BY ONE WHO CLAIMS HE KNOWS
. * i
--
Arthur G. Thompson, who spent a
number of^years at Kataalla, but is at
present a resident of Anchorage,
writes as follows of the oil fields:
“Having been over the Katalla field,’
from one end to the other, and lo
cated and attempted to develop oil
claims in this field, a general survey
of the extent and occurrence of oil
in this field may be of interest.
'Th.e Katalla oil field, in which may
included also the Yakataga field, j
extends from the delta of the Copper j
river, across from Cordova, to Mount
St. Elias, where it is terminated by the ]
great glaciers which cover the slope j
of the mountain. The distance along j
the coast line is approximately one
hundred miles. The general topog
raphy of the country in which the oil
seepages occur ocnsists of a coastal
plain, with timbered belts and open
meadows, extending along the coast
from the base of the mountain range
to the sea, and averaging only a few
miles in width.
The mountain range, which follows
generally the line of the coast, is
broken in many places by valley open
ings, through which emerge numerous
rivers having their sources ten to j
thirty miles inland.
f "The oil seepages occur along the
base of the mountains, and extened up
the gulch and valley openings as far
as ten miles in some instances.
“At Burls creek, east of Katalla, the
seepages extend almost to the top of
the- range. At Mary’s creek, which is
within the drilled territory, the oil has
so saturated the slopes of the moun
tain along the creek that indications
of oil may be found at almost any
point. At Johnson’s creek, sixteen
miles east of Yakataga, the familiar
odor of petroleum can be detected
when within half a mile of the stream,
which carries a film of oil on its sur
face, plain to be seen in every pool
and eddy. There is a lake of oil at
the head of the stream. The seep
ages occur, generally speaking, along
the entire distance, at the base of the
mountains sometimes a few hundred
feet and sometimes a mile apart, but
intercepted by the river valleys where
the deposit of clay and silt appears to
have excluded the oil. At Yakataga,
where I was mining gold from tlie
beach sands, we obtained oil from a
seepage directly back of our camp.
fWe used the heavy seepage oil for
lubricating the sawmill and pumping
machinery, and found it convenient
for kindling fires.
■‘A barrel sunk in the ground ac
cumulated a sufficient supply so that
we could draw out a couple of coal
oil cans full of oil whenever we want
ed it. About two dozen wells have
been drilled in the immediate Katalla
section of the field, and oil has been
found in many of them. The oil is
usually encountered at a depth of
five or six hundred feet, and fre- j
quently gushes when first struck.
“As soon as the gas pressure is
blown off pumping must be resorted
to. Before the fuel resources of
Alaska were conserved and the name
of Pinchot became known in Alaska, |
the old ‘English company’ drilled into!
^oil near Katalla and secured a patent
to a fractional claim, including about
thirty-four acres. They started the ex
ploitation of the Katalla field, and ex
H^|ded about $500,000 in drilling and
oil development. Upon their applica
tions for patent to some fifty odd
claims, the land office ruled that pat
ent would not be granted unless they
had secured oil in commercial quanti
ties. This necessitated a producing
well on each claim, in order to prove
the character of land which was al
ready listed, and later withdrawn, as
oil land, and the company, finding the
conditions impossible, abandoned de
velopment and later sold out for a
fraction of the money it had invested.
“The live oil from the wells, before
evaporation has taken out the gaso
line, is thin and of a brownish color,
and has a ditsinguishing odor. It is
one of the highest grade oils in the |
world, being surpassed only by an oil I
found in India. The gasoline content,
secured by simple distillation, is about
one-third; another third is illuminat
ing oil, and the balance is worth more
^than the other two, in high grade lu
bricating oils and other petroleum
products. The oil as it comes from
the well will work for a time in the
ordinary gas engine.
“A number of wells upon the patent
ed claim, about eight miles from Ka
talla,'have been producing oil since
about 1912. The best producing wells
have been found higher up on th'e
mountain, the last well drilled last
summer having a production of
twenty-seven barrels. The production
now is said to be about one hundred
•
barrels per day. The oil is refined at
the wells, the product being chiefly
distillate, which is used by the fish
ing boats which make Cordova their
headquarters.
“The gasoline refined from this oil
is of a higher grade than Standard Oil
gasoline. The field about Katalla has
been examined and reported on by the
Geological Survey in Bulletin No. 385,
which can be had from the office of
the survey at Washington (if it is not
ibut. of print). The southeastern ex
tent of the field, extending toward and
beyond Yakataga, is unreported, and
has never been developed by drilling,
although the formation there is said
to be more favorable for large depos
its of oil, on account of the more reg
ular formation.
uThe formation of the mountains of
the coast range is oil-bearing, being
sandstones, slates and shales. No gran
ites or harder rocks are known to ex
ist, and no quartz is found in this for
mation.
“The most available and easily ac
cessible oil land lies between the head
of Katalla slough, where the wells are
located, and Chilkat, on Bering river,
a distance of sixteen miles. This land
was all originally held by the old
‘English company,’ but assessment
work has been discontinued for a num
ber of years. A wagon road extends
along the base of the mountains, and
the land is also accessible by water.
“Among the oil-producing states,
Alaska is next to the last in produc
tion. The Alaska oil is all produced
by the Katalla field.
“It is the opinion of many that
large bodies of oil exist in proximity
to the seepages in this oil field, and
should this be found to be the case,
Alaska will undoubtedly have an oil
boom which may even eclipse Texas
or California.”
Scarborough Pictures that please at
prices that are right. Over Cordova
drug store. Phone 140—3 rings.
