Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-29
THREE CENTURIES AND "a HALF AGO.

the bay Of San Diego, by Cabrillo, three
hundred and fifty years ago, Is being
celebrated in our sister city with great
enthusiasm. People have focked to
San Diego from all parts of the state to
witness the novel programme prepared
for the occasion, and many dignitaries,
both of California and Mexico, are there
to participate. The navy is represented
by the Charleston and Baltimore, and
the army by the presence of General
McCook and his staff. We can we'll be-
lieve the dispatches when they tell us
that the streets of San Diego are crowd
ed with visitors, and that never before
was witnessed in that city celebration
of any kind that excited such general
interest.
Cabrillo's fleet consisted of two ves-
sells, and sailed north, discovering the
channel islands, and stopping at Cata-
lima en- route. In his memoirs he speaks
of the natives OF Catalina as being an
unusually fine looking race. The women
he describes as handsome and very
white for Indians. He was astonished
to find that the islanders were possessed
of very large canoes, the prows of which
came up to the decks of his vessels, and
that they were manned by stalwart
crew whe propelled them very swiftly
through the water with paddles, which
they handled with great dexterity. 1t
seems that these islanders were warlike
and held in great fear by the Indians of
the mainland, against whom they made
frequent hostile excursions. Cabiillo
proceeded northward, from Catalina,
but met with an accident during the
voyage that cost him his life, when his
expedition returned to Mexico, having
buried its dead chief on the island of
San Miguel.
We have but a scant record of the
history of this expedition, but we know
enough of its explorations to be aware
of the fact that it followed the coast as
far as Cape Mendocino, and, like that of
Drake. nearly two-thirds of century
afterwards, carefully examined all the
inlets and indentations for the de-
bouchure of a northwest passage, with
out having discovered the Golden Gate.
1t is remarkable that Sir Francis Drake
lay for long time within fifteen miles
of the magnificent harbor of San Fran
cisco, taking soundings in every direc-
ton, but yet never discovered that fine
body of water. This is perhaps no
more astonishing than the fact that the
Spanish galleons that yearly, for several
centuries, made the voyage from Aca-
puico to the PHILIPPINE Islands, always,
on the return voyage, making the north
west coast at Cape Mendocino, where
they got fresh water and sailed down to
Mexico with the favorable trade winds.
Yet, during all these years, when the
bay of San Francisco was actually in
their teeth as they first made this coast,
it remained for Franciscan father to
first discover this magnificent harbor,
about 1853. Is the conjecture of Ed
mund Randolph true, that the Golden
Gate did not exist when Cabrillo and
Drake and the PHILIPPINE galleons were
sailing 30 close to where it should be,
and that the grand entrance was made
by some great natural perturbation in
the seventeenth century, or early in the
eighteenth?
There is in this hint to be followed
up and explained by science, assisted by
such authentic records as we have from
the early explorers.
San Diego will have three grand holi-
days, and those who are present at the
notable celebration will without doubt
greatly enjoy the quaint festivities
which our neighbors have prepared for
them.