Through the kindness of a member of the Greek house of Kousis, Theophylactos and Co., we were shown over the oil-wells and refineries belonging to M.Taghioff, a millionaire of Persian origin (the name probably was Taghi Khan).

The story goes that, on becoming wealthy through the oil industry in its early days, he presented the young township with a church, school-house, and hospital, and, in recognition of his generous public spirit, the Government gave him a grant of the waste land on which his works now stand, and out of which millions of roubles have come to him from oil-springs.

Our visit had the appearance of bringing him luck in the form of a new fountain rush.

We had seen all the works and wells; none of the latter were flowing, and the usual steam-pumping was going on.

We were about to leave, when a commotion at the wells attracted our attention, and we saw the dark fluid spouting up from two to three hundred feet through the open top of the high-peaked wooden roof erected over each of the wells.