286 CHEMICAL DISCOVERY AND INVENTION 



three times higher, forming a greyish black fountain, the column 

 clearly denned on the southern side, but merging into a cloud of 

 spray thirty yards broad on the other. A strong southerly wind 

 enabled us to approach within a few yards of the crater on the 

 former side, and to look down into the sandy basin formed 

 round about the bottom of the derrick where the oil was bubbling 

 and seething round the stalk of the oil-shoot like a geyser. The 

 diameter of the tube up which the oil was rushing was ten inches. 

 On issuing from this the fountain formed a clearly-defined stem 

 about eighteen inches thick, and shot up to the top of the 

 derrick, where in striking against the beam, which was already 

 worn half through by the friction, it got broadened out a little. 

 Thence, continuing its course more than 200 feet high, it curled 

 over and fell in a dense cloud to the ground on the north side, 

 forming a sand bank, over which the olive- coloured oil ran in 

 innumerable channels towards the lakes of petroleum which had 

 been formed on the surrounding estates. Now and again the 

 sand flowing up with the oil would obstruct the pipe, or a stone 

 would clog the course ; then the column would sink for a few 

 seconds lower than 200 feet, to rise directly afterwards with a 

 burst and a roar to 300. . . . Some idea of the mass of matter 

 thrown up from the well could be formed by a glance at the 

 damage done on the south side in twenty-four hours, -a, vast 

 shoal of sand having been formed which had buried to the roof 

 some magazines and shops, and had blocked to the height of 

 six or seven feet all the neighbouring derricks within a distance 

 of fifty yards." The fountain belonged to a small Armenian 

 Company, the Droojba, having ground enough to establish the 

 well, but nothing to spare for reservoirs. Consequently all the 

 oil flowed away on other people's property and the owners of 

 the well were ruined. This oil volcano was estimated to have 

 thrown up from 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 gallons of oil every day 

 from the first outburst which occurred on the 1st of September. 

 In the middle of November it was still spouting at the rate of 

 240,000 gallons a day. 



The pictures 91 and 92 give an idea of the sort of scene Marvin 

 describes. Grosnic is situated north of the Caucasian mountains 

 in country occupied by the Terek Cossacks. In the first picture 

 the fountain is shown, having pierced the top of the derrick. 

 The second picture shows the destruction wrought by the jet of 

 oil which, after the fountain has subsided, continued to flow 