PROFESSIONAL
DR. W. W. COUNCIL’
PHYSICIAN and SURGEON
Omcfe and Residence, Cordova
General Hospital v Ostrander
Building).
Phones—Residence, 115; Office, 133
" DfL W. H. CHASE *
Physician and Surgesn
Lathrop Building
Phone 9
Established Cordova ISIS
*W. D ARCY CHACE, M. D.#
Office Suite B, Lathrop Building
Residence Windsor Hotel. Calls
may be left at Windsor Hotel or,
at Northern Drug Store
♦-♦
DR. CHARLES DAGGETT
DENTAL OFFICES
LATHROP BLDG. PHONE 200
CORDOVA, ALASKA
WL CORA DAGGETT "
SPECIALIST
DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS
PYORRHEA X-RAY
OFFICES WITH
BR. CHARLES DAGBETT
-♦
DR. VON ZESCH
Bentiat
ABAMS BUlLBiNO
•i » ,
I,- ►
DON! OE & WM0ND
ATTORNEYS - A V -LAW
Offices:
CORBOVA and VALBEZ
---O
PRANK H. FOSTER
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
ROOM 1, OSTRANDER BUILDING
E. F. MEDLEY
ATTORNEY AND COUNSELLOR
AT LAW
Room 1, Adams Block
CORDOVA, ALASKA
O-♦
R. H. L. NOAKS
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
SECOND ST., OPP. HOSPITAL
0-♦
D. C. FAIRMAN
TEACHER OF PIANO
FRANK A. METCALF
CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER
U. S. MINERAL SURVEYOR
Juneau, Alaska
* INSURANCE
MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Accident and Health Insurance
United States Fidelity & Guaranty
THOS. S. SCOTT
♦ --—♦
-“
In Economy and in Work Alone Lie the
Salvation cf Great Britain
Zy LORD CUNLIFFE,* Director of the Lank of England <
_ _ i
H — nil— T—■——— wr-w«>i — v JiyacWl——— ■’* "■■imh- -mytr ..I Uliwa—i arw a
The main thing to remember is that we must all work with a view
to making good the wealth we have lost in the last five years.
Those who have been fighting naturally want some relaxation. After
the strain of war they want what is usually called a “lark.” I should be
the last man on earth to frown on that spirit. The soldier has well earned '
bis playtime. But we should never lose sight of the fact that that play
time cannot continue indefinitely.
Remember we have drawn on the future. To win the war the Brit
ish government had to pay for it. The government could do this only by 1
drawing upon the nation’s credit.
This the government did by turning itself into the nation’s banker,
and by issuing notes against the future. The government had no other
alternative. The issue has little to do with the increased cost of living,
Now that the war is won we have to look to the future. In economy
and in work alone lie our salvation, and unless we economize and work
we shall never again be in the same happy position as we were in 1913.
«
H. B. WOLKING & CO.
Licensed
UNDERTAKERS
And
EMBALMERS
Phone 133—3
FRESH FROM OUTSIDE i
Beef, Pork, Veal, Mutton and Poultry
Wholesale and Retail
All Orders Given Prompt Attention
NORTHERN MEAT MARKET
i
STEAM HEAT ELECTRIC LIGHTS !
Overland! otel
MRS. J. W. KENNEDY
Chitina, Alaska
FOOL TABLE IN CONNECTION
BCE8T BRANDS OF CIGARS KEPT
CORDOVA
SHEET METAL
WORKS
Goods Manufactured to Order, of
Sheet Iron, Galvanized Iron, Tin
and Zinc
Phone 143
Second St., Next to Hospital
WALLPAPER
In Latest Patterns
CLASS
In All Slz^s
>
BOGART & ROBINSON
| SEND IT TO JONES |
1 I
Ij i A Washday Health Lesson 1
\ 1 for the Housewife j §
\ I Ordinarily we .like to hold up, the steaming tubs; in the dampness of cel- | ff
? * Orientals l a$; “horrible examples” of lars; in braving rain, snow and sleet f Ik
| I everything that is old-fashioned, but while hanging out the clothes. Why ♦:*:
\ £ in some few things we yet can learn not make yourself safe from these
; | from our eastern neighbors. menaces of winter washdays by send
: I Til . 1 , V ing us your family washing? P
: 5 It is our practice to wait until we £:
£ £ . -11 -u r it j _ .We can launder everything for you |
E 5 become ill before we call the doctor. , , ,, * $<
'r i «« c . r ,, —cleanse and sterilize household lmen
E * The custom of the Asiatic folk is to ,
t I ........ „ and personal apparel; give to every $£
i * employ a physician to keep them well— . ’ %
\ I if a “patient” becomes ill the doctor’s plece’ 3 fraSrant ^nhness; ,ron for . g
I | fees stop forthwith. y°u in a manner that WlU 831,6 y°ur i
: f things, yet give to them a fine dainti- kk
: | The health philosophy of the Orien- ness of finish.
: | tals is precaution. Our way is the saving way—it will j
: | Why not make this your philosophy save you heavy work, save you health, I |ji
l § these winter days—at least to the ex- save you money. Telephone, or drop f £:
j I tent pf playing safe with the washing? us a card, and we will have our driver | j|:
: | There is danger to you in washday’s call for your family washing. |
» I 5 jx
| We treat your clothing white 1 |
I 1 JONES’ LAUNDRY | j
| THE MODERN LAUNDRY |
1 j “Yes—Six - Six, Please” I I
I -’ll
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- - » I
:$ ‘ 8
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One Hundred Per Cent American
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