SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN IN 1896. 
41 
taken in Lake Washington, and they are at times quite plentiful in Lake Union, which 
supplies all the black bass to the Seattle market. The yellow perch (Perea flavescens) 
has also become well established in this lake. 
LAKE SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON. 
While engaged in carrying on observations upon Lake Washington Mr. Alexander 
made a trip, December ill to January 6, to Lake Sammamish, a short distance to the 
eastward. He gives the following account of this lake and the investigations: 
This body of water lies parallel to Lake Washington, the two lakes being sepa 
rated by a hilly strip of country, the most narrow part being 3£ miles across. The 
greatest distance between the lakes is 8 miles. 
Lake Sammamish is 38 feet above low-water mark at Seattle and 4 feet above 
Lake Washington. The land separating the southern portion of the bodies of water 
might be termed mountainous; many of the hills rise from 1,000 to 1,500 feet from 
their base, and are covered mostly with a dense growth of trees. A road cut through 
the forest from the west shore of Lake Sammamish to the east side of Lake Washing- 
ton is traveled considerably during the summer months. A boat connecting at the 
end of the road carries passengers across Lake Washington and lands them in Seattle 
much sooner than if they traveled by rail. 
The length of Lake Sammamish is 8 miles; its greatest width (about halfway 
between its north and south points) is If miles. Its narrowest part is near the 
northern end, a little over half a mile from shore to shore. From Inglewood, in the 
northern part, to Monohan on the south it has a nearly uniform width of about 1J miles. 
It lies nearly in a north-and-south direction; a line being drawn north from the south 
end would strike 1 mile east of its most northern part. The Seattle and Lake Shore 
Railroad strikes the lake at Adelaide, and follows the east shore the entire length. 
Three small towns are situated near the shore on the east side. The most important 
is Monohan, near the south end. On the west side a number of settlers have made 
considerable clearings. Opposite Monohan is a huge pile of sawdust, which extends 
for a considerable distance into the lake, and when the water is rough small chunks 
of it are washed away. It being water- soaked, most of it that falls into the lake 
immediately sinks. The sawdust coming from the mill at Monohan is burned. 
Topography of the shore . — The shore in most parts of Lake Sammamish is com- 
posed chiefly of sand and gravel, forming numerous beaches. These beaches, when 
the water is at its normal height, are exposed. At the time of our visit to the lake 
(December 31 to January 6) the water was about 4 feet higher than in summer; it had 
then fallen 2 feet since the middle of December. Judging from the condition of the 
lake at high water, the beaches when exposed must be from 8 to 12 feet wide, measur- 
ing from the water’s edge to the bank. In most places they extend offshore at a 
sharp angle. Except in a few places, where the sandy and gravelly beaches appear, the 
bottom makes off gradually and its character is either hard or soft mud. The south- 
ern shore of the lake is skirted by low marsh land, which extends from the southwest 
to the southeast side. Here several small creeks empty into the lake, which, no doubt, 
have contributed largely to the marsh land. 
The hills bordering the southern portion of the lake descend with a more gradual 
slope than those on the east and west sides. The land in the immediate vicinity of 
the lake is not more than 4 or 5 feet higher than the level of the water, gradually 
