| OCR Text |
Show ing only about 50 miles from Taupse, on the Black Sea, with which export point it will in time be connected by both railways and pipe line. The territory embraces the five Cossack villages of Khadijin-skaya, Khadijin-skaya, Shervanskaya, Apsheronskaya, Nephtanaya, and Kabardin-skaya. Kabardin-skaya. At many points, particularly on the hillsides, large outcrops of impregnated oil sands have been noticed, and in other places exudations exuda-tions of petroleum are very frequently encountered. To the cast of Khadijinskaya is an asphalt mountain, from almost every spot of which oil oozes, which, after losing its volatile constituents, leaves a tarry residue spread over the surface. To the southwest of Nephtanaya, Neph-tanaya, indications of the petroleum deposits have been evident from time immemorial. It was here the Black Sea company's spouters were struck. Analyses prove that the oil is rich in illuminating oils and in gasoline. British capital is beginning to enter the field and within a few years this part of Russia may surprise the world with its output out-put and its budding Rockefellers. A GREAT STREAM OF WEALTH. The United States has held first place as an oil producer since the first oil wells were opened near Titusville and Oil City, Pennsylvania, Penn-sylvania, but there are being developed in Southern Russia, near the shores of the Black Sea, an oil region which promises to place the Czar's kingdom ahead of us in the petroleum business. A remarkable feature of the growth of the industry in Russia is that though the surface indications of oil have been unmistakable and the seepages have been most extensive, the filed has been almost neglected except around Baku. Our ambassador at St. Petersburg, W. W. Rockhill, writing home, says of the new oil region : The Maikop field is situated in the Kuban Province, in southern Russia, on tho western fringe of the Caucasian mountains. As at present known, it has a total length, from east to west, of approximately approxi-mately 25 miles, while its greatest length, from north to south, is about 20 miles. The field, though recognized for several years past as highly petroliferous, only came into prominence during the latter part of 1909, owing to a most prolific oil foundation being struck, and the sinking of a 240-foot well which is stated to have thrown upward of 30,000 tons of petroleum in six days, and after defying all attempts at control for weeks continued to discharge oil in very large quantities. quan-tities. This marked the commencement of the commercial history of petroleum in the district, for although the region has been known for centuries to be oil bearing, no serious attempts had previously been made to test the territory by means of boring. t It i3 the most favored petroleum-producing region in Europe, be- |
