From the Nome Nugget, November 25, 1907 - VOLCANIC ASHES COVER TELLER CITY Without the knowledge of the people of this city volcanic ashes have been falling on the town and on the whole coast during the past 24 hours. The snow around Nome has turned gray, and, while the people are going about on their ordinary occupations one of the strangest of the freaks of nature is occurring around and about them. Early in the day word came from the Nugget correspondent at Teller that the volcanic ash was falling there and had caused the discoloration of the snow in that district as well as at Gold Run and Tin City. The phenomenon was noticed first around Nome late this afternoon when mushers arrived and reported that it was noticed the disturbing of the snow showed the surface to be darker than the part beneath. Teamsters are complaining that their sleds pull hard, and the substance grows thicker as the day advances. People walking about the city throughout the day noticed an unusual darkness despite the clearness of the sky, but few paid any attention to it, as it seemed to be the effect of the fog. The west wind which has prevailed has evidently floated the ashes over from the direction of the Gold Run country, and this fact indicates that the cause of it has happened to the west. Remembering that the ash consumed about 24 hours in reaching Nome from Teller, one is led to the conclusion that it must be of great buoyancy and capable of traveling an immense distance through the air, which fact, in turn, gives rise to the belief that the volcano from which the ashes came may be a long, long way off. Teller City and the surrounding country is the scene today of one of the strange phenomena that come from time to time to amaze the people of the world. The snow has turned black. In every place, where a virgin whiteness was apparent yesterday, is the gloom born of the strange substance which fell silently from the heavens through the night and probably all day yesterday. The Gold Run country has also turned brown and from Tin City and surrounding districts comes the intelligence that they have also felt the effect of what must be undoubtedly some frightful upheaval of nature that has taken place within the confines of the Seward peninsula. All day yesterday was dark here. The gloom had caused some surprise. Many had commented upon it. The sun was invisible and yet no one seemed to have been aware that the dark, light substance was falling steadily and discoloring the whole country. It was found this morning that clothes, which had been hung out to dry, had also become discolored and now people are wondering where occurred the strange event that sent the black dust floating over miles of districts. How much wider was the district affected is not known, nor can anyone guess the direction from which the ashes came except by taking the wind into account. All that is known is that clouds of dust fell while people were unaware of it and that the formerly white covering of the earth in now black all over.
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