Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-06-21
The AntI-coIumbus Business.
A MONUMENT TO BE ERECTED TO LERF ERICKsoN,
WHO "DIscovERED AMERICA" IN THE rEAR
1000

1000.
The Madison (Wis.) Journal gives the following
GAZETTE:
University, Senator J. A. johnson and other prom
'uent Norweglans are rnislng money to bulld q |
monument 10 Left Edckson.
Left Erickson. whose uame u to be inscribed apon |
the monument, was bold navigator who discOv- |
cred America Ia the year 1000. That is what the |
SaRas say, and eirSumstantlal evidence tends to
cOrroborats the Iceiandlc records. In Washington
trvngs "Life OF Columbus" published In 1927, he
says: "If the legends Of the Scandinavian voya-
ges he correct, aud their mysterious VinIand Was
the coast Of L GbFador or the shores Of Nowfound-
| Iand, they had but transient GIimpses OF the New
World, leading to no certain knowledgs, and In a
little time lost again to mankind"
But at that time there were IN ~Copenhaaen un-
translated Icelandie manuscripts (Sagasl giving
| an account OF the early discoveries Of Amsdca.-
| These were translated by the celebEatsd Prof
| Charles Rafn the best authority on Northern an
equities that ever hVedl, aud published In 1887 -
Irving speaks Of these SAgaa In the appendix to
nls edition Of 1853 But he derived his knowledge
| Jt them from Forrester's works. and said no had
dot the means OF tracing the story to its original
source he adds, however, "there Is no great i'm
possibility that such entsI Iprising aud rowing voy.
tgers as the ScapdanaVlans may have wandered 20
tRs northern shores of Amenca, and II Icelandlc
manuscripts can be relied upon. as genuine, aud
correctly quoted, they would appear to prove the
tact
We have seen these Sagas, printed In Iselsndic,
| now In the possession OF Professor Anderson, and
5xamIned fac sImiies from the original Icelandic
manuscript, and can discover no evidences Of in
ssTPolatIon In fact the high character Of Profess
sor Rain Precludes the idea that there ls any at
tempt at imposition. We think the SaRas clearly
snIlted 70 be shOwn in evidon historical rec
e Irds and 1t appears from them that Bjarne Her
d ultson, Norwegian, owner and captain Of Yea.
4 ,e, on his way u Qrssnland to zee his hthel
| IN 966 She compass was not then invented, anC
violent Wind drlltsd him soath ward through th.
a tog When it cleared he was in sight Of VInIaud
| Oat, hnding himself too far south, he proceeded
aOrthward TO Greenland. He subsequently, 70
turned to Norway, and was greatly blamed bsca 90
, ne did not go ashore ct Vlnland.
- The NOrwsEiRns who discovered Iceland in SOL
d and Greenland IN 98t, were anxiously lookinI
lr forward to still more lands in the west Lei
ErIckSon, son Of Enck the He'd, who had discover
- ed Greenland, bought Barnes ship, and Onlsto
sr thirty-hvs men, and guided by directions froT
5Iarns and BY the stars for his compass sailed 70
America In the year 1000 he landed aG VInlAn(
in and spent the winter ct near Fall River, Mass
in where, seven years afterwards, ThoThn KaFisevn
OF and his party left the famous "DightOn Wntin
Rock inscription. In 1902 there was an exp,
ds ditiOn to Vinland by ThorWald EIiekson, who va
n, pierced by an 0Erowuand died there, aud, acco
al ding TO the description Of the Saga, i thl
r- ne was buried at Garnet point. About forty yea
ago o skeleton in armor was dug up IN that VIein
ng ". lsongtslloW had written q poem about thl
u the armor 70 the celsbFated chemist, BerzaIiu
ne Rho analysed II, hndlng 1t to be Of the prscl
10 aOmposGou Of NorWolgsn arnoR duTing the tSni
eo century and It was the same style 0t mhnufRctuI
dy The expedition WaS under ThOrnn, msnuOni
above, who loft the writing on the r0OE VIVA,
be ;orrssponds with the eoOuut IN the Sagas.
Be aad his ~iIs and Isl men, and staid thrSs yea
~ aud Suorre, his Son, was borne thsrOs IN lOOS
.s- (chorwaldssn. the famous sculptor, was dire
d. descendant Of Sn0Trg).
hr Thsrs we're various expeditions after this un
ci- ll2l, when Bishop Eriek Upsi, was sent TO v,
ieh lsnd. The last expsdIIlon KROWn WAS In 13.
Rhsn tns Black Plague broke out, ana roaueea |
population Of Norway IRON 2OOOVOO TO 5000
ns Ihis stopped further expeditions.
In addlnon TO the SaRas, "rhs Dighton Writl
Rook," the Newport Tower, (which Indisns :
on vas built BY gtants), Sud the Skeleton IN Arm
Ter VS. have in support ol the Early discovery BY L
nR ErlcksOu, the wTilings ct Adam Of bremen, an
nR historian OF nigh authority who visited the DAM
ID, King, Svend EsthdsOn. and afterwards wrote
las Latin an account OF the northern nations.
Try saws SThere u land discovered by many In d
er- ocean (Atlantie) which h called Wineland bscaV
&C. viues which pFOdacs very good VINE grow tn,
asst spontaneously and there grows grain in abu
ly, dance without beIng soWn. OF this We ha
ent knowledge, not by fabulous supposltion, but
The reliable Statements OF the Danes"
ler- Columbus made . voyage 10 Iceland 10, Feb
Ind ary, l477, and Il h thought By that he nj
IRE have learned Of Vinland then, the clergy Wi
Latin scholars, and that be probably knew Of
ate writing OF Adam, Of Bremen.
,ht We understand that the literary gentleman
'rn- Minnesota is preparing work in which he ma
DOn tains that the three hBzons, who were v
'ar. Columbus, had map OF VInland during the {
leo. voyage Of Columbus. Leif, the bold Norwesi
Al. deserves a monument.