The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-06-27
CALIFORNIA ISLANDERS.
Interesting Discoveries Made On the Island
Of San Nicolas In the Pacific.
MANY STONE AND SHELL TREASURES
The Skeleton OF q Hugo Anciens Chief
Unenrthed Ncnr What Wa. l,robn.
bly, His Contn-An Archaeological
Treasure House Eound by Two
Relic, Hunters.

|
| Reilo, Hunters.
men recently sailed into the little harbor
Of Of Avalon, on the island Of Catalina. Cal.
Their boat was loaded with rocks. appar-
! emily of little value, and they sat upon
bags Of shells and cordage. TIe men We're
| searcherS for antiquities from the Island
a sxy ,@o t @o tnf nG stay
In one of the most desolate and wide
swept regions on the Pacific coast Yet
| discovering In the remarkable mounds or
shell heaps Of the island various objects
San Nicholas Is the outer island OF the
Santa Catalina group. lying about eighty
miles, from the port Of san Pedro. The
island is about seven miles long. from two
to four niles wide, and 800 feet in height.
~ mas deficient water supply, and owing
TO the flying sand is almost bereft OF veg
citation The sand In centuries has made
inroads upon the island. cutting out the
sandstone rock into curious shapes. giving
ments had icon conspi r . sga:ns th it, the T fie
island lies In belt Of continued gales. If
cur, ,h report eI can be relied upon: and
bles and hurls them through the air with
great force Is well known. the shifting
81 fnf he oea se'nE rHefe IS IS
between two boulders. into which small
|
TO be left TN such place several months
REQUIRED some courage; yet OF this same
bo na Was f foand years an dan
in the past San Nicolas, despite is harsh 81
Of natives, who. like the other Islanders,
have entirely disappeared their story be-
ing told by the singular objects of stone,
| mounds.
| That San Nicolas had large and vlgor-
heaps In which tho two Crusoes worked.
One OF these was Of broken shells and de-
bres over half q mile In length, and from
centuries. The sand had encroached and
| cut 1t in places, swept and flowed over
,nE ke IA whte river In Others and tE tho
as II uncoTcrs graves and deposits OF an
| t.quites.
MORTAi.S AND GRINDING STONES.
The men made their first collections on
ments the sand had uncovered. in this
way obtaining number Of stone vessels
These ,o ranred from mortars Weighing
from 100 and more pounds, down 10 small
vessels designed for paint pots, the color
being distinctly seen In some. Several of
the vessels were two feet In height, model
ed with much care out Of steatite Others
were cut out of the hardest rock. with the
crude s ,H tools at the makers COM
| rnand. The mortarS were Strewn over
the mounds. with grinding stones of vari-
Gus, sizes. One Of the latter was inlaid
!
the mortars We're rudely carved, showing
that the workers had decided ideas Of or
namentation.
GRAVE OF AN INDIAN CHIEF.
! While digging near shell heap the ex-
plorers came upon several skeletons. evil
IDENTIFY buried in 4 circle, the feet pointing
inward. The head OF one was remark a BILE
for It's size. and differed wholly from tho
type of native skulls found In the imme.
date vicinity. Over 1t was a fine mortar
OF hard sandstone. and around the bones
n m ~ Of hoo rFS Lee,
age. The holes IN the latter had been
carefully stopped With asphaltum. and
the boards ,, may may have constituted a rude
OH this island. That the skeleton repre-
scented the remains OF some distinguished
person was evident from other objects in
the coffin, or in a position which showed
that they must have originally. been
paSSea IN IN the latter! rr One was club q
the closed hand, off asphaltHm Near ca : this rs
VA ato he"yy oimetetshaped object in
Ghes IN width at the widest part A slight
blow from. such weapon would have
three to nine in height. This represented
ether objects, also UNIQUE, SO far known
They were called by the, finders Jewel
shells. one fitting into the other, inverted
and fastened SECURELY together by, asphalt
ninm the ,n line ss Of ointure being almost as
II, was evident when found that the
shells contained some Indian treasure
and when shaken something could be
heard rafting. a large one, taken from
the grave containing the skull was open
ed and found to contain whale carved in
Steatite, about four inches In length a
number Of shell beads, and a set Of tr.nk-
cts OF abalOne. selected for their beauty
and lustre. These were in the form Of
plates. oval and other shapes: some sar-
rated at the. edge. and all with perfora-
tons by which they could DO suspended
about the neck That they were treasures
IN The eyes of the owners there can be
little doubt a number of these Jewel
| cases of various sizes were discovered !:
some very small, others of the red abaIone
OF the largest size, all apparently from
the sound, containing beads and trjnkcts
SOME WARLIKE IMPLEMENTS
Tho natives OF these islands, Judged bv
| previous discoveries. have not been con-
I S!dered Il warlike race, but articles found
In these graves would give a different Inn
| preston.
| Among other objects taken from she'll
| heaps were series In bone from five to
cight inches in length and from one TO ono
ana half in diameter at the largest end
iapcrinE down to point and resembling
long. slender marlin spikes more than
anything else. They had evidently been
more or less polished, and were probably
used Tor some purpose, but whether n
weapons or merely as the insignia Of some
chef is not known
D Among the supposed weapons found in
other localities in the island were several
massive clubs OF stone One was thirty
inches i'm length an. u.airloI .,.,..,..,