1900 — Sep 12-13, “Southeaster” Gale, off-shore Natives in boats, inshore, Nome, AK–>100
— >100 Natives in umiaks (skin-lined boats) after leaving Kings Island for mainland.[1]
— Numerous. Sea-surge ashore destroying Nome bldgs. French. Nome Nuggets, 1901, p. 67.
— Extensive loss of life, ashore in Nome.[2]
— 18-19 Blanchard count of Nome named fatalities or crew provided in press at the time.
Narrative Information
(Nome)
French: “Nome’s waterfront emerged on the morning of September 13th from the most terrific storm which has ever beset it in the knowledge of her white inhabitants. The spectacle unfolded by the return of daylight, was grand and yet appalling. Though the fury of the wind had somewhat abated and the tremendous tide had partly receded, the angry sea still raged. An untold quantity of debris — lumber, piles, wreckage of ships, barrels of liquor, tents, sails, masts, building paper — covered the surface of the near waters and tumbled about in wild confusion in the clutch of the surf.
“….Worst of all was the loss of life which attended the storm. The number of deaths will never be known, but that they must have been numerous in undoubted. Hundreds of the inhabitants of Nome were bereft of their small belongings and rendered homeless by the washing away of their tents and houses; and this extended far up the Snake River and Dry Creek bottoms, as well as for miles along the beach.
“On the afternoon of the 12th, at 3.30 o’clock, a southeaster was piping a gale. The mammoth barge ‘Skookum.’ Staunchest of all the storm-tossed fleet, after battling the season’s elements, dragged her anchor and started on the journey towards the beach and destruction. After the ‘Skookum’ had struggled an hour or so, the little tub ‘America,’ and a steam launch, which were tied astern of the doomed barge, began to show signs of succumbing to the heavy sea. They popped and bobbed about it on the crest of the swell until they both were caught broadside in the waves, and went down, with those on board.
“….She [the Skookum] drifted broadside towards the shore and landed upon the beach just below the lower extremity of the military reservation. The waves broke clear over the ill-fated barge…For fully an hour the great strength of her hull and keel stood the merciless pounding before breaking. Shortly before midnight, however, when the storm and surf were at their height, the ‘Skookum’ with a mighty crash broke in two….
“With the sudden rising of the tide, the monster breakers came surging n from sea, carrying ruin and destruction before them. Buildings along the south side of River street were picked up bodily, for a distance of two blocks, and dashed against those of the opposite side. Many of these were immediately wrecked and the pieces carried away by the waves; others, more substantial in construction, held out for varying periods; nearly all were, in the end, reduced to kindling wood. Those buildings beyond the reach of the waves were flooded with water. Only in a few instances were goods saved, so unexpected and sudden was the onslaught of the waves….
“….Various estimates were heard of the number of persons rendered homeless by the waters, the general opinion being that one thousand was a reasonable figure….” (French. Nome Nuggets, 1901, pp. 67-68.)
Gottehrer: “Storms. Sept. 12, 1900. A great storm almost destroyed Nome, causing extensive, but uncounted, loss of life, homes and businesses. One estimate indicated there were 1,000 homeless. The barge Skookum, which had just arrived in Nome, was wrecked and much of its cargo destroyed. Ten thousand tons of coal, a winter’s supply, went into the sea.” (Gottehrer. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised and 2nd edition). 2000, p. 94.)
Newspapers
Sep 19: “Seattle, Sept 19….The steamer St. Paul brought news of the terrible havoc wrought at Nome by the recent storm. A number of vessels were driven on the beach or wrecked. Many tents and buildings on the beach were entirely swept away. The Alaska commercial company’s wharf and Capt. Geiger’s Latrina [sp.?] are a mass of wreckage. L. S. Doud of San Francisco and Capt. Johnson are said to have been drowned during the storm. Capt. J. D. Thackberry of Portland, Ore, aged 60 years, who had been navigating the Alaska run for the past 10 years, was another victim of the storm. His body will be sent down on one of the first steamers.” (Boston Globe. “Nome’s Terrible Storm.” 9-20-1900, p. 17.)
Sep 20: “Seattle, Wash, Sept. 20. The steamer-ship St. Paul, from Nome….reports the recovery of the bodies of P. H. Kitcat, P. T. Nichols, David Sinclair and Frank Hicks, who were drowned in the recent storm.” (Evening Democrat, Warren, PA. “News From Nome.” 9-20-1900, p. 2.)
Sep 25: “Seattle, Wash., Sept. 25.–The steamer Roanoke brings news of a most disastrous storm at Nome. It raged with unusual violence for nearly two days up to the evening of September 13 and was the severest that ever visited northwestern Alaska. A number of barges and lighters were driven ashore and totally wrecked. All along the beach for miles, both east and west of Nome, the wind and water have created havoc with tents and mining machinery.
“A number of lives are believed to have been lost. It is known that Andrew A. Ryan, of Los Angeles, was drowned. Several captains and seamen on small tugs are missing and it is thought they are lost.
“Fully 500 people are homeless, while the loss to property and supplies is over a half million dollars.
