Telegram-herald., 1891-07-04
HERICOLUNBUS
Identification Of Watling's Island
as the Historic Spot.
LOCATION OF The HERALD MONUMENT
An Account of the EsPsdistoa IN search
of CoIum bas' Tracks-Csast ruetien OF
the monuDent-Dsseripti ~
the Memorial.

CHICAGO, July S.-The Herald will
publish tomorrow morning long arti-
Gle giving the results Of the expedition
which IT sent out month ago to find.
aud mark with monument, the spot AT
which Christopher Columbus first
landed on the shores of the New World.
October IL, 1892. The expedition. OF
which Walter .Wellman, Washington
correspondent Of the Herald, and
Charles Lederer, the Herald artist, were
the chief members. met With fiattering
success. At Nassau. the capital of the
| Bahamas, Governor Shea gave the ex-
petition o iettar of authority. calling
upon all local magistrates 10 give every
assistance in their power. The steamer
Nassau" the largest steamer IN the
| Bahamas, was chartered for the cruise.
and it left Nassau June ., having
on board the members OF the expe-
dition. mechanics aud laborers, and
a large Quanuty of cement and
number OF ornamental stones for
use in construction of the proposed
monument. The plan was TO go first to
| Watling's Island, the land which has
greatest evidence IN its favor, and II IT
was found to meet all the requirements
| tho monument was TO be erected there.
Five islands have been suggested as the
scene of the discoyery-Cat island.
| which for MANY years was marked San
| Salvador on the maps; Watllng's,
| SANTANA, Mariguaua and Turks island.
All but two of these (Watling and
| Samanal have been virtually discarded
by modern geographers and historians.
The route of the exposition lay
near the shores of Cat island.
and the Nassau was steamed
along the coast, and an examination
made of its features. This was SUM-
cient to show beyond all doubt that
| Columbus could not have landed on
| Cat Island, as the island lacks every
one of the features which Columbus
saw in his san Salvador or first island i.
| and described in his journal. The
| journal or log book of Columbus is the
! ONLY historic evidence there is OF the
| landing place, and any theory as to the
| identity of the island entitled to the
| honor must correspond in all essential
particulars with the description given
| by Columbus himself. No such cor
respondence was found between Cat
Island and the journal, nor does Sam
| ana, on careful investigation. meet the
| requirement any better. At Watling's.
however, different story - to be told.
| The expedition arrived there June ii,
| and spent the next day examining
| the coast. From the first moment
| evidence that this was the true
San Salvador appeared OH every hand.
| None of the previous writers or investl-
! gators in the field had taken the pre-
caution to do that which the Herald
| expedition did-visit the spot in person
and apply the historic evidence. that of
| Columbus himself, to the physical fea-
lures of the island. In this way the
| Chicago explorers were able to find new
and convincing proof of the identity Of
| Watllngs Island with the San Salvador
| of the great dlscOyerer. In tact, the
| evidence is so strong as TO be indisput-
| able, and sufficient TO dlspel all further
doubt and mystery concerning the spot
at which occurred the most tremend-
Gus event IN history.
The Herald expedition sailed out
into the ocean and approached Wat
| liny's from the direction whence CO.
lumbus approached it that memorable
| Friday morning-the cast, bearing q
little. south. The first land visible was
a high hill near the waters edge,
reaching down to the sea in bold head
| land, about four and half miles south
! of Graham's harbor. Almost at the
same instant Dixon Hill. on which
| Watling's light station was erected
came into view. One hill is about as
nigh as the other. but the first is nearer
| the sea, and therefore is the one which
Columbus, in all probability, first saw.
Just north of this hill and hcadland. be-
| tween them and the light station, is n
deep bay with sandy beach. sheltered
in part by II reef about half mile
from the shore. There is but little
doubt that IL WAS here Christopher
Coumbss landed and setting up his
tanners, took possession IN the
nsmes of Ferdinand and lea
bella. This ceremony over. he and hls
| companions probably assembled the
hill. no more than two hundred or
three hundred Yards away, and there
teheld much of the interior of the
island. IL il highly improbable that
Columbus travelled FAR inland during
| his first day IN san Salvador. He
makes no mention OF a journey to the
| interior, and ii Is more than likely that
ali he saw was from nesr the water
edge. At Watllng's he could IN hive
| minutes have reached little cm.nencc,
posliiy the very hcadlani on which
| the UeTald's monument WAS erected,
and. looking from the ocean, seen n
large and comparatively level island +,
with many trees aud much green ver-
dure. and large lagoon running
through tire middle of the island, with
| bits of water showing here and there
winch he might easily have mistaken
tor running streams.
Many considerations induced the
Herald expedition to erect ITS monu-
rnent on the noI theastern shore OF
| Watling's island. on a hesdland over
| looking the little, sandy beach bay in
which Columbus landed. More than a
score of workmen were engaged night
and day builiing the monument and IN
bringing forward materials and sup
plies. Fortunately an ample supply of
| coral limestone of beautiful coiUfs and
picturesque shapes WAS found on the
/ headlend. The monument rises ssx-
| teen feet from its foundations, and -
built With plenty of cement and good
workmanship. to stand for many cent
uries. six feet from the level OF the
ground Is pretty grotto butt for the
| purpose of stone which the tcst OF Co
/ lumtus himself may have tonched. g a
marble globe. nearly two feet IN dam
ster, with sn outline Of the continents
| chFpped uron the surface. silver
star marks the site thWaCe. and an
other star marks the true san salvador
OF Colamtus Natiing's island. Ahote
the 1l0l,e ls a tablet on vhlch = scsrvef--
tx FHf< SfreT
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
iifsf ~ct foat apon the ~oil OF
IfiE MN WORLD.
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