The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-05-11
ALONE ON ISLANDS.
Men Who Live Hermit Lives on the
Pacific Coast.
Wind Swept san Nicholas Occupied
by . SOLITARY Frenchnsn~-
Lonely Gallagher of San
CIemente.

Nindhswept. mass Of sand shifted
al every within of the wind. the home of
the wind gods of the Pacific. San Nico-
las island, would not bc considered at
tractive as a place Of residence. yet "a
our yacht rounded to off spit Of sand
that reached out into the sea n small
shanty could be seen on the rocky shore
and near L., Il man and two dogs. The
island appeared to be about ten miles
long. perfectly fiat OH top, rising 10
height of 200 or more feet in places and
cut and scared by the wind in mar
velous fashion.
After many attempts 10 land we sue
ceedCd. almost at the risk of our lives.
hoping to see the sole inhabitant Of the
dreary spot. But he had disappeared,
and we made our way 10 his shaniy--a
siugle-roomed affair under the lee of
the hills near The beach. On the door
was the satirical notice: mo trespass-
ers allowed on this island"
The impression the island had con
veyed was that the sea and wind we're
Devastation was everywhere. Not
green thing. no water was in sight,
only the sand dunes shimmering in the
sunlight. The path to the summit was
over hard sandstone in yellow. blue
and white tints strangely incrdSted
and cut by the wind and water in mar
velous shapes; mimic busts and statues.
4 n, I, -, e.,
of rock from above. windows covered
with delicate lacewOrk, fCstoonS and
n thousand and one strange carvings
caught the eye and fancy as we climbed
upward When the summit was reached
the eyes rested upon a plain without
spear of grass or particle Of vCgeta-
ton. 1t may have been four miles long
and its surface was covered with small
stones, arranged in wind rows, which
were picked up and blown along by the
terrific winds. On the north end the
sand was in full possession and seemed
imbued with n life of its own. l. was
ever creeping upward, filing the can
yons and cullics, rising in clouds and
whirled aloft in spectral shapes.
Desolation could not better be il
IustratHd than by this island. about 60
miles off Los Angeles county, CAL; yet
there lived a man who delighted in his
surroundings. He had avoided us in
the afternoon, but finally came along
the beach, appearing mysteriously. He
was Frenchman, fall Of stature. with
a mahogany-colored skin. deep-set eyes
and a kindly expression. On his head
was a great sombrero-like hat. tied by
a string beneath his chin. On his shout
der he carried ali oldfashoned shot
gun and a canteen Of water cane or
staff completing lis outfit. Two shep-
herd dogs which followed at his heels
were his sole companions. He was very
reticent and refused the papers offered
him. and had no desire to hear OF the
world. We told him of the ending Of
the war with Spain, but he did not know
there had been a war. He had turned
his back on the world long ago; had two
faithful friends, his dogs, and was not
dependent upon anyone.
Sixty or more miles to the south is
the ialand of San Clemente, about %
miles in length, where lived an Irish
man up to the present year. His name
was aliagher-Gallaghe of San Gle
mente-and he, too, was at war with all
the world, though il is but fair to say
that once a year he left his island home
and repaired to Los Angeles, where
he diligently spent his money. then re
turned to live alone for another wear
Gallagher preferred his own society
and that of his sheep and dog. He
never was afraid Of their overreaching
him, he once said. He lived on San
Clemente, so miles off the coast, for 20
years, and was finally stricken with pa
ralysis, being found by some fisher
men sitting in his chair looking out
over the sea and unable to move. They
took him to Los Angeles, where he died
At Santa Catalina island, 30 miles
from land, there are several men who
prefer solitude to the world and have
turned their backs upon civilization for
reasons best known to themselves. One
of the most isolated places of this group
is San Miguel, "a small island opposite
Santa Barbara. Here a man lives alone.
Two years ago the island was shaken
by an earthquake. The cliffs fell in.
the harbor changed and a small vessel
was wrecked. Twenty miles south of
this is an island known as Anacapa, the
ever-changing. 1t is about a mile long,
very narrow, with.a small sloping mesa
upon which all the pelicans of the Pa
cific slope seem TO have settled. There
Is no water here, so it is said. except
what is caught in winter, and the few
sheep upon it obtain what they get by
licking the dew from each others wool.
On this desolate sea-beaten spot lived a