The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-24
eRUrsonr aAr NICOLAS TsEAND.
E~nrthaunkss and Atmospheric Disturbance
Have Now Made II . waste.

BAN DIEGO, Oal., July observation-disclosures win
the announcement OF unusually sharp ear.h-
ouakes on various parts OF the coast, reachlnR
az far north as the northern line OF Caiitorhlu'
comes tho news OF strange disturbances again
ON San Nicolas Island. that Isolated spot ynR
OF the Santa Barbara channel, and forming lhe
outermost Of the Santa Barbara group pan
Miguel, which somewhere hides the discoVerer
Cabrillo's bones, lies nearer the coast. sah
Nicolas is entirely alone. almost out OF slahtot
the other isles, and deserted the year arounu'
save for some stray sheep herder, guano num-
ter or scientific exploring party.
Time was, not 30 long hgo, when Sah Nicolas
was q fertile island, no for ns grasses 90. Ihou-
sands Of sheep were kept there, and even cat
tic yero raised. But something In the nature
OF an earthquake changed tho character Of tho
land. Transforming sheep pasture Into SANDY
stretches upon which not n spear OF grass II
now to be found.
The guano schooner Hong Kong recently
arrived at this port with the story OF the
seismic disturbances on San Nicolas. They
are in the main q repetition Of the story told BY
Capt. Mullet OF the schooner Jennie Grimm In
1893. when he returned frightened half TO
death and refused to set foot again on tho
island. Both shippers agree as to the strange
lights in the sky. seeming to half obscure the
sun with o sickly yellow veil: tho repeated
slight shocks Of earthquake. with o gentle
rocking sensation. lasting sometimes over q
minute; the wild alarm OF sea birds and seals.
putting the whole island In On uproar. and the
sudden changes Of channels and reefs. making
navigation possible only at the risk OF life.
The Hong Kong went over to prospect Tor
Ruano. Many skippers have visited the island
for that purpose without success. but oil are
convinced that q thorough search OF the almost
Inaccessible cliffs and caves will result In the
discovery of rich deposlts. While there the
Barbara engaged In crawfshinE. The men on
the sloop had been there for tWo weeks and AZ
EARTHQUAKES would result WITHOUT warning In
the complete submerRenoe Of. the island, In
deed i te *. P IsISnd T Ssa p SsUpUsd that inso t he T Sss sIn
VI %e set poi rSss QUIT out that Sasl had "a steod hish IND az:
tides were not high enough at the time to ex-
plain the discrepancy. n,
maine "A f5SP eSo sSn n gale s Gi w Niao ssS's g Sc Boi IHGS az q:
dron. With the Island Itself the principal point
which is now only 2 a S ~ : % g SsnS y Nth I'LL an f H.
sea seq BEAT With ssasS Violence. upon tSe TIl11dward
side that large slices Of land were carried away,
AMID AMID t sRpaFGS oral 4 fndSSGiP pSpi SliiE' S SSoSlIed CT pFaaste
eally celebrating all semblanee of anything
but 2 SAND pit ,ur .,o ,,r ho,or,o orr-o..
siSe and very hot. The men suffered Srreatiy.
Sea fowl and seal acted strangely, apparently
Q severe earthquake shock was, experienced.
TWAS so violent thatthe men on the Hong Kong
f3S 'e sea siG SFos Se Instantly snaSy1 iP ifq tRo man %snpe SSe q
tidal wave, bG almost as quielkly. sqhesiSSed; +,u
HONG I Kons al another sS I ea1rtSoS AXE vas HSVf lett at Z
II iis Re- p tlRs Sas t ISSs spy aa ase stln1lPF e. c 4 ysllS sSdns
from IT,. ordlnsry n Time Of iog: A%slngpiar
wind had entirely died down and they were
ri II was ddifalSE these disttuITSS s eat that 3, CAPT. CAPT;
ed. The. needles would not agree at all when
near the island. Al soon as they. we're well at
s stss the a WSs sesG S6 aes4 sSs STAND 4 on 5af tEs s aS%n
ISSasy course sec, q steam Vessels L %ss spTlRissd
these antics OF the needle shipping men are in-
cllned to belieye the storm was electrical.
a small III fg 5SIeR q Kans * A@ e%pio1eS 5OsE S Send t tRe
few hundred sheep that now remain In place Of
I IsIss sdSuSTfP Se i ioSs 1Sanf tgIa 0S Ssps, k !SS h%sS Ssss
when, the storm. came on tho ,Kanakas huddled
tSttd thst. sgs%t e%sTfSq SaaY s,S Would Come, they
we're afraid the island would drop INTO the sea;
half wild with Joy. swimming out into the surf
and trying to get aboard before she should de:
BB4nopSGi g Hhf Ss wR0l to pf ths m msR tsGSn l ee9Hss f the
sheep to hustle for themselves until some ac-
ton Is taken by the owners.
Sailors In the coasters plying along here de-
clare that O complete change has come over San
Nicolas within the past twenty years. Formerly
it had u decent climate, where II was q pleasure
to live. The owner Of the herds. in fact, had n
fine residence there. Now Il Is a barren waste.
and high winds prevail almost the entire year.
This constant wind is a feature that pertains to
no other island OF the group.
In ancient times San Nicolas was thickly In
habited. This is proved by the finding of skulls,
bones. spearheads. stone hammers. ollas and
numerous other evidences of Indian life.
Whether, the Indians were like those Of the
mainland or not Ii 9 question for the men, OF
science to answer. Many of them say that the
Indians were different entirely from the pres
ent tribe. They point to the story Of the old
woman who was found on San Nicolas by the
sea-otter hunter .Nidever thlrty-odd years ago.
This man lived at Santa Barbara. He found q
strange, wild woman on San Nicolas. naked,
hagRard and bent double. She eubsisted
upon fish caught. in the surf by o hook
made from an, abalope shell; 81 was an
Indian. but with marked facial differences
from the Mission Indians, Her language waa
foreign to any spoken by the California Indians,
and she could not understand them. She was
kept at Santa Barbara until her death. and II ID
believed that with her persisted the last of the
Island Indians Of this coast, Scientific men al
the time were much interested In her case, and
the records Of the Smithsonian Institution were
enriched with @ minute description Of the old
squaY and her story 80 far Is 1t could be OBJ
tanned from her.