Douglas Island news., 1903-05-27
The Kayak Oil Fields.

Of all the varied industries of which. Alaska can boast, none will receive more attention during the coming sea son than the oil fields of Southern Al aska. The time is not far distant when this region will see an oil excitement that will rival the stampede in Penn sylvania when oil made men rich more quickly than anything that has ever been discovered.
 Very little has as yet been said of the oil fields of this district from the fact that very little was known of these oil deposits until a comparatively short time ago.
 The writer had occasion to visit the Kayak oil fields recently, and has seen the undisputed evidences of one of the greatest oil fields of the world today.
 Properly speaking, the oil fields of Southern Alaska are divided into three parts. The Cold Bay district, the Cook Inlet district and the Kayak district. While all these districts show unmistak- ably evidences of oil, the Kayak dis trict easily takes the lead, and will re- ceive the first attention of the public, from the fact that several hundred thousand dollars have already been eX- pended in surveying, building roads, bringing in expensive machinery, launches, barges and small boats; these, together with the overwhelming evidences of oil seepage on all sides, and in every direction, the fine sand stone and shale formations, the high grade of oil, its accessibility, temperate climate and timber resources, all go to make this the greatest oil field the world has ever seen.
 After all there are no evidences ot oil so convincing as an oil well; this the Kayak district has. Last Septem- Der the "English Syndicate" as it is commonly called, struck oil at depth of 365 feet, and oil was sent up 100 feet in,the air, the evidence of which still clings to the tall timbers of the der rick. The we'll is capped by heavy square piece of timber placed on top of the pipe, and chained and bolted to the timbers below. The gas pressure is so strong at times that the building and timbers fairly tremble. At such times it is necessary for the watchman Tn charge to let off the gas and oil to relieve the pressure. It is asserted on good authority that this we'll has flow of 1000 barrels day.
 An analysis of the Kayak oil made by one of the best chemists of the city gives 69 per cent. naptha and illumina- ting oils, 16.5 per cent. of lubricating oil and the balance parafine, vaseline and a small percentage of residuum, making this the highest grade of oil ever discovered anywhere.
 The log of the above we'll, as nearly as can be learned, is as follows: Surface drift, feet; broken shale, 10 feet; Iight-colored soft shale, 40 feet; fine grained sandstone, IS feet; strata of coal, inches; dark hard shale, 190 feet; strata of quartz, inches; oil casing, l foot, making total of 365 feet.
 The only other company having ma chinery on the ground at the present time is the Alaska Petroleum Company.
 With but few exceptions, the oil com panies for this district have been form ed in Seattle by wideawake and ener- getic business men who never let good opportunity pass, and as Seattle is the nearest and best market for machinery, provisions, outfits, etc., this city will recieve benefit even greater than that of the big Kloudike rush in 1898.
 The Kayak district is at all times ac- cessible, there being two entrances, one between the mainland and Big Kayak Island, the other between Big and Little Kayak Islands. There is always good shelter for ship at anchor about a mile from the town of Kayak, which is situated on Little Kayak Island. Kayak is at present the headquarters of Mir. Whittlesey, theWnited States land commissioner, and Mir. Wardell, United States marshal. Kayak has two stores, two hotels, one saloon, post office, and a population of about 100 all told. It was here that the first barge of the district was built by Mir. Mckay for w. A. Abernethy.
 Catella Bay is sixteen miles from