The Cordova daily times., 1920-07-07
STAMPEDE TO
 OIL FIELDS
 DESCRIBED

The New York Motor Boat, in it's June issue, publishes the following article on the rush for the Alaska oil fields:
 The following cable reached Seattle from Cordova, Alaska, after the pres ident had signed the oil land leasing bill:
 Hundreds of old-time sourdoughs are joining in a frenzied rush for new fame and riches in Alaska's richest oil fields, Katalla and Yakataga. They are racing at full speed in gasoline motor boats, from Cordova, Seward and Kodiak The stampeders in the various towns were reused from anxious waiting by shrieking sirens, footing whistles and church bells. The main rush is for the Alaska peninsula fields, and others are rush ing for Katalla. where prafine base oil seeps through to the surface. The stampede, in which are many Alas kans who have participated in famous gold rushes, started on news by press wireless to the north
 It was such motor boat derby as has never before been witnessed. Trim new motor boats fresh with gay paint, superannuated craft called by this great event into strenuous duty, diminutive boats that should never have risked so many leagues of open sea, joined in this race to liquid riches Even the mail boats rued the duty that kept them from going. All others went, and there was no lack of passengers. The boats from Kodiak and Seward headed for the Alaska peninsula. The staccato boats at Cordova died away in the direc- tion of Katalla and Yakataga, the lat ter over a hundred miles away, down district has no harbOr, and all land ings must be made on a beach ex- posed to the full sweep of the Pacific. It has always been practically inac- cessible, except by motor boats, which for many years have brought in sup plies for the few placer miners who worked there, and which because of the nature of the beach landed vio- lently and with danger even in abated winds.
 At present production is limited to the few patented wells of the Katalla district, from which about fifty bar rels are pumped and refined per day. This oil is of high grade and of par afine base. ~..
 The Alaska peninsula feld-Iniskin, Oil and Dry bays, and Gold bay, many miles to the southwest-is in- dented by harbors and is accessible, with occasional ice flows throughout the year. Those Seward gasboats that started out that night, loaded with fortune seekers, had to round Kenai peninsula and cross Cook inlet, traversing something like half a thousand miles of practically open sea before reaching their Fl Dorado on the peninsula.
 It is entirely appropriate that motor boats should transport these stakers of oil claims in their mad rush, for the Alaskan motor boat will come into rich and long needed reward. Over twenty million gallons of petro- laul and petroleum products are ar- nually shipped from the states to Alaska. The combined mileage of Alaskan motor boats would run into staggering figure. Cheap oil and lots of it, flowing from territorial wells, will be the greatest boon that has come in many year to the mul- titude of motor boat owners of Alaska. At Nome, for instance, gas oline is 51 cents a gallon.
 In the states, high powered auto mobiles were waiting the word that a presidential signature had been duly motorized. In Alaska, automobiles and flying machines were, for all practical purposes, at time like this, non-existent. But it is a safe bet that the most aged craft of them all, or the smallest that should not have put out to sea, landed it's eager passengers safely.