Evening journal., 1906-08-15
The Lost Race of San Nicolas

About so miles due northwest OF San
Pedro, In California. lies a desert island
that has all the combined romance Of
the ages In its history. 1t is rarely
visited and has but a single lnhabitant.
yet Il has peculiar fascination to many
people The very elements seem to con-
spire TO make the place forbidding. as It
almost invariably blows gale OF wind
in the vicinity. and when one reaches
the lnhospltabie island there Is no bay
or harbor for a craft much larger than
a rowboat
The island Is about seven miles long
by two or three IN width and rises 70 a
height OF 500 10 1000 feet In the center.
Windswept. forbidding haunted by the
spirits Of storms II does not invite in-
spcction and appears to have been
cursed by the elements, yet despite this
the island was at one time the home OF
a numerous people, q race that has been
lost sight Of The writer made several
attempts TO reach the island In a cotton
yacht and was literally blown on finally
making IL one day about noon. coming
to anchor near a long spectre-like tongue
OF iand that extends out into the ocean
and where the tide ran like a millrace
aud a heavy groundswell swept around
the point from the windward side. No
more forbidding outlook can be imag-
ined The Island Of san Nicolas ap-
pears Ike a sand dune. The landing
was. wave-swept beach that received
q high swell from three points, and IL
was evidaut that skill on landing alone
would make it possible.
The boat lay of waiting for a low sea,
and finally went sailing IN upon one OF
lesser size and the crew Jumped over
board ana held on TO the boat that the
undertow and back rush attempted TO
claim. In this manner the entlre party
landed and an Investigation Of the island
was begun. The one inhaOitant,
Basque. came down to the beach He
had not heard the news Of the world
for a year. and dld not display any
ambition to learu II. But he was not
happy. Too many dend people. too many
bones that make wind spirits blow. he
said. ana when he heard that the party
was after the remaius of these dead
people he showed an INCLINATION 10 leave.
IN all probability there is not In any
land more remarkable mound that
can be seen. About 10 feet in height
aud neatly mile In length, 1t was at
this time q vcritable Golgotha, col
lection Of bones aud implements Of the
lost people. ever changing, ever shifting
today exposing numbers OF skeletons. to-
morrow covering them up In sheets OF
sand. one could easily imagine that II
battle had been fought here aud the
dead had been buried by the drifting
sand. but this was not the case.
The mornd was Il town site upon
which hundreds OF people had lived for
untold ages. They had brought IN their
shells and lshbOnes. piled them up at
the doors OF their huts. slowly building
themselves mp higher and higher. until
in time they came to live on the top
OF vast shell mound. Here they buried
their dead, concealed their household
goods. and when a man or woman died
his or. her possessions were buried with
them, and so the big mounds were made
up Of shells. stone implements. fish and
human bOncs-a monument to this lost
race
Where the original islanders came
from. who they were or why they lived
on such a wlnd-swept, nearly waterless
Island. is one Of the mysteries, but IL Is
known that the mission fathers visited
San Nicolas years ago and took on the
few survivors found there aud divided
them up among the various mainland
tribes. When this human loot was be-
Ing carried Into execution a storm came
up. and In the hurry Of departure 1t was
found that a woman had left her baby
on the beach.
II was impossible TO land. so the cap
tain sailed away, but not with the mother.
She had plunged into the waves aud swan
a long distance TO the shore. and, with
her child, was deserted, the captain In
tending TO return later for her. San Nc
nlos, however, was not visited for many
years. Tho vessel was wrecked but tho
legend lived and many years after a priest
decided to visit the island and learn II
the woman had survived. An expedition
was got up IN 1850. the party making O
] safe landing. They formed a line across
the island IN order not to miss any signs
Of human inhahitation and began slow
search from the south point north. They
soon found evidence OF ancient occupa
! ton, and in a deep canon discovered hui