The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-08-08
~. IMtNARY REPORT MADE
nv UNITED STATES GEO.
LOGICAL SURVEY.
n7,+,,e Fanort Is First Scientific Pub
Iication Concerning Oil Fields
Of This Region.

Tin of the United States Geological
Survey is included in the Survey
hulIetin (No. 22) entitled "Contribu-
t,ons 70 Economic Geology 1909 Oc-
currences of petroleum in Alaska, nave
been known for several years but DR..
Martins report is the first scientific
publication concerning the oil fields OF
this region.
Indications of petroleum have been
noted at four general localities, all on
the southern shore of Alaska, though
widely separated Beginning with the
most eastern point they are Cape Yak
tag. which is near Mount st. Elias,
she SHORES Of Controller Bay, which is
At the mouth of the Copper River, the
western shore of Cook Inlet; and the
Alaska Peninsula. where petroleum is
found 1t many places. During the
summer Of 1903 Dr.. Martin examined
tie coast of Controller Bay from the
N'i'i'i NV '0i'" - LOU " 'f
- i-IItS. lhe SECOND lhoh'h ol the
$r,-oI he DEVOTED to study OF the oil
rr.t~ oG cook Inlet. particularly in
tf''HN'H Say NhiNh - ABOUT '-V i'lIleS
~. 81 'ohl'oI"f Bay. a lew u'HS
wei. ,lsn spent 1T cold HlE, on the
Alaska Peninsula. about 10" hllies
southwest @! 'ie COOK met heIds. l ne
ID NaItIH dil not WISH personally WAS
ne cape ftk'aS ltiH. Ills statements
about that are necessarily based uron
me Conservation Oh others All THESE
regions, except tfn Cape 1akta2 held'
my be reached directly from seattle
10y steamer.
The region ahout Controller Bay is
known rs the Kayak oil field. because
the l,nGius point aui postottiGe for
ths region j. Oh Kayak Island. 1t is
also sometimes called the Katalla oil
hetd from the town and river of that
n1iN". IRIS district has attracted con-
siderable atteation because of the flow
of petrrie,lni from Il we'll which was
drilled in ;he summer of 1902, and be
cause of the large number of oil
SpInes found there throughout a long
bet parall.! to the coast. The we'll
driIl"u in 1870. yielded petroleum at a
deprh OF about $50 feet At $50 feet
The tools appeared to enter a cavity in
the rock s,ad a large flow of oil began
sporting many feet above the top of
the derrick The we'll was immediate-
ly ltpped and was reopened in July.
1909 ana drilled deeper. Ia Septem-
be-. 1903. the depth attained was be-
tween 400 and sos feet, and drilling
W., still continuing. Four wells were
drilled in this region during the sum
,ner of 1903 and several more are prob-
ably now under way. At las, &C.
counts. the only well that had struck
oil Mas the. one drilled in 1902. Much
acti,it,- has baa, shawn, i'm ctal,ino
claims. but a large nroportion of them
Mere located for purely speculative
PURPOSES. and are nrobabIv ont of the
oil belt. The petroleum is clearly = ,a-
fiulrg oil of the same general nat,ra as
the PENNSYLVANIA netrolaum II ra-
sen,hles the latter in containing = bieb
pranortinD of the mora vol,ti,a co,,,-
pouvis il having = na,afio base and
IN .,r,vine almost no .,Inh,r
~. Martins work consisted of NAL,
ius u stuty Of the relation Of the oil
,,..ds to The rocks axnosad At tho s,,r
fa.-. mapping the approxioate ont