The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-15
AN ISLE OF SKULLS.
a PARTY or EMPLOYERS TO VISIT
PLACE.

California Islands rhat Were once
Inhabited by n Race Now tatinct.
AwGui DesoIation Of spot which
Onee supported tie.
From the Chicago Record
san Francisco. Cal. Nov -s-An expo
ditson OF scientific students hos been made
up 81 Los Angeles and Pasadena 90 exc
plore thoroughly the Channel islands OF
that part % the coast OF California known
a. Santa Barbara and san Bueuaveuturt
counties during che next six months. The
party is 90 b. sustained hy Stamford Uni
verslty largely and 20 q less extent hy
several UNCONVENTIONAL colleges in south
eru California Auhropolbgical and
archaeological students. who have speu'
several weeks each on these Islands. say
they are one OF the very richest fields
Tor work Ia that department Of knowi-
edge on nc Pacific coast The Channel
Stands constitute California; only arch.-
peingo. with the possible exception Of she
rocky and scauty Farallone ISLANDS They
have been objects of romance. legends
curiosity and mystery Tor q generation
or more
Notwl thsaundiur an the Islands are
witaiu eighfy-two miles ~ Callornia's
shore. they are solitary and unfrequented
and years roll hy w.tn visits 20 them %
less than dsy people annually. Each isl-
and has SIS own particular strange. un-
caLuy traditions Of the tribes OF red meu
and eacn has countless traces % au og-
eupa Ion by fhoas 1uls and thousands -
Indians When Juan Rodriguez Cabr.llo
che Portuguese navigator. sailed up the
coast OF California tn 1879 he stopped for
a day az two az each OF the Channel isle
srds. ami has records hear testimony thar
ora the islands % Santa Barbara. C1a-
lima Clemense and g. Nicholas there
were "a vigorous and lusty race % n8-
tives. who througed the shores OF The lii-
ue havs ard hesdlauds" and gazed IN
mute wonder - the white-sail-d ship ~
che uaviFators. To-day the islands stard
as they did over $50 years ago, hut the
natives are only a memory, Represented
hy immense quantities % stone imple-
meuts. barrels o. fine wampum and lit
orally carloads Of human bones.
Eighty Miles From Coast.
81 Nicholas Island lies 50 miles imme.
l.ntely opposite the little city 81 san
BueuaventuFa (recently called hv the
more modern and easy namo Of Ventura
and Is che most interesting Of AN the
channel islands from many points OF
view As far back as the memory Of any
person 80 Southern California runs hun
drcds Of white skeletons have dotted tho
valleys and hillsides Strange utensils 81
serpeufine sandstone ana steatitc are
found there among the human bones ami
the island and rs erstwhile inhabitants
have history go curious that is diff
ncult Of comprehension
IN 1875 the Franciscan padres IN the
Santa Barbara mission. learning thhi
there We're bur sixteen of the strange ana
almost extinct Indian race then living
there determined TO rescue them from
the island They went over Ia a sioop ana
succeeded. as they thought. in getting an
on board AT the last moment an Indian
woman returned for her child and one OF
frequent storms Of che Channel ISLANDS
springiuR up. the sioop was driven away
without her The sloop went on the rocks
% Point Conception arr all Were lost
Sixteen years later Capt. George NiaeNtf
and two men went from che coast on
sloop 10 hunt otter of ST Nicholas. on
landing they were. ike Crus0e. astonish-
"a 20 discover human footprints 10 the
sand They saw no one. however ana a
storm compelled them 40 put 90 sea- IL
was two years thereafter that tue ahNeh-
turous captain. revolving In his mni the
sight of the footprints in che uncannN
island. determined 20 20 and discover ana
Inning over the lonely woman Of whom he
had vaguely heard Men accomuhnie"
him. ana al length they saw on the SURF
nesten shore a woman with long taMhy
hair. dressed 10 a queer garh OF colofti
bfrd skins ana scrapng with bone knife
che hlubher from scsA
They surrounded and approached heI
s,ealthilv. and. although suddenly con
s,,,,eG She ala not appear IN the least
afraid. but smiled. ard then. fallins on
nor knees. prayed 10 the sun. The WHO
woman offered no objection when ~ 7ishr
she was made to understand that she was
10 20 with them IN the boat
last Of Her Race.
.rbov reached sonta Barbara across tho
,,,,gh sea. end tae first thing the Indian
woman saw was man riding n"ise
she hud never seen nor heard 81 any o.
- ike a. and thought the man anH
horse were one. aud she kneN on thT
.hore ard arfercd her dcvouons 70 ~ Two
,.,als ofterward tbc last iunabitaui az
.,.t,--tehe5 temueet-t ossed 81. Nicholas
AGA fron eating food 70 whfch she was
.,n,e-,,storned. furnished by her re~cuers.
ana the curtain fell on her race forever
The woman known as the Lone " oman
n Nicholas" has been the subject OF I"
core OF romanccs and poems.
St Nicholas Is ten miles long ana -FOUR
miles wide at the widest point. It, iopoe-
raphv shows nearly level plateau, WITH
IA elevation OF sou 10 l.W9 feet. lNp-
thirds OF the surface s. covered with drift
.nr sand and the remainder grows q
4pecies OF nutritious grass and NOSE. on
| which a thousand sheep and PASTURE. Sew
raj springs have been discovered. but
their water IL slightly 1racksh OF late
wears the island Is rarely visited. except
| bv sheep shearcrs and she'll gutnerera.
/ Who make annual trips in schooner. ush-
/ up 3mnckA or Chinese juuks.
The only safe landing ground at 81
| Nicholas is az Coral hurbor. a pretty cove
/ formed By two sandstone arms thrus 3
our from the main barrier OF the shore
| The entrance o. out six or seven var IL
| t-rors. and the water within g. as placid
,s inke and sufficiently deep 20 noai "a
vessel OF twenty tons burden. on the
bleak slivery strip OF beach immense
! white pcllcans are 20 be seen az almost
any season OF the year promenadiug with
| stately dignity on he approach % th"
dingy they spread their heavy pointed
WINGS ana vanish over the rocks Far
| fher up the slopc Of the beach there ls
| "a dlapidsted shcaring shed. and "a wealth
er-woru shanty belonging 20 Chinese shell
| yathcrcrs Nothing more desoiatc than
/ the general appearance Of the island con
| well hc imagined
DaSolation u Complete.
/ As FAR as the eye can trace there are
/ larreu levels with inuumerahle circular