366  CONTRIBUTIONS   TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOG* ,   1903.  [btjll.226. 
miles  to  the  southwest,  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula. 
The  Bering  River  coal  fields  are  from  20  to  10  miles  from  the  coast, 
in  the  valley  of  Bering  River,  which  flows  into  Controller  Bay. 
All  these  regions  may  be  reached  directly  from  Seattle  by  steamer, 
except  the  Cape  Yaktag  field,  where  there  is  no  steamer  landing. 
Controller  Bay  is  from  seven  to  nine  days'  sail  from  Seattle;  Cook 
Inlet  is  about  three  da}^s  farther,  while  Cold  Bay  is  two  daj^s  beyond 
t  i  ds.  In  order  to  reach  the  Cape  Yaktag  fields  it  is  necessary  to  secure 
a  small  boat  for  the  trip  from  Controller  Bay. 
CONTROLLER  BAY  PETROLEUM   FIELD. 
GEOGRAPHY. 
Controller  Bay  is  an  indentation  of  the  coast  about  100  miles  west 
of  Mount  St.  Elias,  sheltered  on  the  southeast  by  Cape  Suckling  and 
on  the  southwest  by  a  group  of  islands  of  which  the  largest  is  Kayak. 
The  area  here  to  be  discussed  includes  the  shores  of  Controller  Bay 
and  the  adjacent  region,  with  an  irregular  group  of  low  peaks  having 
no  uniform  elevation  or  trend,  which  form  the  foothills  of  the  Chugach 
Mountains  to  the- north.  These  foothills  are  highest  near  the  moun- 
tains and  fall  away  irregularly  toward  the  sea,  where  few  points  are 
more  than  2,000  feet  high.  The  eastern  shore  of  Controller  Bay  and 
of  Bering  River  is  low  and  almost  flat. 
Bering  River,  with  its  tributaries,  drains  the  central  part  of  this 
region  and  flows  through  Bering  Lake,  which  is  about  10  miles  from 
the  sea.  Above  the  lake  it  receives  as  tributaries  Can}7on  Creek  and 
Stillwater  Creek,  which  drains  Lake  Kushtahkah.  Shepherd  Creek 
enters  Bering  Lake  from  the  north  at  its  northeast  corner.  Mtchawak 
River  enters  Bering  River  from  the  east  between  the  lower  end  of 
the  lake  and  Controller  Bay.  Katalla  River  and  a  number  of  small 
streams  drain  the  peninsula  between  Bering  Lake  and  Controller  Bay. 
The  region  northwest  of  the  valley  of  Katalla  River  drains  into  the 
Copper  River  delta. 
Most  of  the  lowlands  about  Controller  Bay  are  covered  with  a  dense 
forest.  Spruce,  fir,  and  hemlock  predominate  among  the  larger  trees 
and  are  of  good  size  and  fair  quality.  This  heavy  growth  extends  up 
the  hillsides  to  an  elevation  of  about  1,000  feet,  where  it  gives  way  to 
less  dense  timber  of  the  same  species,  and  grades  into  a  zone  in  which 
scrub  alders  are  far  in  excess  of  the  other  trees.  In  the  lower  part  of 
the  valley  of  Shepherd  Creek  and  in  the  valley  of  Katalla  River  there 
are  meadows  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass. 
The  various  companies  interested  in  the  development  of  this  region 
have  built  trails  from  cabin  to  cabin,  and  land  travel  is  confined  to 
these.  The  network  of  rivers,  however,  makes  it  very  easy  to  get 
about  in  small  boats,  so  almost  all  travel  is  done  in  this  way. 
