Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-03-24
lFor The Ellsworth Americana
Avalon, Catalina Island, California.
The Big Bath Tub.
ETrrD Nn Q

terially to good wholesome looks, to in
| vigoration and good health. No one, not
| insane, will argue for a moment that
| good circulation to healthy skin and to
the enjoyment of the best health. Stop.
| ping up the pores of the skin with wax
and dirt that ought TO he thrown away
| from the system by washing and rubbing,
as a fever ought to be carried out of tile
sick room by the admittance of plenty Of
| pure fresh air is suicidal In the extreme.
Baths are therefore very popular because
| Of their healthfulness Physicians recon-
mend the bath TO all stages Of the growth
| Of the human being. As soon as the babe
| is born into the world 1t gets bath at the
| hands Of its nurse.
| There are kinds of baths innumerable,
| sponge baths, towel baths shower baths
| and take-a dip baths again. the tepd. the
| hot and cold water baths again, the fresh
and salt water baths; again, the mud, the
| vapor and the hot air baths, &C, &C., and
| then there is the swim. 1t may be in lake.
! pond. river or sea. On this coast it Is as
| often a surf plunge and a swim beyond the
breakers. as at Santa Monica, Redondo,
Long Beaches and all watering places on
this coast. But at Avalon. on the island
of Catalina. it Is s,rim from the beach,
aud as safe for little children as for
grown people.
The harbOr OF Avalon is located on the
east side Of the island, and lies at the foot
of many mountains piled together The
winds in summer are most always trade,
and from the west, therefore this harbor
is as calm as a mill pond. This is per.
feet bath tub, II there is any such thing.
The water is not only quiet. but warm. 1t
is the chidrens delight and the glory Of
the older ones Everything Is favorable
to learning to swim, and most ali pick up
the art readily. Little boys and girls four
and hve years Of age swim like dishes.
Good swimmers swim all over the harbor
from point TO point, mile or more and
have known some to swim along the coast
outside the harbor for nearly two miles.
point of departure. without resting. except
what rest they got by turning over and ly-
ing on their back for few minutes at a
time. never saw anywhere else such
high art In swimming. During the four
summers | have spent at Avalon there has
not been q case of drowning. There is no
undertow to be feared in the waters of
this bath tub.
There is great fun in the swimming art
In all manner of antics, some of them as
follows swimming on the side, backward
IA well as forward, under water like por-
polses, and with all manner OF strokes
with arms and legs but the diving art, if
this can be separated from the swimming
art Is the most entertaining to crowds of
spectators on the pebbles and verandas
Scows and RATS are mpored Al reasonable
distances from the shore, AMI these serve
as diving stands. At certain hours Of
each day, both forenoon and afternoon,
the divers and swimmers cougregatc on
these floats and prepare for their exhibit
lions. Some of the RATS are long afford
ing good run for plunge
Imagine a long string Of boys, all run
ming at the same time, and no sooner does
one dive than another follows, and an
other and another, and soon all are in the
water in a heap. Imagine the agta-
tion of the waters from such tumbing
have seen, think, as high as twenty div
ers together in such heap.
Ladies have their methods, and are both
expert divers and swimmers. Then there
is what is called the small fry"-the little
ones and the boys and girls half grown.
Such grand sports in such great bath
tub. correctly speaking, the whole Pacific
Ocean, but in a narrower sense that por-
tion of its waters lying between Catalina
Island and the main land And bathing
and swimming are practiced and enjoyed all
around the rim of this tub, from the sever
al beaches of this island, at San Pedro,
Long Beach, Auahelm Landing, Newport,
Oceanside and several other places.
4 The waters of the tub are greatly trou-
bled during the outing season and il it be
true that the influence of this troubling
will reach the A-iatic shores and the is
lands Of the seas. then what lesson, to
teach US how the influence of single
deed, good or bad may encrcle the globe
0, how well chosen should our deed doing
I be! Better not do, perhaps than do the
wrong. yet both appear to be on sins side
Some of our friends get baths they do
not bargain for. There is, few miles
4 from Avalon, toward the southeast end of
I the island, place called Seal Rocks"
| This is home for seals. Here they breed
ana rear their young, The rocks are often
/ black and slippery with them. Many peo
! pie visit these rocks some to see, and
/ some 10 paint and photograph the rocks
| but they cannot paint or photograph the
! perils attending visits to them. Rarely
/ can boats land in safety upon them. break
ers and rollers come in so from all quar-
ters. Many an adventurous boats crew
| have been thrown into the maddened wa
| ters and the boat tossed on end like sticks
| in the centre of a whirlpool and driven to
and fro with great speed on incoming and
receding bIllows. Two years ago pleas
ure yacht, the Sea Lion, took a party
| around the island. When off the southern
| end, she Rugged the shore Of the island
instead of standing off towards the main
| land as she should have done to escape
currents that tend to carry becalmed yes
sells upon the rocks. Thus she was thrown
upon the rock with her party of ladies and
gentlemen. She broke up and the party
and crew narrowly escaped with their
lives.
Pebble Beach. treasure for tourists, is
another treacherous landing place l have
seen boat-loads get duckings there. In
fact most of the people who come here,
ut first, know very little of how to manage
boats in breakers. but they soon learn.
My next letter will be on boats and boat
! ing.
Feb. 6, 1892. p. G. WOOSTER.
harIaviIle.
Mrs. Lucy Parsons, 80 years old, walked
one day last week, on her birthday, nearly
a quarter of mile to attend the sewing
circle. Her faculties are all good. she