More interesting stories about the Channel Islands and those who traversed the
channel.
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Curiosity Correspondent <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 10, 2021 at 9:04:59 AM PST
To: cfrench1366@xxxxxxx
Subject: 96. The Tragedies and Charm of Henry Short
Reply-To: Curiosity Correspondent <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
96. FROM BICYCLES TO BOATS ~
THE TRAGEDIES AND CHARM OF HENRY SHORT
Henry Singly Short (1866-1958)
If you lived in Santa Barbara before the turn of the 19th century and needed
a bicycle repaired, chances are high you were a customer of Henry Short. In
the 1890s, he owned Henry S. Short’s Bicycle Supply House and Repair Shop,
located at 1009 State Street. As a young man, Short had enjoyed hunting and
camping, and competing in bicycle races and sharp shooting contests. In 1891
at age 25, Short married Martha Hodges in Santa Barbara. Their son, Raymond,
was born in 1894, followed by their daughter, Margaret, in 1898. Sadly, the
life of Henry Short was destined to be marked by a series of tragedies, both
maritime and personal — in 1905; 1907; 1908, 1913 and 1914. It ultimately
proved to be too much to bear, and Henry Short gave up his Channel life and
left Santa Barbara.
After helping his friend, Will Bates, build a yacht in Santa Barbara in 1898,
Short turned his interest to the sea, becoming owner and captain of a series
of vessels in rapid order. He is remembered for his 15 years among the
California Channel Islands with his vessels: Ariel (1899-1903/sold); Chispa
(1900-1906/sank); Pt. Fermin (1906-1907/sank); and Charm (1907-1914/sank).
In 1899 Short built and launched his first vessel, Ariel, a 35-foot pleasure
boat designed to take passengers to the islands where they could visit
Painted Cave and Cueva Valdez and experience the beauty of Santa Cruz Island.
In 1900, he purchased Chispa, a 30-foot whale boat converted for passenger
service. Chispa served Short’s Channel business for five years, hauling
island campers and fishermen, until one fateful weather day in March 1905:
The violent 1905 southeaster that sank Chispa, also took out the vessels
Alleen, Cady, Coquita, Fortuna, Kingfisher, Pride and Prima María. Prior to
the construction of Santa Barbara’s harbor in the late 1920s, all vessels
anchored in the open waters surrounding Stearn’s Wharf were vulnerable to
storms, and losses were common. In 1906, Capt. Short purchased Chispa’s
replacement, the 42-foot wood-hulled commercial gasoline launch built in San
Pedro, Pt. Fermin. Less than a year after he brought the vessel to Santa
Barbara, she too was destroyed while at anchor during a violent storm.
A team of 6 horses was used to haul Henry Short’s 46-foot vessel, Charm,
through the streets of Santa Barbara to the beach for her launching in May
1907.
Undaunted by his two vessel losses, Henry Short built the 37-foot
gasoline-powered Charm to continue his island business. Charm was launched in
1907, and it was noted the vessel “more than fulfilled Captain Henry Short's
highest expectations."
Captain Henry Short’s Charm at anchor at Santa Cruz Island with groups of
pleasure-seekers.
Charm was used to take large groups to various coves along Santa Cruz Island,
sometimes hauling 30 or more at a time. Charm also picked up fish from Ira
Eaton at his 1908 camp at Willows on Santa Cruz Island. Then in May 1908, a
deeper tragedy struck, when Short’s wife, Martha, died in childbirth, along
with the baby. Their daughter Margaret (10) was left in the care of her
maternal aunt, while Raymond (14) spent as much time as possible aboard Charm
with his father.
Wreck of the 145-foot lumber schooner, Comet, at San Miguel Island, 1911
(above left);
Stranding of the schooner Santa Cruz at Rincon, 1913 (above right).
In 1911, it was the Charm that discovered the wreck of the Comet at Simonton
Cove on San Miguel Island. When the island schooner Santa Cruz was stranded
at the Rincon for several months in 1913, the Charm was used by the Santa
Cruz Island Company as a temporary replacement vessel. Then, in rapid
succession, a double whammy of tragedies struck the luckless Henry Short. On
December 16, 1913, his son, Raymond, 19, died unexpectedly as a result of
having stepped on a nail at the islands. Blood poisoning set in within days,
and within two weeks his son was dead. On January 17, 1914, the Charm sank
off Stearn’s Wharf in yet another violent storm that hit Santa Barbara. His
resilience worn, Captain Henry Short gave up his maritime career. He
retreated north to San Francisco where he worked in a shipyard; then moving
inland, finally settled in Porterville, Tulare County, where he died in 1958.
He was 91 years old. Captain Henry Short is buried at Home of Peace Cemetery
in Porterville.
THE CALIFORNIA ISLANDS—
SAVING THEIR HISTORY, TELLING THEIR STORIES.
Respectfully submitted by,
Your Faithful California Islands Curiosity Correspondent
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