re, vacant except for a few
rolls of carpeting, matting and oil cloth on sale by the sisters, stood
not far from the large coal heater in which fire was kept during the
day, making the room warm and dry when I came in at night. Near the
foot of my cot a good window admitted light and sunshine, and a door
opened upon a flight of six stairs into a tiny square yard before one
entered the warehouse, where lived the sisters. This latter building was
made of corrugated iron, on piles, with windows and a door in the south
end looking directly out upon the water only a few feet away, and was
fitted cosily enough for the summer, but not intended for anything
further except storage purposes. A second door in the north end,
opposite the one in the store, and only separated from it by the little
yard was the door generally used. At this time lodgings without fire
were worth dollars a night in crowded Nome, and one's next neighbors
might prove themselves anything but desirable.

Meanwhile we worked steadily. Many of the Anvil Creek mine owners and
their men took meals at the "Star" whenever in town. Some of their
office employees came regularly. Hundreds were "going outside" on boats,
and all was bustle and excitement. At least twenty-five thousand people
had landed at Nome during the summer, and fully one-half of them had
gone home discouraged.

On Sunday, September second, there came up a most terrible storm, which,
for the velocity of its gales, tremendous downfall of rain, terrific
surf, accompanied by great loss of life, as well as length of duration,
had not been equalled for over twenty years. Never before was the
property loss so great on the Behring Sea coast.

By nine o'clock Sunday morning the large steamers at anchor had put far
out to sea for safety. The wind rose, the rain poured. The surf was
growing more rough. At dinner time those who came in reported the dead
bodies of nine men picked up on the beach. They had attempted to land
from a steamer, and their small boat was swamped. One of the men drowned
was the mate of the vessel. For days the storm lasted and our work
increased. It was not long before the continuous rain had penetrated our
little kitchen roof and walls, roughly built as they were of boards, and
from that on we worked in rubber boots and short skirts tucked still
higher. With the storm at its hardest, I donned a regular "sou'wester,"
or water proof hat, rather than stand with the rain dripping upon m