The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-29
GIGANTIC CAvERNS
Large Enough to Hold Largest Ship
I'm the United States Navy.


i'm the United States Navy.
Chicago Journal
Extending far beneath the rocky hills
of an island off the coast of California is
cave into which the battleship Oregon could
enter for hundreds of feet and still have
ample room above her masts and beneath
her keel. How far a small boat could go
no man knows.
This big cavern is in Santa Cruz island,
twenty-five miles out in the Pacific ocean
from Santa Barbara. Few persons visit
the island. 1t is used to pasture sheep and
its owners object to trespassers.
Once year some Mexicans and Indians
are sent over from the mainland to shear
the flocks and care for the WOOL and near
ly every year little party of men goes
over from Santa Barbara to capture some
of the seals which abound there, for ship
ment to ZOOS. A few fishermen, mostly
Japanese, make occasional trips to fish or
gather abalone shells. Beyond these Wis
itors are very rare. That explains why the
island and it's wonders are not better
known.
About the island are remarkable sub
| marine gardens. The water is so clear that
| when it is quiet and the sun is bright, as
| it usually is, the bottom can be seen at a
depth of fifty feet or more. The pictures
that one sees on looking down from the
| boat are magnificent beyond description.
Where the water is deep, one looks down
| upon what seems like forest of rare and
| curious trees of varying colors swaying to
| and fro, among which are gliding beauti-
| full and strange fishes of great variety.
Brilliant gold perch, emerald fishes, bass,
albicore, yellowtail and many other va
| rieties, varying in size from the tiny min
| dart about or lie lazily fiapping their fms
| among the branches. The sun shining down
| into this transparent water casts shad-
ows from all these moving Things pro-
| ducing kaleidoscope effect that is often
| almost bewildering.
Beneath the water along the rocky shores
other equally splendid, but different, pic
| lures may be seen. Here marine plants of
| most brilliant and variegated colors, scar
| let, purple, blue, green, brown, cling to the
| rocks, while mingled with the flowers are
| to be seen great lazy Holsters, starfishes,
| abalones, sea cucumbers, and occasionally
| an octopus 1t is doubtful whether at any
other place in the world, not excepting even
Santa Catalina island, can views of such
marvellous beauty be obtained.
| But nature did not lavish all her wonders
| on the marine life of Santa Cruz. Even
more marvellous are the wonders that she
| has wrought in the domain of geology
Although no craters have been found on
| the island, it is evidently of volcanic origin.
1t is one of the projecting SUBMITS of a
| nearly submerged range of mountains.
The shores are irregular and indented
with number Of small bays, but generally
bold: Either by some great upheaval or
by the wearing of the waters for many ages
great caverns extending far into the bowels
| of the island have been formed. 1t is said
that there are not fewer than fifty of these
/ caves.
One of them is about a mile from Lady
| Harbor. The entrance is through an arc
| perhaps twelve feet high and scarcely ten
| feet wide. Not far. from the entrance the
cave widens. and verges into great, silent
| cavern, the walls of which present a varie-
ty of splendid and beautiful colors
| Naldezs cave is called because il was
once, according to local tradition, at least,
| the headquarters of a pirate and smuggler
! named Valdez. Long before the place was
| a favorite resort for Indians. 1t is rumored,
| TOO, that In recent years smugglers have
| made use of this cave as storehouse and
| stopping place for their transportation bust
| ness. Cinnamon have also some times found
| Ii a convenient place while seeking to eyade
| the exclusion law.
| 1t does not need tradition or romance
| however, to give interest TO the place. Just
ABOVE the surface of the water there is an
| opening cut far back into the rock, thus
| forming broad. sheltered retreat. with a
good landing place in front From this
spacious shelter in the rock great arch
| way or tunnel extends entirely through q
| projecting point of rock TO the opposite
| side, where IL opens out again upon the sea
beside great, rough walls. Fishermen otter
stay at this cave, sleeping on the smooth
| sandy slope of its floor. No tent or other
| covering is needed
But most wonderful of all the wonders
| OF Santa Cruz Is the Painted cave. No one
| has yet fully explored this cave and il:
! extent is unknown The opening is about
800 feet wide, at the water line, and $50 fee
| high. A line dropped at the entrance
showed the water 10 be about seventy fee
| deep. Within the cave is ample room fol
the biggest battleship in the American
navy 10 lie at rest, with plenty of spac,
above her masts and with thirty feet Of
water below her keel. The size OF the en-
trance permits the light to enter so tina
not only the walls of the cave, but objects
In the clear water as well. may be seem
1t is the coloring of the walls that hai
given the name TO the cave In variet,
and snlendor the colors here exceed thos