The Nome nugget., 1903-06-13
GALES THAT HAVE
 SWEPT THIS COAST
One in 1893 Did Great Amount of Damage. -Capt. Bayne Predicts That One Day Gale Will Sweep Nome From
 Its Foundations.
Cop right, lS)9, by Fe.er Barne.

about the gale of 1900 us being a terri ble one; the oldest inhabitants had never seen anything like it. We'll, Nome was then about two years old, and up to 1898 few traders were the only white inhabitants. They were living with native women, and became natives, ill fact.
 The gale of 1900 was an ordinary rain and wind storm, and is apt to occur during any summer month. It is hard to get information from the Eskimo concerning gales that have done them damage. Cases where lives have been lost and villages destroyed the devil (tonach) is the author, and the native doctor doesn't care to discuss his acts. About the time that whaleships first came on their coast, the village at Cape Smyth was partly destroyed by ice, $ number of natives were killed while escaping from their houses in the nj. ht. At Point Hope the entire village was covered over with ics, and the under ground houses filled with water, and when frost came, the ice and water te- came Il solid mass forming d glacier over their food supply. In destitute condition, | number of families went deer hunting and died of starvation and exposure. A large village on Icy cape was under water in the month of June or at the time the ice broke up, and some of the natives moved to big her ground. This occurred before whaling began. In the winter of lSoS-9 d fierce gale came up in the month of February; the wind gauge at times registering go miles per hour at the U. 5. refuge sta- tion at Cape Smyth. This gale piled the ice up along the Arctic coast from 20 to loo feet high; it blew the hardest from the southwest; the immense Arc tic ice-pack was driven at about a six mile rate, and when it came in contact with Cape Shoals and permanent ob- jects, the effect was awe-inspiring, and to the unseen mind inconceivable. Dur ing this gale there was no damage done, but the ice reached up to the coal sacks and pushed them up against the refuge station ut Cape Smyth.
 At Point Hope the natives have been moving their houses to higher ground for many years past. In October, 1893, another strong gale occurred. It be- gan in the southeast and thence to south and then the southwest. No man could stand up and walk againstit. At times there were lulls in the gale, hail and snow falling during the lulls. At Point Hope the natives abandoned their village in great haste and fear, carry ing some articles of bedding and cloth- ing along with them. The velocity of this gale is unknown, as we had no wind gauge. The sea came up over the land quickly; the village was soon under water. My station was back Q half mile from the village, on higher ground, but the sea went up nearly half mile farther than my house, and the sea swashing against the house and coming in over the door sill, the i'm mense rollers breaking and exhausting their force before reaching the village. St. Andrews mission, which is about a mile north of the village, was surround ed by water and damaged somewhat. It has since been moved to higher ground. The building is a good sub- stantial one, and was built by the U. 5. government for a native school house. Dr.. Dreggs, the teacher, after seeing his school children across some low places, Started for another settlement about eight miles distant, which was on higher ground. He had to; wade through snow and slush; his feet were frozen somewhat, but he arrived at the settlement without anything worse than a few frost bites. In Merritt, in- let, about L. miles north of Point Hope, three schooners went ashore while ly- ing in a land-locked harbor; two of them dragged their anchors, the third parted her cables and went up on dry land. This gale blew tercely for sev- eral Gays and then moderated, tue ,is1ter quickly receding. Quite num-
 of natives returned and began to bail the water out of their houses and caches, but the gale again increased, the natives again going to the other settlement, where they stayed until the gale was over. The second edition of this gale was worse than the first, the wind being stronger and the water raising higher. It lasted about twelve days.
 On the Berng sea coast this gale is not forgotten by the natives of Port Clarence and Cape Prince of Wales. The late Sinrock Charley, the owner ot the reindeer herd, and we'll known to the prospectors of thi' district, was