178 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION 
‘■After leaving the lake it flows along this level valley, which varies from 1 to SlJ 
miles in width, for a distance of about 6 miles. After this the valley, as far as we|| 
could see, is full of low, rolling hills. At its mouth, and for about 5 miles from the>jl 
spit, its valley is narrow and closely hemmed in by the surrounding mountaius.W 
Throughout its course, except in the level and marshy portion, it flows between bluffsj| 
from 10 to 40 feet in height. In the lagoon, which was in former times its estuary,^ 
these blutfs are as much as 80 feet high and slope steeply to the water’s edge. 
“ There is no timber on the river, and it was only with great difficulty that thej’ 
natives of our party could find enough dry [shrubs] for cooking purposes at the por-|>^ 
tage. The low hills of the river valley are covered with tall grass and full of water|[ 
holes and pitfalls. The level portion of the valley is almost entirely a quaking bog,|' 
covered with moss and occasional clumps of low shrubbery.” | 
The shrubs for the most part consist of willows and alder, the willows reaching their |' 
greatest size — in fact attaining the size of small trees — along the banks of the small j 
streams tributary to the Karluk. The alder forms dense thickets, which are almost' 
impassable. At higher elevations the alder predominates. The heath family is repre-^ 
sented by several species, producing edible berries in great abundance. Cranberries of ' 
small size abound in some of the bogs and extend to the tops of the hills at elevations 
of nearly 2,000 feet. Some species oiBubus are very common, and esiiecially R. chamce- 
morus, known on the island of Kadiak as the Maleena. These are edible species and ; 
are eagerly sought after by the natives. ' Fire weed is one of the most characteristic' 
of the common plants of the region, its pink flowers forming masses of color which 
contrast beautifully with the varied green of the shrubs and the monotonous straw-’ 
color of the wild wheat. Crane’s bill and golden rod occur in profusion. Monk’s’ 
hood, blue gentian, and violets are very common. Wild roses are even more abun-; 
dant than in our own vicinity. Wild celery and wild parsnips are everywhere to be 
seen. In the river, in certain localities, there is a profuse growth of eel grass. Sagit- . 
taria and yellow water lilies abound in some parts of the river. The collection of 
plants, however, will be referred to in detail at another time. 
“ The surface of the numerous ponds [in the valley of the Karluk] is covered with a 
peculiar iridescent film characteristic of petroleum. An examination of this region 
would very probably reveal the existence of petroleum springs and possibly reser-; 
voirs. The prospect is certainly fair, for the strata of the whole region is evidently 
colored with bituminous matter, especially the sandstones. Just such strata are 
commonly found associated with beds of coal. Since my return I have made somel 
experiments upon the coals of Cook’s Inlet, which oc.cur in strata exactly similar.” I 
The Karluk receives no large tributaries, but is augmented by the waters of innum- f 
erable small creeks from both sides of its valley. None of the tributaries seen by us 
and reported by others who have traveled the entire length of the river exceed a . 
width of 6 feet at the mouth. The canneries located on the spit obtain their water I 
supply by damming up small streams behind the native village of Karluk and con- f 
veying the water in iron pipes from the reservoirs thus formed to the buildings. As I- 
these pipes are carried on the top of the ground, they are taken up in the winter to ^ 
prevent freezing. | 
