CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII.

THE PETROLEUM DISTRICTS OF RUSSIA.

Official Estimate of the Area of the Petroleum Region of Russia - Localities

where the Oil Abounds -The Crimean Deposits-The Supply in the Taman

Peninsula Operations at Novorossisk, in the Ter and Tiflis Districts, and

near Petrovsk-The Caspian Deposits-Setting the Sea on Fire-The

Transcaspian Oil Fields - Enough to Supply the whole Russian Empire-

A Modest Annexation-Description of the Baku Oil Region-The Surak-

bani and Balakhani Plateaux-Quantity of Petroleum Extracted up to

now-Geological Characteristics of the Caspian Petroleum Region-Erro-

neous Deductions of Scientific Men-Ludwig Nobel's Theory of the Petro-

leum Deposits-Instances of Variations in the Supply of Oil from Con-

tiguous Wells-The Vastness of the Baku Supply beyond the Reach of

Controversy-Its Inexhaustibility-Relative Positions of the Baku and

Pennsylvanian Supplies from Ports Accessible to European Shipping

CHAPTER XIII.

A DRIVE TO THE OIL WELLS.

The Phaetons at Baku-Driving to Balakhani-The Salines of the Apsheron

Peninsula-Passing the Black Town-The Gardens and Vineyards of the

Peninsula Aspect of the Great Droojba Fountain from Baku-The Pipe-

lines-Too Clever by Half-Baku Oil Transport before the Pipe-line

Period-Grandiose Schemes for Pipe-lines to Europe-The Projected

Oleoduct to the Persian Gulf-Duty on Iron Pipes -Capacity of the Pine-

lines-Aspect of the Balakhani Oil Plateau-How America Gained Upon

and Beat the Old Baku Oil Supply-Statistics of the Monopoly Period-

Present Free Trade enjoyed by the Industry-The Excise Period-Recent

Revolutions in the Trade-Stimulus given by the Swedish Engineers-

Robert and Ludwig Nobel-Prices of Crude Petroleum for the last Twenty

Rears-Number of Drilled Wells-Effect of the Batoum Railway upon

the Industry

XV

PAGE

186

199

CHAPTER XIV.

THE OIL FOUNTAINS OF BAKU.

Number of Wells in Baku and America Compared-One Baku Well yielding

More than all the American Wells Put Together-A Million's worth of Oil

from a Single Well-Description of a Baku Petroleum Fountain - The

Droojba Spouting Well-Mode of Boring for Oil. The Balakhani Drilled

and Pumping Wells -Cost of Sinking a Well-Price of Land at the Oil

Fields-The Kalpak, or Well-stopper-Storing the Oil-The History of

the Oil Fountains during the last Ten Years-Subterranean Explosions-

Six Hundred Gallons of Oil in Twenty-Four Hours-Enormous Waste of

Petroleum-The Fire at Krasilnikoff's Wells-A Sand Volcano 400 Feet

High-Account of the Droojba Fountain-A Liquid Grindstone-Gag-

ging the Wells at Baku-Statistical Account of the Oil Wasted by the

Droojba Fountain-Science and the Oil Fountains at Baku-Their Effect

on Commercial Men-Necessity of Placing the Fountains Under the

Control of the State

215

.

CHAPTER XV.

THE CASPIAN OIL REFINERIES.

The Black Town of Baku-The 200 Refineries of the Caspian-The Smokeless.

ness of Petroleum Fuel depends upon the Apparatus and Care in Using

it-A Lesson in Geography for English Statesmen-The Refinery of Nobel

Brothers-Consumption of Kerosine in America-The Growth of the

Trade-Qualities of the Various Kinds of Refined Petroleum Manufac

tured at Baku-Agitation for a Uniform Standard-Mode of Refining

Petroleum-Table Showing the Producibility of 100 Gallons of Russian

Crude Petroleum-The American and Baku Oil compared-Mr. Boverton

Redwood's Analysis of Russian Kerosine-Condition of the Industry at

Baku-The Fittings of a Refinery at Baku-Russian Lubricating Oil-

Export of Kerosine to Europe-Future of the Lubricating Oil Trade-

Medical Properties of Petroleum-Ozokerit Deposits East of the Caspian

-Barbarous Waste of the Lighter Oils-Petroleum Dyes and Colours-

Hydro-Carbon Gas at Surakhani-Natural Gas Stoves

PAGE

240

CHAPTER XVI.

LIQUID FUEL.

