Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-05
A Natura, Island Fortress.

very serious nature, as TO the policy of
permitting the ownership of an island
of this character to pass into the con-
troll of a foreign corporation. Catalina is
distant from the mainland twenty-five
miles. The channel which separates it
from the shore is a deep arm of the
ocean, navigable to all classes of vessels.
The wildward side of the island fronts
the open ocean. 1t has one landlocked
harbor on the ocean side, and several
bights and one large indentation on the
channel side which afford safe anchor
age from all but southeasterly storms.
In 1s67.S there was quite rush to
Catalina in consequence of extensive
mineral discoveries there. This at
tracted the attention OF the Government
to the island, when it was deemed of
sufficient military importance for the
Federal authorities to take possession of
it, erect extensive barracks and estab-
Itch on it a military post. The claim of
private parties to the island was
not admitted by the Government at that
time, and it was held as United States
property until the courts had decided
upon the validity of the Mexican grant,
when it was abandoned.
Under the laws of the United States
all islands are reserved by the
government for military and other
public purposes, and if Gaia
lima had not been granted
to private individuals before the cession
of California to the United States, its
title would still be in the Government.
The same is true of Santa Cruz and Santa
Rosa, opposite Santa Barbara. San
Clemente to the southwark and west
ward of Catalina had not been granted
away by the Mexican Government, and
therefore still remains the property of
the United States, although frequent
efforts have been made to induce Con-
gress to dispose OF it. But the traditional
policy of our Government, to reserve all
islands for public purposes, prevailed,
and the parties now in possession hold
by lease from the Federal authorities.
These facts, coupled with the inn
portance in military point of view of
Catalina in the event of a foreign war,
raise the question whether the Govern
ment of the United States will look with
unconcern upon the transfer of the
ownership of this island to an English
syndicate. As the public safety is
the highest object of every government,
the point to be considered is whether
the United States will not view with dis
favor the alienation of an island possess
| ing important military advantages in the
event of foreign invasion. A war with
England, for instance, would render
Catalina Island very interesting object
to the people on the mainland, especially
| if controlled by syndicate of our
enemies. 1t goes without saying, that
if such coniuncture should arise, the
Government would take possession of
the island and occupy it for it's stratesical
advantages as naval fortress.
The history of Catalina Island is inter-
esting. The earliest record we have of
it is in Salmeron's Relaciones and Tor
quemada's Monarquias Indias. In these
works we find that the island was dis
covered by Cabrillo in 1912, and are told
that it, in common with the
other inhabited channel islands, was
peopled by a superior race-"the young
women very handsome and virtuous, and
the young men white, with light hair
and rudy cheeks and stalwart FORMS"
"Pineugna" was the aboriginal name of
the island. The Catalinans were re-
nowned as mariners and warriors, and
both Cabrillo and Viscaino testify to the
extraordinary size of their canoes and
arm aments, and the skill of their crews,
who swept their barquillos swiftly through
the water with imm ense paddles. These
Island sagas we're the terror OF the tribes
ON the mainland, and frequently laid
them under contribution. The she'll
money that was the universal currency
of the Indians, was procured principally
at Catalina Island, 30 that it was in
reality the mint of the aborigines. Thus
the Catalinans may be said to have been
all-powerful, for they had possession of
the purse and the sword. and with their
aid subjugated the people on the main
Hand at their will.
We would hardly permit Santa Cata-
lima to become again the center of dan
ger that she is said to have been when
her people lorded it over the tribes that
lived on this coast. Yet it would be a
curious repetition of history if Catalina,
as the possession of British syndicate,
should be betrayed into the power of
British fleet, and become the starting
point of incursions upon the main shore
in some future war with Great Britain.
The landing of the Jutland pirate Hen
gest and his band at Thanet pre-
coded by six centuries the landing of
William the Conqueror at Pevensey. We
can picture the landing Of Catalina
Hengest in 1900 at Redondo Beach and
rava cling the coast from Point Dumas to
Las Bolsas. Can any of us see sin our
minds eye, Horatio," a descendant of
the Norman Bastard emerging from Cata-
lima Island and falling upon Southern
California with fire and sword, as a re-
suit of the policy which permits aliens to
become possessed of our strategetic coast
islands?
Va ,,pdarctaud th of opa IF fba nort;oe