reate some little
stir, and there appeared many who wished to secure a lot in the new
metropolis. I believe that I am still the town recorder; but it will be
very strange indeed if the law will suffer such transient guests thus to
create, and in absence maintain, a town site, and the more especially so
when others claim the ownership of the property. As a matter of fact,
Dutch Harbor will very probably become an important station in the
Philippine and Asiatic trade of this country; and General Randall, in a
recent report, has strongly recommended the government acquisition of
land there for commercial and outfitting purposes.

The weather had been somewhat misty and chilly, with only occasional
gleams of sunshine. It was not disagreeable, however, and at times was
very pleasant. The ships were daily setting out for the North, and the
_Lane_ was delaying with a number of others, awaiting the advent of an
expected collier. There were excitement and curiosity, indeed, when the
_Cleveland_ came in, the first large vessel to discharge passengers and
freight at Nome and to return for a second trip. Adventurous, she had
taken advantage of a lucky break in the ice, and had safely gotten
through and reached her destination. The dock was crowded with people
seeking interviews with those returning on the _Cleveland_. The latter
were, for the most part, a poor-looking collection, who told dire and
terrible tales of the Nome "fake" and of the lawlessness and crime
existing there. They said that the beach had been exhausted of its gold,
and that people were leaving for home as quickly as the steamers would
take them or they could scrape up enough money to pay their passage. To
those especially who were relying upon getting ready money from the
beach this news was not reassuring.

On June 17 the _Lane_ withdrew from Dutch Harbor and headed up into
Bering Sea. Whales were frequently seen, sometimes very close to the
ship, and we occasionally skirted around fields of ice. A matter about
which we particularly wished to know, and regarding which the testimony
of experts was sharply conflicting, was just what kind of a climate is
that of the Nome country. Some said that it was chilly and that it
rained all the while, and that rubber boots and oilskins were always
essential; a former whaling captain, with whom I could talk New Bedford,
said that frequently during the middle of the day the sun was so hot as
to be almost unbearable. But as t