Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-03-03
Avalon, Catalina Island, Calf
LETTER NO. |.

known to the majority of the good people
of Hancock county. yet known to some
for there are readers of the AMERICAN who
this winter will sit by their roaring hard
wood fires in the old home country. and
read, and doubtless, while reading. will
have, at least, stray thought for their
friends here, and for the places aud scenes $
30 familiar to them. believe it quite out
Of the question. and out of keeping With
the human heart, 10 go away from one's
friends and pathways trod and forget or
cease to lean toward and almost yearn for
them. | say there must be something
wrong with the dbers Of a person; his
heartstrings must be very much out Of
tune. But happily, it's not 50; and | take
1t for granted that some things written in
this letter will interest and entertain, on
| some cold winters evening, one or more
readers of the AMERICAN; perhaps half a
| hundred; and there may be others ont Of
the line Of my thought just now. whose
eye will be caught in the meshes of this
net.
| think without more ado will locate
| Catalina Island for the benefit Of the gen
cral reader. 1t lies in the Pacific of the
coast of Southern California, and Its near
est point is about twenty miles from San
Pedro, one of the seaports (and the most
importantly for the city of Los Angeles
suppose now my good friend whoever
you are, that you were visiting me. and
should invite you ON Il trip to this island,
and you accept. Very we'll, we are now
take u> 10 the depot of the Santa Fc rail
road in the city OF Pasadena ny home. We
take the ! a. NJ. train TO Los Angeles. aud
change 10 the southern Pacific railroad
the depots are about q half mile apart; -
thence on the latter road, leaving at . A.
u. We go 10 San Pedro. Here We fud the
steamer al the pier, and a. soon as the
baggage has been put aboard ready to
start. Capt. S.mme is a good natured man
and answers all questions asked by the la
dies. a, by male passengers, in a very pleas
ant way Ladies usually want to know a
good desl about the trip, whether IL Is
rough or smooth. snd ii they are liable to
get sick, etc. The good captain is always
ready with just the right answer to suit
each individual case. All aboard. Cast
off forward, cast of aft and the bow
Iurns into the narrow channel. There is
really nothing to this harbor but the chan
nol-that is. the inner harbor-all big ves-
are transferred by lighters to big steam
ships. Two breakwaters Of stone. one on
each side guard and keep the channel in
its proper place. These breakwaters were
built by our government, and they are en-
lar.ed upon when We have good repre-
sentative in Congress. and through him
succeed in getting an appropriation for
thi- purpose and for dredging the channel.
The government is now Al work upon the
breakwater, and the stone for its consiruc-
ion Is brought by sCows and steam tug
from the northern part Of Catalina Island.
In less time than | have taken TO explain
-omew whar in detail this che. rel our little
steamer has gained the cling. passed
through the heet of ships and barks-->ome
coal laden. discharging. others light ard
taking in ballast for their return passage
across the great salt pond 10 coal bearing
Islands and continents. These ships and
bark> usually look like Grey. grey gulls
with grey. grey wings" hut once in
while We see one being repatnted and 9th
erwise rehtted, aad she is thing OF beau.
ty, AS she sits like swan upon the tide
and rolls with the pillows Everybody
watches the ships, and seems greatly in
terested in them. and no wonder; for
they form an important part in the com
merce and history of nations in which
Ne all are or should be deeply interested.
After leaving the ships We encounter
the heaviest sea on the trip; the rollers
come in by Point Iona from the open
ocean but after an hours steaming we
are protected by the northern point of
Catalina and thus lind ourselves in smooth
water. There she blows. Some one sees
a whale or school OF blackhsh; the latter
are very numerous in these waters, and so
are porpoises. sually on a trip some half
dozen Of the passengers have lines trail
lng astern with hooks baited with white
rags. They are fishing for barracuda,
they catch shark instead.
This trip affords rare sport for the coun-
try boys-l alluie to the chaps that form
erly lived on western farms and have had
ne outings on salt water. OF course they
are and act green and this is fun for those
acquainted with ocean travelling. When
the wind is favorable, we are under sail
and steam both; and SO after a sail of
two and half hours we are near to the
approach of Avalon harbor. This is near
the south end of the island and Is the best
harbor on the northeastern coast of it.
At the entrance a huge mass of rock
stands up out of the water like great
hay-cock, the "sugar-loaf," as it is called.
Ages ago, this must have been nothing
more or less than a point of the main
land of the island. The winter storms
coming from the northeast are $50 say the
| inhabitants) terrible and grand; the wa
ters are taken up in salt spray and thrown
with rage far inland and beat against the
| bluffs and buttresses of solid rock; so this
| point standing out in advance to meet the
| foe, became shattered by the storms oft
| repeated sledge hammer blows. The soft
er portions of the ledge gave way first,
thus forming saw-pits, as it were, and
| thus ages Of storms of wind and rain
hewed the rock down to the sea-leyel; /;
then came in the sea and chiseled out a
canal, so now one sugar loaf is formed
and set apart and another and still larger is
being formed.
Now we are in shore and fastened to
the pier. The gang plank is out and pas
sengers, sometimes two or three hundred,
are going on shore. "Hotel Metropole,
this way. Baggage for the Hotel Metro
pole?" avalon House, baggage for the
Avalon House, this way!' So goes the
cry from every hotel drummer through the
list, including Catalina House, Island
Home, Aloha, Iowa Cottage, Alhambra
and Spence's Villa.
The mail has come on this boat; now
for our letters from the post-office We
are always sure to get letters and papers
from the mainland and with what eager