The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-11
COVETED ISLANDS
Interesting Pacific Group Which
Mexico Is Said to Claim
santa Catalina and Other Islets Upon
which Vast Herds Of sheep Are
Raised-Character Of the
Inhabitants

santa Catalina and Other Islets Upon
which Vast Herds Of sheep Are
Rsised-Character Of the
Inhabitants
The story told by special dispatch
from the CITY Of Mexico that the Mex
lean government would probably soon
Law claims at Washington to Santa
Catalina. santa Cruz and Santa Rosa
islands has elected considerable com
luent. By most persons who reside ID
santa barbara, Ventura and other
coast counties contiguous to these
islands. saws the san Francisco Chron-
iele. il was not believed that Mexico
could make the claim stick While
some Mexieans have resided on these
islands. the islands have, il Is stated,
been held mainly when at al, by
Americans who were interested IN
sheen raising and guano. Mexico has
never. in all the years since the cession
Of California 70 the United States,
made any claim 70 them, and II i
claimed that they were nominally in
eluded in the treaties Of 1919 and is4s,
II not. in fact, stated in detail On
this ground il Is urged that Mexico
cannot rightly claim them
This was the substance Of q state
ment Of William M0ndeson, an old
resident Of santa barbara county II
j. said that James Lick once laid claim
10 santa Catalina island, and that for
a long time he had a large band OF
sheep there.
The islands claimed by Mexico be
long TO the channel group, so called
which numbers seven distinct islets,
living off the coast below the sharI
turn OF the mainland % the southeast
biologists have a theory that these
channel isles are the mountain sum
mits Of a peninsula that once extended
from Point Conception 70 San Diego
The correspondence Of the geological
and botanical species there with those
Of the mainland give justification &c
this surmise, although Catalina has
many specimens Of fora plainly show
ing drift from the south TO her peace
ful shores
Cabrillo discovered and named Cata-
lima in 1912. and speaks Of the bronzed
hair and ruddy complexion Of the ma
tives, thus showing their differentiation
from the black-haired, dull-brOwn
races on the California shore, and sug-
resting the same nOrthward emigra-
tion that can be proved Of the flowers.
Nizcano later spoke OF the houses
thaiched with shells, the temples
where craven images were worshiped
and birds were sacrificed This supe-
rior form Of worship indicates, too, a
vast improvement upon the Digger
huts Of reeds and filthy fetch worship,
with the coyote for god. The island
ers were vater-farers and workers in
stone, another point in which they ex-
eelled the landsmen. Their canoes
were of followed logs, made water
tight with asphaltum. The Smithso-
nian institution has removed over
thirty tons Of relics Of stoneware ex-
cavated from these islands
soon after the early Spanish visits
the northern seal hunters sailed down
upon the unoffending islanders, and
with Tartar fendishness killed or
aimed to XII every male inhabitant
along the channel The race languished
and the progeny Of the few who es-
capped were taken from the islands 70
the missions at Santa Barbara and
Purissima early in 1900, all but the
poor forgotten woman. whom Nidever
found years after gibbering idiot.
Santa Catalina Is one Of the best
known Of the channel islands, particu-
larly since the establishment on it Of
q summer resort, Avalon, with hotel
and regular steamer service in the sea
son. santa Cruz Is the largest Of the
Santa Barbara channel group and lies
twenty-one miles off shore. East and
west its length is twenty-one miles.
and il has an average width of four
miles. Its coast line i about sixty
miles. The eastern portion is irregu-
lar. barren and waterless. while the
northeastern part is covered with large
rocks Several species Of cactus and
coarse grasses flourish in this region.
The shores are bold and rugged. bor-
dered with a dark gray sandstone.
The elevation OF the highest point j.
1.530 feet, and il is visible for dis
tance Of forty miles san Pedro point
j. the name Of the eastern extremity
4 mile OF 50 west Is rocky ridge
known as Cavern point Other por-
tons of the island are known as Di-
ablo point, West point and Frazer
point. Small bays and coves which af-
ford anchorage for small craft indent
the shore These are known as Pris-
oner's \harbor. Chinese harbor, Pelican
bay, Tyler cove. Scorpion harbor,
Tinker harbor, Platt's harbor, Snug
gler's cove, Shaw's anchorage. Valley
anchorage, Albert anchorage, Ala
mos anchorage, Posa anchorage and
Fowey's cove.
Santa Rosa island is a landmark bold
IN contour, though it is not so high as
Santa Cruz Moderately round hilltops
are visible on all sides The greatest
elevation Is I.568 feet above the sea
level There are no large trees on the
island, although it i wen watered,
but scrub oak and pine in small clumps
are 10 be found in the gulches. Grass
and herbage grow in great abundance.
Along the northwest side is an in
dented shore line ten and 4 half miles
long. There Is a plateau arising from
the water edge TO the foot OF the
mountains. i is $40 feet above the |
sea and is traversed by numbers of
narrow gulches- The south side is
also bOrdered by bold, straight bluffs |
The area Of the island Is about one hun |
dred square miles Along the shore at /
a distance of four or five miles apart |
good boat landings may be found.
Santa Catalina lies off san Pedro bay |
ana san Pedro hill 1t a distance OF |
nineteen miles. The passage between |
the island and the mainland is called |
san Pedro channel Santa Catalina Is /
eighteen miles long, with an extreme |
breadth of seven miles, and an average |
breadth OF four miles in the southeast
ern part and two miles in the north |
western The narrOwest pOiat Is al
the iSthmus. which is half mile wide