The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-14

OF an eyewitness, OF Iue Mysterious con-
::vulsions that have taken place at Cuylers
=, darbor on San Miguel Island, completely
changing the aspect of the harbor along its
: inner shore.
=. 1t was on Monday, the 25th of March,
. THAT passage was taken for the island OF
San Miguel on the sloop Liberty, which
had come in two days previously and lay
at anchor in the harbor. The purpose of
the CALL correspondent had not been pub
iIshed abroad, but a very great interest
was manifested in Santa Barbara as to the
personnel of the passengers booked for this
trip of the little sloop. 1t is perhaps only
fair to own that the CALL correspondent
went aboard the sloop in very quiet and
transformations manner, and the list OF the
: .Iiberty's cabin passengers only showed
that Mrs Devine, the housekeeper of San
. Miguel ranch, had taken passage that day,
. accomp panied by her daughter, having IN
charge a brilliant scarlet and green parrot,
whose home is on the island, but who has
been spending the season at the Arlington,
as BELTS bird of high degree.
g.. There were reasons why 1t appeared
very desirable to make the quickest pos
sible trip TO the island. simultaneously
with the departure of the sloop press dis
patches were sent out exposing the imposi-
ton that had been praCticed upon the pub
lie in all the accounts of the seismic distur-
Dances at San Miguel, which had appeared
in print.
At o'clock fine breeze sprang up and
the captain prepared for an immediate
start, but in fifteen minutes it had died
away and the vessel still rocked IaZily at
anchor alongside the Santa Barbara wharf
At 5 o'clock another breeze came, only to
pass on in few titful gusts 1t was clock
Monday night before light, steady wind
from the east lightened all hearts. The
sail was spread, the little boat went sCud-
ding along before the wind and the passen-
gers turned in for the night, with the
cheerful assurance that Tuesdays dawn
would see the craft safely anchored in
Cuylers Harbor.
At Il 10 O'Clock 1 awoke to hear a grind
ing and creaking and splashing OF water,
which seemed to indicate that the boat was
tearing ahead at a tremendous speed This
was also the impression of Captain Daily,
who had gone below during the first watch
and who was doing in his DUNK. Then
an anxious voice was heard. 1t was the
voice of young VIII Devine, the man on
watch above.
d. Captain! Captain Dally!'
= There was a sleepy response from the
captain.
Captain! I guess you'd better get up.
We're stuck fast in the kelp and can't
seem to get her around"
Nv here are We?' was my startled query.
''Stucl1 in the kelp here down mile off
shore, opposite Castle Point.
% Tie captain hurried on deck. The row
Of electric lights along the Santa Barbara
boulevard twinkied maliciousl Y at him.
For upward of an hour boat and master
fought the kelp, which had shared the lit
tic slOOp in its stout meshes. Anxious
inquiries came up from the cabin, and the
captain was scarcely less anxious.
- =. 4 hate to be seen oil shore out here IN
ii morning, he said. If [ only get out
of lsre III try and run up the coast, so
w I'll be out OF sight at least
=: IAN Miguel Island seemed very lar away.
L ~ prospects OF working there on Tues
DAY With camera and notebook seemed
tGr-her off. But the little boat slipped out
OF .lhe net the sea had spread to trap her,
and when daylight came she was nearly off
Naples some eighteen miles up the coast.
Here the light breeze suddenly died down
and she lay helplessly becalmed. All day
she rocked peacefully upon the bosom of
the deep, while her passengers and crew
anxiousiy scanned sky and water seeking
some signs OF a freshening breeze.
''If she only had her topsail,' groaned
the captain ''she'd make some little head
way, anyhow"
But, alas the Liberty's topsan had been
washed overheard on her last voyage. and
the sloOp lay to in the calm like a manned
bird.
Signs of an approaching storm were
manifest in the gray film gathering over
head and the low bank of clouds piling up
in the southeast. AboSt clock a light
squall suddenly danced over the waters,
caught the tapping sail and sent the boat
flying ahead.
:"Good!" was the captan's verdict. 'At
this rate We'll make tie island tonight
and have a warm supper at Captain
Waters before we go to rest
There was an enthusiastic assent all
around. To tell the truth, famine was
stalking abroad on the Liberty, and all
were trembling before her CHASTITY face.
The little sloop was not a passenger boat,
but merely carried freight between San
Miguel and the island. She never expect
ed 10 be out over a couple of meals, and on
this occasion little extra provision had
been made, because the first mate, who
also OBLIGATED as steward, knew that the
ladies would be sick and unable to eat
But the ladies were not sick, and developed
scandalOus appetltes, to the dismay of the
steward. On Tuesday, in view of the de-
pletiOn of the larder, he had limited the
meals to breakfast and dinner, and when
the latter meal was cleared away at 3
o clock on Tuesday afternoon the butter
meat, vegetables, bread and other Injuries
OF life had been consumed, nothing being
lett DuJ nail DarreI OF water ana very
small key of bareback.
At dusk the outlines of Santa Rosa
Island could still be dimly seen, and
straight ahead was a low, dark streak on
the horizons edge that the sailors knew
to be San Miguel. Night fell like black
pail Rain fell in sheets, and the wind
blew furious gale. Let the men strain
their eyes as they might, they could no
longer discern the outlines of the island.
There is no light there, and the only way
OF finding the harbor was to listen TO the
sound of the breakers and trust to their
knowledge of the shore line, with the
chance that in making the sudden tack
TO take the narrow entrance the wind
might drive the sloop upon the rocks.
Added to this risk was the chance that
some new and material changes might
have occurred in the bed of the harbor
since they LETT port. Once the glimmering
OF a light IN the direction of the harbor
nan persuaded them that the sloop had
oeen seen and light hung to the fiagpole
1or her guidance; but few minutes OBJ
SerYatlon revealed the fact that if they
: mad steered Tor this light they would have
made Tor little schooner slowly lacking
down the channel There was nothing
IeIt TO do but TO partially reef down, tack
on In the direction of the mainland and
lie by until morning.
AT dawn il sri rained baay;lu +bo