Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-04-02
BEAUTIFUL CArALINA IsLAND.
One Of the Nations Finest Resorts
Described.

0v1VAADeu'
For the Reflector
Los ANGELES, CAL. March 2S.-
Books have been written about SAINT
Catalina Island, named in honor o
; Saint Catharine, but the subject viii
never be exhausted. The journe,
over from the mainland is deligh
to those who are not seasick. III,
island is truly garden Of the gods
In the land Of the free" fifty miles
from Los Angeles. The climate IL
as near perfection as has been found.
The fishing is the finest in the world.
We enjoyed walking over the famous
stage road winding away up 2,40O
feet above the sea In the beautiful
Grand Canyon and along the slope Of
the mountain on one Of the highest
points we found a Manzanita bush
with tourists cards tied to 1t. We
added ours. Looking down from
here into the Canyons on hundreds
Of trees of holly, red with thousands
OF red berries, upon fat sheep, and
out upon the blue sea, we thought it
the most delightful place we had
ever seen. Our journey upon the sea
in "Chappie's' boat was fine. The
coast along here is a natural &C.
quarium, the water is still and clear
as diamond. One looks down through
this glass bottomed boat from twenty
to one hundred feet at forests Of sea-
weed in all imaginable colors; some
stand like trees on the bottom Of the
ocean and in the branches are fish |
red, blue and gold; blue fish with
gold spots on them, emerald fishes,
black fishes, star fishes, sea cucum-
bers, abalones and devil fish, one is
lost IN admiration. Only 20 cents an
hour is asked for this entertaining
trip. We did not 60 to Seal Rocks
or the Isthmus for outside the harbor
the sea was rough for the rain was
coming. l want you to be sure and
see "Chappie." All permanent resi-
dents Of the island know "Chappie"
Tor they all live at Avalon, the only
village on this far famed Santa Cata-
lima Island. The name means and is
what its name indicates, ''Not far this
tide Of Paradise" 1t is said that this
. a more beautiful spot than the
original Avalon. Chappie is a typi- 9
'al Englishrnan, who has lived here for '
iwelve years, and he introduced to
he world the first glass bottomed :
,oat. His boat, the Maine, is twenty
Get 'ong and seven feet wide and ]
lolds seventeen persons. In the center
> q well twenty inches wide and ten
eet long, toward the bottom OF which
ut above the water line is a plate :
lass forming the floor Of the we'll, t
be sides and ends being higher than I
he sides of the boat SO that passen- Il
ers while sitting and leaning over =
he rail can look down into the clear ,
pa water below where you can see [
u the sea weed and fishes as plain as B
they were on dry land. Oh visit =
Avalon is a delight and sail in a. y
lass bottomed boat something never d
be forgotten. 81
After our return Chappie, bis real N
lme being Chappelle, invited us to u :.
s cottage, Camp Chappie. Under =,
70 doorstep, covered with a fiat M
one. he buried his favorite dog. A
city garden was in the rear and not
r away was growing Banyan tree,
e first and only one we ever saw. Fl
,e ends of the branches root into at,
g ground, At little distance it co
oks like a very green haystack. an
'oking at the windows we saw rows 81
grinning skulls, a strange conceit al
lly' He got them from an unin-
bited island, San Nicholas, sixty
les from this island. How old they No
. or who they we're no one seems to Dc
ow; probably Indians, but they had st,