The Republican journal., 1889-07-11
Off the Coasts Of Baia, California.
STRANGE STORIES COLLECTED IN STRANGE
WATERS.
I Correspondence of the journal


ON SHIrBoARD, 1889. This queer Peninsula,
which has by far the longest shore line of any
in the New World, is also the narrowest, being
III one part less than forty miles across between
the Pacific ocean and the Gulf of California,
aud only about one hundred miles in the widest
place.
All along its coasts are many salt iagoons,
which have never been surveyed. and Who~e
extent, therefore, can be merely guessed. The
largest of these on the western side is called
san Ignacio, and is fully - miles long. on the
two occasions when your correspondent has
sailed past it. the surface was black with mill
lions of waterfowl which seem to have pre-
emptied the locality, and to feel so little fear of
the Ito them) almost unknown creature. man.
as to scarcely get out of the way when a boat
was pushed in among them. In this lagoon
there are several islands of considerable size :;
but what may he on them, or within them. no
human being knows.
The celebrated bay of san Sebastian Nisraino
the largest of the California coast, ninety-tve
miles long, of which the early nayigators and
historians spoke with the greatest enthusiasm
is like Ezcka's vision of "a wheel within
Wheel" Icing made up of series of smaller
bays. Near the northern end of this enormous
harbor stands Cape Colnett-an odd-looking
headland of almost black rock risin" from Il
base of white sandstone, shaped like bonded
bow and rising to height of 400 feet For
many miles the shore retains this singular ap-
pearance. as OF loaf of old-fa>hioned "'nar-
bIc' cake, showing alternate layers OF light
and dark
There is IA tolerabc harbor abreast of re-
markabIe gorge from which the village of Col
nett may be seen, composed of more tents than
houses, mostly inhabited by Swedes.
Nearly two hundred miles below the border
line OF the United States, sailing due south. is
san Quintin, pronounced kin-tcenl the finest
land-iocked harbor on all the coast, which is set
down on all the old charts as The Bay of
Eleven Thousand Virgins" presumably after
the famous cathedral of Cologne. 1t is also
known to modern sailors As 'The Bay OF Five
Hills" from adjacent heights that have the ap-
pearance of Islands. The bay itself is nine
miles long. The sea breaks heavily over the
outlying rocks. bul once inside there is the
safest of anchorage, protected hy hills and
Islands on every side. Near its northern apex
lie some salt beds that might be made the most
valuable on the continent. They are called
"SalinoS," and for nearly fifty wears have been
ndifierenty worked by a few MeXcan>, the
product being sent to san Francisco.
Near these salt mines, five or six miles from
the landing, stands the village Of san Quiutin
The country hereabout>. for distance pf per
haps fifty miles. cut of at either end by salt la
@oon>, and with an average breadth OF ten miles
between the sea aud the fOot-hI>. j. a@ricul-
turaly rood. The mesa soil is similar to he
"redland>" of Upper California, and the lower
valleys are especially adapted to the Missouri
grape. from which. as is well known. cham
pagne can he made, equal TO the best produced
in sunny France.
Far away. fully fifty miles from the ocean.
the lofty peaks OF san Pedro Martir loom sky
ward from eleven thousand to fourteen thou
sand feet. Most Of the region between i
practically unknown. and beyond the >tupend-
ou> mountain Wa-only thirty-tiNe miles from
it's the Gulf of California. san Pedro is
really one vast mountain-not Il range as often
repre,ented-mo than 100 miles lon-. with
an average breadth of - miles, the crown Of
the great chain that forms the backbone of the
Peninsula. The Gulf side of san Pedro i
covered with extensive forests of pine. Its
three peaks at the extreme east. known Is Las
raioma>. ('the Doves bare white cjll>.
rising two thousand feet hgher-iook like
>heetcd ghosts by contrast with deep canuli~ at
their sides filled with dark rcd-wood>. Much
of The surface of this wonderful mountain is
level as Il plain. and it is SAID that one may
drive with Il carriage and pair for miles among
the pines. while other portions are altogether
inaccessible. Moose. deer and mountain lions
abound; while sheep are found i'll the foot
hlils' and anteIopeS are plenty on the mcS"S.
one who mas been fhere says that no tongue or
pen can do justice to the Incompatible views
unfolded from san Pedro Martir. Standing at
a height of 10000 feet he could look down the
sea OF torteZ, lar rs the island winch i
poctically named Angel de Ia truar,tJt, 1870
miles distant III direct line. ON 4 clear daN
the Pacific may also be secn-that matche>s
OrpHu whose first ulilnlst brOuuht hardy Bal
boa TO ms knees. By the ald OF a glass, the
mountain ranges across the Gulf, IN the state
OF sonora. are plainly visible, the Colorado
RIVER running Ike thread OF silver from
uha to the cur; and Il score OF smiling val
leyN spread out below like great map
Directly overlooking the bay and embryo
town Of san Quintin are the extinct volcanoes,
oenZa and Mozo. Their yaWnng mouths are
WIDE and deep. and Judging from the vast
amount ol lava that III many places rises above
the waters edge. must have been terribly ac-
tive III days gone by. Here, properly. the great
bay of san Sebastian begins. OF its inner adj
junrts, perhaps the most notable is Lagoon
Head, which IN the old spanish charts is called
"Caho Negro. with its 100 yards of break
waters, ying directly below the 2Sth parallel.
1t is black hcadand, of volcanic origin, rising
nearly five hundred feet above high water
mark, on clear days distinctly visible from
fifty miles below. There Is also Rosario bay,
named from Il nearby mission; the bay and
rem rock covered with sand and guano; and
dozen others. all belonging to san Sebastian.
Then there is Guadalupe island, a gigantic
wall of rock. 1000 feet high, which, viewed
from the deck OF vessel, looks like some
brown old castle, whose "battIcd walls and
donjon-keep" easy to imagine. Something
at the top. which to the uhaided eve looks like
IA line of reeds, develops into tall trees when
seen through glass. This island is eight miles
long by six wide. but 50 rough and broken are
its shores that bird could hardly find standing
room. much less human being ON the sum
nit. however, four thousand feet above, is a
large plain. partly covered with pine forests
and Watercd by several springS-at present
visited only by beasts and snakes. In Il little
cove at the right is a Mexican settlement. now
numbering less than twenty, since the soldiers
who once garrisoned the island have been sent
to Guatemala. Great numbers of wild goats
roam here as on all the other islands. said to
have sprung from the few put there by the
priest more than a ceutury ago.
The first accurate account we have of this
region is the report of Capt. {. NJ. Scammon.
who came in 1898, with the brig Boston. on IA
whaling and sealing expedition. At that time
the waters of San Sebastian bay We're literally
alive with porpoises, whales and other huge
fish, while seals and turtles found breeding
places along the shores, and so abundant We're
another sort of game that acres of sand-bank
left bare bv receding tides. were crowded with
duck Snipe, etc The whales were of the
variety called California gray and it is histori-
cally stated that between the wears lS5s-'6l
more than twenty-three thousand barrels of oil
we're taken from this region alone The crop
must have been quite exhausted or the whales