Petroleum Furnaces no Novelty-Use of Oil Fuel in Ancient Times-Enormous

Supply Available at Baku-The Early Use of Hydro-Carbon Gas-Bricks

of Oil-Invention of Oil-Burning Appliances in America-Aydon's Fur-

nace-Shpakovsky's Discovery of the Value of Steam as a Pulverizer—

Why Liquid Fuel has not been Adopted in England and America-The

Piracy of English Inventions by Russian Engineers in the Caspian Region

-The First Liquid Fuel Steamer in the Caspian-Shpakovsky's Succes:

-Improvements Effected by Lenz, the Inventor of the Apparatus now

generally in Use on Board the Caspian Steamers - Flat-flame Pulverizers

-Account of the Vessels using Lenz's Apparatus-The Oil-burning

Locomotives on the Transcaucasian Railway-Brandt and Karapetoff's

Pulverizers-The Rival Advantages of Oil and Coal-Experience in the

Caspian-Crude Petroleum may be Safely Used as well as Oil Refuse-

Extension of the Use of Petroleum-burning Locomotives on Russian

Railways-The Discovery of Oil in Beluchistan, and its Effect on the

Russian Railway to India-Liquid Fuel in the Black Sea -Summary of

its Merits-Prospects of Petroleum Fuel in the East-Satisfactory Results

Already Achieved

258

CHAPTER XVII.

THE OIL KING OF BAKU.

The Most Important Factor of the Baku Oil Trade-"Beyond the Sea a Chicken

may be Bought for a Farthing, but it Costs a Pound to Bring it Home"

-Career of Ludwig Nobel-Origin of the Nobels-Invention of the Tor-

pedo by Emmanuel Nobel, and of Dynamite by Alfred Nobel - How

Ludwig Nobel acquired the Fortune with which he started Operations

CONTENTS.

in Petroleum-Commencement of the Enterprise at Baku-Laying Down

the First Pipe-line - Replacing Barrels with Cistern Steamers-Account

of the Oil Fleet-The "Nine-Foot" Shallows of the Volga - Transport-

ing the Oil from Baku to Tsaritzin-Inaugurating the Tank-Car System-

Establishment of the Petroleum Network of Depots Throughout Russia -

Mode of Distributing the Oil in the Provinces-Not a Drop Sold Except

for Cash-Baku Kerosine in Germany-Prospects of the Trade Abroad-

Statistical Description of the Present Position of Nobel Brothers' Petro-

leum Production Company-The World Does Not Know its Greatest Men

-Russian Hatred of Foreigners-Character of Ludwig Nobel-His

Remarkable Talents as an Engineer

xvii

PAGE

283

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE FUTURE OF THE CASPIAN PETROLEUM TRADE.

Repeated Crises of Late Years at Baku-Their Cause-Production of Russian

Refined Petroleum by Nobel Brothers and Other Firms-Russia Beginning

to Push the Petroleum Industry-New Combinations on the Volga-

Statistics of the Import of American Oil into Russia-The Russian Pe-

troleum Trade and the Markets of Germany and Austria-Prospects of

Rivalry with America-Projected Railways to Transport the Oil to

Europe-Petroleum Traffic on the Transcaucasian Railway in 1883-Ex-

port from Batoum and Poti-Progress of the Various Branches of the

Trade-New Markets in Southern Europe and the East that may be Ex-

pected to Fall to Russia once the Batoum Route is Developed-The

Cheaper the Oil the Larger the Consumption-English Enterprise of the

Past and the Present-Whether we participate or not the Baku Petro-

leum Region is sure to be Developed

308

CHAPTER XIX.

OLD PERSIA-NEW RUSSIA.

Sermons Preached by the Rocks at Baku-The Slovenly Persians of To-day-

Will the English some Day Become Pariahs in India ?-Russia Growing

towards Our Eastern Empire-We are Only Sojourners in India, the

Russians are Settlers in the Caspian-The Material Growth of Russia

More Fraught with Danger to our Rule than her Military Operations in

Central Asia-Russia Becoming More Unassailable in Central Asia, while

We continue as Vulnerable as Ever in India - The Shortsightedness of

English Statesmen-Toe Caspian now a European Lake-The Widening

of the Boundaries of Europe-Its Significance-The Waterway between

London and Baku-The Population of Baku; Remarkable Growth-

Tchernayeff's New Road to Central Asia via the Mertvi Kultuk and Khiva

-Discovery of Petroleum along it-The Traffic on the Volga-Russia's

Progress towards the Persian Gulf-Fate of Persia-The Baku Road to

India-Statistics of it-Disappearing Obstacles-The Cossack Approach

to India-Impossible to Prevent an Approximation of the Two Empires

-The Duty of all Englishmen

321

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. The Caspian Base of Operations against India-One of the Forty

72

73

3. Autograph of the Russian Interpreter to the Secret Cabul Mission 4. His Portrait

7. The Transcaucasian Railway. View between Poti and the Suram Pass

8. Section of the Poti-Tiflis Railway

9. The Transcaucasian Railway Station at Elisavetopol

10. The Future Russian Railway to Teheran-Adji Cabul Station 11. The Transcaucasian Railway. View near Baku

To face page 121

16. Nobel Brothers' Refinery at the Black Town of Baku

19. Map showing Nobel Brothers' network of Petroleum Depôts in Russia,, 20. Map of Sarakhs.

298

321