Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1867-09-11
Discovery Of America.

Discovery OF America.
Although the world has long ago accepted
the discovery Of America by Christopher
Columbus as its true and real discovery,
Scandinavia has never consented to this,
and still holds that the first finding was by
the sons Of Jarls and Viking, and points
out daily some now evidence that Europe
knew America long before Columbus or
Vespucci or their compeers sailed westward.
Fresh interest has lately been given to tho
argument by Professor Rafinson's journey
to the Potomac, where he found on the Ar
row Rock an alleged Ruinc inscription Of
1851. This inscription is in six lines, each
three inches long, on rock about five feet
high, which has long been overlooked. Ii
says:
"1lir huilir Suasy fagr.hardr aust Fir.
thingr Ikla Kildi systr Thorg sam fethra
half-thirtugr gleda gleda Gud sal hcnar. NJ.
l.. l."
Here rests Suasy, fair.haircd, (from)
East Farther Island (Iceland), widow Of
kjodr, sister Of Iholgr, children of same
father, (agcd) halfthirty, gladen God soul
her. lO5l."
Human remains and coins were found
near the monument.
The Scandinavians claim that an Iceland
or, named Biorn, in A. d. 1000, was blown
away to America. He returned, and told
Eric and Red Of his discovery, who sailed
westward five hundred years before Ameri-
go Vespucci, and found Newfoundland, or
Vincland. From here they coasted south
wardly to Narragansett Bay, where they
spent whole season, returned, and sent
another colony. In 1921, Erie, Bishop,
visited the new see. Before that, commerce
was maintained between the colony and tho
mother country, and in l406 the last bishop
was sent wcstwardly. There were then
three hundred Scandinavian villages in
America, which were soon lost sight Of
When increasing cold blocked Greenland
from Iceland, Vineland was deserted, and
its inhabitants we left to care for themselves
and SO were speedily lost.
In iii Saga was found in an old
college in Iceland, which described the ad-
ventures of the Norscmen in America, and
told where they settled and what they did.
The Saga was in Latin, full and complete
and described burial in particular. 1t tpur-
ports to say what Ilarvarder found South Of
Vineland, and how woman, daughter Of
Suerri was killed by the Skraelings, or 1ndi-
ans, near some great falls. Sir Thomas
Murray said, judging from the recorded
lengths Of day and night, that this mur-
der was on the Chesapeake Bay, in the Po-
tomac river, and not far from Washington.
Mr.. Rafinson, NJ. Lequeroaux, Prof Brand
and Dr. Boyce examined the spot, in ac-
cordance with the Saga (history), and found
in June last, the Runic inscription which,
as they claim, verifes the story.
1t certainly is singular that after so many
centuries of rest the dead should rise in their
graves and claim from Columbus and Amer
igo and their followers renown which has
not been questioned to them in the lapse Of
so many centuries. There are no vital in
tcrests concerned. There are no antiquar-
ian theories of great moment resolved in
this alleged discovery. But there will GER
tainly be something quaint and curious in
those proofs, should they be made such,
which establish that the sons Of the old
Jarls and Vikings fshed in our waters, hun
ted our fields and titled our lands down to
the chesapeake long before Miles Standish
drew breath, Or John Smith bent bow, or
Penn sought new home and even before
Columbus had shown that an egg may stand
upon either end. The interest among tho
Scandinavians is likely to be strong, and We
shall happily welcome thousands more to
follow the steps Of their great leader and
antetype.