
clashes of arms have taken place-at
ST. Quentin in 1857, and during the
war; at scissors and
Laon during the Napoleonic and Fran
co-Prussian wars; and at Craonne a |
year before Waterloo. Chateau Thier- !
~. Vervins. ST Gobain, and many 9TH
er places in the department have fig |
lred in the history making of the past |
few months in France.
The country of the Aisne is a sue
session of long, rolling swells, broken
lere and there by unexpected hills, |
md fretted with wonderfully we'll
lept little farms. with fields of grain
mainly oats and wheat-and with large
stretches of potatoes, sugar-beets and
ibre plants. All around and in be-
ween are the carefully groomed gov
forests typical of France and
Germany - extensive wooded areas
where broken branches, brambles and
haggy growths are not allowed to
poll the general effect.
There are many small industries
catered throughout the department
contains some excellent clay beds,
which supply number of small brick
works.. There are a sprinkling of
mall plants for the weaving of cot
on and silks, the milling of flour. and
Or distilling and brewing. Its beet
ugar manufacture is one of its most
Important Industries. It's mirror works
t st. Gobain are famous wherever {