“There is not an alley leading to the beach that is not filled with debris. Many of Front street buildings abutting on the beach have been damaged. Numerous small buildings were swept completely away. The heaviest individual losers are probably the Alaska Commercial company and the Wild Goose Mining and Trading company.
“A serious loss is the disappearance of over 2,000 tons of coal. Captain French, in command of the troops, has thrown open the government reservation to those rendered homeless by the storm and will extend such other assistance as is possible.
“In the great storm at Nome on September 11, 12 and 13 the tug Islam sank with her crew of three. The launch America, while trying to aid the big barge Skookum, with down with Captain Madison, her commander, and the engineer. Three or four men were working along the water front in an effort to save something from the wreckage and are said to have been swept to sea, but their names are not known.
“From Benny river comes a report of the wreck of the schooner Prosper and the drowning of Captain Geizer, together with one of his seamen.
“At Nome the Alaska Commercial company’s barge York, heavily laden with winter provisions, went ashore. And later the barge Skookum dragger her anchors and was wrecked on the beach. The North American Transportation company lost the tug Bob, valued at $2,000. The steam launch Strae sank at anchor and the Belvidere is a wreck at the mouth of Snake river.[3] The little schooner Zenith, which attempted to put to sea, was blown about two miles up the beach.
“Having her passengers aboard, the Roanoke sailed on the evening of September 13. The storm had abated somewhat, but after getting to sea it increased. The Roanoke was completely at the mercy of the gale. On the third day out the storm subsided and the vessel succeeded in reaching port uninjured….” (Fort Wayne Evening Sentinel, IN. “A Storm at Nome.” 9-25-1900, p. 4.)
Sep 28: “Seattle, Wash., Sept. 28.–The steamer Tacoma arrived last night from Nome with $3,000,000 in gold. The worst reports concerning the great storm of the 12th are confirmed. Over a million dollars worth of property was destroyed and hundreds of people are destitute. Solomon City,[4] with a population of 200 persons, was destroyed, not a building remaining.” (Fort Wayne News, IN. “Entire City Destroyed.” 9-28-1900, p. 1.)
Named Fatalities
Doud, L.S. of San Francisco.
Geiser, Captain of schooner Prosper, Benny river.
Hicks, Frank.
Johnson, Capt.
Kitcat, P.H.
Madison, Capt. of America, wrecked trying to aid barge Skookum.
Nichols, P.T.
Ryan, Andrew A., of Los Angeles; drowned.
Sinclair, David.
Thackberry, Capt. J.D., 60, of Portland, OR.
Launch America, engineer (Capt. Madison also lost, but noted by name above.)
Schooner Prosper, seaman, Benny river.
Tug Islam, crew of three.
3-4 men working along the water front, attempting to salvage goods, swept out to sea.
“Several captains and seamen on small tugs are missing and it is thought they are lost.”
Offshore Natives
Good: “Captain Walter S Milner of the schooner Alice reported the loss of ‘three omiaks [umiaks] with more than 100 Indians aboard’ during the great storm of September 12, 1900. The following is taken from an account in the San Francisco Call:[5]
Just previous to the big storm at Nome, the Alice left the exposed coast and made a run for Port Clarence…At Port Clarence, Captain Milner found that five Omiaks of Indians, each holding thirty-five or forty persons, had left Kings Island for the mainland. One arrived at Teller City while the Alice was there and another landed farther up. Both reported that the other three boats, containing more than one hundred Indians, had gone down.
Sources
Boston Globe. “Nome’s Terrible Storm.” 9-20-1900, p. 17. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe-sep-20-1900-p-17/?tag
Evening Democrat, Warren, PA. “News From Nome.” 9-20-1900, p. 2. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/warren-evening-democrat-sep-20-1900-p-2/?tag
Fort Wayne Evening Sentinel, IN. “A Storm at Nome.” 9-25-1900, p. 4. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-wayne-sentinel-sep-24-1900-p-4/?tag
Fort Wayne News, IN. “Entire City Destroyed.” 9-28-1900, p. 1. Accessed 9-4-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-wayne-news-sep-28-1900-p-1/?tag
French, Leigh Hill. Chapter VI. “The Great Storm of September 12th.” pp. 67-71 in Nome Nuggets: Some of the Experiences of a Party of Gold Seekers in Northwestern Alaska in 1900. New York: Montross, Clarke & Emmons, 1901. Google digital preview accessed 9-3-2017 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=xnYvT8AypkQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Good, Captain Warren. Alaska Shipwrecks: Volume III, Southwest, West, Central and North Alaska. Published by Warren Good, 2014.
Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised and 2nd edition). Fairbanks, Alaska: Epicenter Press, 2000. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=O53zwdFYTGEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[1] Good. Alaska Shipwrecks: Volume III — Southwest, West, Central and North Alaska.
[2] Gottehrer. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised and 2nd edition). 2000, p. 94.
[3] The Snake River drains into the Bering Sea at Nome.
[4] Solomon today is not a city. Located just north of the sea and east of Nome.
[5] San Francisco Call. “Picks Up Two Shipwrecked Crews on Bleak Shores of the Arctic.” 10-24, 1900, p. 2.