The Russian Kerosene Pipe Line

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 392, 10 August 1889, Page 3

The Russian Kerosene Pipe Line-

Priyatk lotters- from the Caucasus stab 0 that the arrangements ure almost complete tor the inauguration of the new kero.son^ pipe line over the Suram Pass. The works in connection with the l.odertaking have been in hand for .several months past, and have imolved the laying down of 34 4-i.n. oil piping-. The pipe line starts from theNuram Station oi the. Transcaucasian Railwaj, and, traversing the ridge of the Lessor Caucasus at a height of 5,200 ft. above the .-ea level, terminator at Quirill Station, on the Black Sea .-ido ot the mountain.". The pipe can hold at one time o\er one i hundred gallons of kerosene, which, reckoning three hundred dny.s to the year, implies, an annual capacity of 1)0,000,000 gallons. Thanks to the pipe line, which has been constructed by the Nobel firm, the export of kerosene from Batoum will be considerably increased, and the Nobelshove already charteied three tank steamers to convey the oil thence to Europe. The kerosene pipe line, which has cost about £70,000 to lay down, must not be confused with the larger crude oil pipe line bdieme. While the iormev .simply carries the kerosene over the Sin am Pass to ease the traffic on the railway, the oil, both before reaching Suram and aftei leaving Quirill, being conveyed in tank cars, the latter provides lor the conveyance of the crude article the whole distance from Baku to Batoum. A concession for this was granted some time ago by the Russian Government and i=; n<?\v being: revised to meet the- requirements of foreign capitalists. Meanwhile the petroleum season at Baku has. opened under very favourable circumstances, and the refineries are fully employed in manufacturing oil for the European market. Several 'vessels are constantly employed conveying liquid fuel from Baku across the Caspian to Azoun Ada, lor the use ot the Transcaspian Railway, oil fuel a-lone being omployed'on the locomotives running from the Ca&pian to Samaicand, a distance of 1,000 miles. As vet the Russian authorities have done very little to open up the Tran^ca^pian oil deposits. — ' Engineering. '> •