Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-07-07
Where Columkas Landed.


The subject of the landing of Colum-
bus is one that has remained beclouded
in the historico-oratorical mistiness with
which writer's upon the subject have
surrounded it; but it now appears that
modern research has taken hold of it,
and that the exact spot at which CO.
lumbus and his crew landed from his
wretched caravels can finally be pointed
out with gratifying degree of historic
certainty.
Gov. Blake, of Newfoundland, re-
Gently gave lecture before the
Athen@um of St Johns upon the sub
ject of the landing place of Columbus,
to which he had given a great deal of
attention while Governor of the BAHIA
mas, from which section he was trans
ferred to Newfoundland.
His excellency made several voyages
with this object in view, and, with the
diary of Columbus in his hand, sailed
over his courses, noting what he noted,
and comparing his description with the
lakes and woods and beautiful capes
and everlasting verdure of these
islands.
Columbus, according to the results of
Governor Blake's investigations, started
for the unknown new world in three
vessels-the Santa Maria, the Pints
and the Nina-three crazy caravels,
only one of which had deck. His
crew consisted of 100 men. nearly all
of whom had been forced into the en-
terprise and hated it, and were ever
ready to mutiny.
The difficulty of determining the ex-
act location has arisen, to large ex-
tent, from the fact that the Lucayans,
the aboriginal inhabitants of these
islands, were carried off by the Span
iards to work the gold mines of His
pamela, and through cruelty and hard
toll, all persisted miserably.
For hundred years afterward the
islands were left uninhabited, so that
no vestige of a tradition remained to
guide to the spot on which Columbus
landed. The islands have been vari-
ously identified by writer's who have
never visited the spot or made per-
sonal examination of them. His excel
lency has gone carefully over the whole
of these islands and compared their APP
pearance with the account of Columbus,
so that his conclusions carry with them
great weight. He was led by an ire
sistible weight of the evidence thus ac-
cumulated to the conclusion that the
island upon which he landed was Wat
ling's Island.
He showed, by process of exhaus-
ton, comparing each island in turn
with his description, that Waltings
Island alone correspondent with the ac-
count contained in his diary, and that
the correspondence, in its case, was
perfect, while all the others entirely
failed to present any features to war
rant Identification. Watling's Islam is
thirteen miles long, about eight miles
wide, one-third of its area being occu-
pied by lake or lagoon of brackish
water; it is very fertile and beautiful;
it is almost entirely surrounded by
coral reef, except at Graham's harbor,
formed by great sweep of the reef,
and about seven miles long and four
miles wide, with narrow entrance and
promontory close by.
Every one of these features is men
toned in Columbus diary, so that the
question may be regarded as settled,
for there is no escaping from his ex-
cellency's conclusion. As the centenary
of Columbus, discovery is to be observed
in 1892, and it is said Spain will invite
the European nations to send each a
flagship to the spot for some celebra-
ton on a grand scale, the question in
regard to the exact scene of his landing
is likely to be holly debated. Gov.
Blake has now made a most inn
portant contribution to the settlement
of the question. Traveller.
The Stronger Seq