I.N. Strizhov - the “involuntary’’ researcher of oil and gas fields of Ukhta

Print

Annotation / Аннотация

The article is devoted to one of the fathers of oil and gas geology, founder of gas industry in Russia I.N. Strizhov, who like hundreds of other scientists, was subjected to repression. In this article his work during the time in prison and after release is characterized. New documents about his inventions are introduced into the scientific circles now, and they are on the permanent storage in the department of Russian state archives of scientific and technical documentation in Samara.

Статья посвящена одному из основоположников геологии нефти и газа, основателю газовой промышленности России И.Н. Стрижову, который, как и сотни других ученых прошел через машину сталинских репрессий. Характеризуется его работа в заключении и после освобождения. В научный оборот вводятся новые документы о его изобретательской деятельности, находящиеся на постоянном хранении в филиале РГАНТД.

Keywords / Ключевые слова

The geological “school”, a GULAG, USЕVLОN, Uhtpechlag, Uhtizhemlag, Strizhov’s drip, the Jaregsky deposit, Management of a petroleum industry of Glavgortop VSNX USSR, Mountain technical school in Chibju, Average Timan, Kansko-Taseevskaja expedition of a Gulag (Krasnoyarsk region).

Геологическая «шарашка», ГУЛАГ, УСЕВЛОН, Ухтпечлаг, Ухтижемлаг, Стрижов, Ярегское месторождение, Директорат нефтяной промышленности Главгортопа ВСНХ СССР, Горный техникум в Чибью, Средний Тиман, Канско-Тасеевская экспедиция ГУЛАГа (Красноярский край).

The geological prospecting came to Ukhta in August, 1929. It included only prisoners from Gulag ("Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps"). The backbones of its scientific and technical personnel were made by the prisoners sent from Management of Northern Camps of Special Function (USEVLON).

“Sharashka” was an informal name for secret research and development laboratories in the Soviet Gulag labor camp system. Etymologically, the word sharashka is derived from a Russian slang expression sharashkina kontora ("Sharashka's office", possibly from the radical meaning "to beat about"), an ironic, derogatory term to denote a poorly organized, impromptu, or bluffing organization. The scientists and engineers at a sharashka were prisoners picked from various camps and prisons and assigned to work on scientific and technological problems for the state. Living conditions were usually much better than in an average taiga camp, especially bearing in mind the absence of hard labor.

“Sharashka” - behind this word there are scientific laboratories, design offices, research institutes and ranges in which territory worked “enemies of the soviet nation” worked, “wreckers”, “spies” and “another anti-Soviet element”. These people were picks of the Russian science, research and intelligence.


The pioneer of the Jaregsky oil field was scientist-geologist Ivan Nikolaevich Strizhov. He is the author of many proceedings and inventions, also he is the pioneer of Novogroznensky (Oktyabryskiy) and many others fields in Caucasus. One in a firsts he has highly appreciated prospects of presence of oil-and-gas of the Ural-Volga region and Western Siberia.

He was one of founders of geology of oil and gas, was the founder of the gas industry of Russia. He as well as many scientists, has got to repressive machinery millstones. Soviet authorities known everything about his work in a private foreign firm of Nobel before revolution, and foreign business trip in the USA on an exchange of experience (in a Soviet period). On June, 1st, 1929 the senior director of Management of a petroleum industry of Glavgortop VSNH USSR I.N.Strizhov has been arrested.

In the Branch of the Russian State Archive of the Research and Technical Documentation in Samara (RGANTD) there are on constant storage some applications for I.N.Strizhov's inventions.


You can read completely article in the russian historic-archival magazine “The Herald of an Archivist”. Read more about terms of subscription here.

Полностью материал публикуется в российском историко-архивоведческом журнале ВЕСТНИК АРХИВИСТА. Ознакомьтесь с условиями подписки здесь.