PETROLEUMTOWN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10574, 27 January 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

PETROLEUMTOWN.

BAKU, THE CITY OF OIL AND

REVOLUTION

Baku, tho city of oil, millionaires, and massacres, will m a few montlis have been a hundred years under the dominion of Russia. No other city m the world, it is safe to say, lias had a century of lustory more yom antic, more mysterious, or so full of transforming events. "Its wild life is full of memories or insurrection and romance, while the mystericf. of its- .people — an extraordinary conglomeration of conflicting raoe and antagonistic spiritual influences — ancl that greatest mystery of all, the limitless extent of its oil deposits, are not more fascinating than its actual aclu'evements iv the realms of trade and commerce."

The story of Baku's rise to greatness as the principal oil-producing centre of the world is told m vivid language by Mr J. D. Henry m his absorbingly interestig work just published, and tho chapters m wliich he describes tho terrible feud between Armenians and Tartar's surpass m exciting incident the most tlirilling books of adventure. Thir. famous city of the Caucasus has been very much misrepresented. Far fiom being dismal and ugly, it is beautifully sitimted* on a magnificent bay m the Caspian Sea, while its buildings include a number of private palaces designed by the greatest architects of the oountry and lavishly decorated by Italian artists. These are owned by tlie principal oil men of the Caucarms. INFLAMMABLE GAS. Baku was formerly a great centre for fire worshippers, temples being built around the spots "where jets of inflammable .gas issued from -ihe ground. Emanations of this kind are still observed at many spots round Baku, and even m the Carmian Sea itself. If burning tow is thrown into the sea half an hour's row from the headland at Bibi-Eibat, an immediate ignition of natural gas bubbling up from the bottom is observed, the flames spreading over a considerable area. Only the wind and waves are capable of extinguishing the fire, which is a most interesting spectacle, especially at night time. The principal method of obtaining oil is by boring, and this process is sometimes attended with considerable danger.

In the case of a spouter (called a gusher m America), if it is a powerful one, the oil bursts upwards through the tubing, frequently sends the boring tools and workmen flying m all directions, shatters the derrick, and raises itself m a black, unbroken mass. Dancing m the sun, it shoots out oil sprays m fantastic shapes, and gives forth flashes of rainbow colors as it falls away and swirls along the ditches into the reservoirs.

How immense are the subterranean forces at work m these oilfields may be gathered from the effect of a boring m 1883. When the drill had gone down 546 feet, there was a tremendous gas explosion.

Dry sand spouted with terrific force to a height of from 350 feet to 400 feet. Rocks were hurled out of sight j the windows of the neighboring engine sheds were smashed, .and the iron roof of a boiler-house collapsed beneath the weight of falling stones.

The "sand volcano" lasted 45 minutes, and was succeeded by a blow out of gas, which poisoned the atmosphere at Balakhani the rest of the day.

.xiuxiEß THAN NELSON'S COLUMN,

From a well which was opened m 1887 the oil occasionally shot twice as high as Nelson's Column, and reached as far as Woolwich Arsenal is from the City. Holes and depressions near the well were filled with oil, which flooded the country for miles around, while the sand which was thrown out formed a 14ft high crater round the well and completely buried a number of houses.

Sometimes tho spouters get out of control, and the waste of oil is enoj-mous. This was the case once with a well owned by the Druzba Company.

Starting on August 19, the flow continued unchecked till December 10. It started with a flow variously estimated at between 400,000 and 500,000 poods per day, and, according to an avowedly low estimate made by the owners of adjacent properties, threw up m the 114 days it was m action 13,640,000 poods, or 220,000 tons. Some even estimate the waste at 30,000,000 poods.

Modern Baku Mr Henry describes as the greatest blood spot m the rebellious and bloodstained Caucasus. His description of the massacres of February and September last fully justifies his assertion. One of the most thrilling incidents of the February slaughter was the brave stand of an Armenian named Adamoff against a horde of Tartar foes. Adamoff was the crack rifle shot m Baku, one pf the wealthiest Armenians engaged m the oil business, and his residence m Arnianskia street was one of the palaces of the city so far as the magnificience of the Oriental decorations was concerned. BRAVE ARMENIAN. For two days he was besieged by Tartars, but with his 40 dependants he managed to keep them at bay. On the morning of the third day he took up his position on the balcony, and immediately after the first shot was fired, his weapon— a powerful repeating Winchester — started to do deadly work among the Tartars. His son kept him supplied with loaded weapons. While one man after another was being shot down by the brave Armenian, several Tartars stormed an oil shop, while others secured large quantities of oil from the street lamps. Returning to the house with quantities of oil and straw, they smashed m the front door, filled the hall with straw saturated m kerosene, and started a conflagration. Eventually Adamoff received a fatal wound, whicL laid him low on the balcony. This was the signal for the Tartars to storm with savage fury the lower parts of the house which were not m flames. 1 In the cellars they found nine men and eleven women. The men were dragged into the street and slaughtered, while the women were taken away. Forty Tartars, whose bodies formed a heap at the corner of the street, bore testimony to the deadly accuracy of Adainoff's fire. From Adamoff' s house also police records show that 40 dead bodies of Armenians were taken.

The setting alight of the Balakhani oilfields was one of tbe most terrible events of the September rising. The belching forth of these fountains of liquid fire, the terrible roar pf escaping gas, the short, sharp reports, the fierce flashing of blinding light, and the thick clouds of smoke which roll upwards, fold upon fold, and shut out the sky, is a thrilling and appalling spectacle.

Of all the inhuman acts committed by the Tartars none exceeded m ferocity tbe murder of 70 Armenians hiding m a cellar. The Tartars pumped kerosene into the cellar, set fire to the building, and burned every one pf them to death.