DISCOVERY OF PETEOLEUM IN THE PACIFIC

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1491, 24 February 1887, Page 3

DISCOVERY OF PETEOLEUM IN THE PACIFIC

The Russian prcts has bad it 3 attention directed to the Pacific during the last few

days by another event, besides the alleged occupation of Port Lazareff. From Vladivobtcck, telegrams have arrived announo'ng the dhcovcry of large dopoßits of petroleum m Saghalien. For Russia this is a matter of greater importance than may seem at the outset to some readers. It is only the other day we gave an account of the Russian fuel supply In the Pacific, pointing out the disappointment th»t had beer, occasioned Id official oiroles by the reeult of a series of elaborate experiments with Saghaliei and A moor coal at Vladivoatcck ,* the commission having practically reported that it was Impoesib'e to use either, and that Russia would have to continue to diaw her supply of fuel for her m9n-of«war from Japan and England; If the deposits of petroleum now discovered give a good field of oil, it will be within the power of Russia, who has now a large supply of I'quid fuel In tho Black Sea, to adopt it for the Paoifio, and use it on a'l the volunteer ornlsera and steamers running between Odessa and Vladlvoetock. Such an alteration In fuel would be no revolution for the Russian Admira'ty, because, since 1873 the gunboats of the Cispian fle&t have used nothing else bat petroleum refuse, and the authorities possess types of furnaces which wonld give equal satisfaction In the Black Sea and Pacific, flithertt. the PussUn Admit at tyhai not adopted a liquid fuel m the Black Sea, owing to the ' inadequacy of the transport arrangements between Baku and Batoom, and the absence of a petroleum supply m the Far EaeN Now, however, that Sighallon, which was seized from Japan eolely for the sake of its coalfields, has developed a petroleum supply, the temptation will be strong on the part of Russia to rid herself of her dangerous dependence on English and Japanese coal, and resort to liquid fuel. In the meanwhile it may be interesting to note that the three chief disooveries of petroleum this year— ln Egypt, at Merv, and m Saghallen— -have occurred precisely where there was a gap m the charn of petroleum supply on the great routes of the world . This is very important, since the chief obstadle to the general adopt'on of liquid fuel up to now hss been the fear that the supply would not keep pace with the demand for oil.— Engineering.