The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-01
A NOTABLE FIND.
Result of Professor Horsford's Re-
cent Explorations.
new ENGLHND'S LOST CITY FOUND.
Discovery of the Site of tho Sixteenth
Century Town of NorumbeGa on the
Banks of the Charles River-.Foot-
prints of Early Scandinavian Ex-
plorers.
Ees YOrr Adpcrti,a.

peBu only through Eeuu4HB hHitIASA
poem of that name. In the introduce
ton to it are these words OF explana-
ton:
"Norumbega, or Norimbegue, is the
name given by early French fishermen
and explorers to a fabulous country
south Of Cape Breton, first discovered
by yerazzani in 1924. 1t was supposed
to have been magnificent city of the
same name on great river, probably
the Penobscot. The site OF this bar
barrie city is laid down on map pub
lished at Antwerp in 1910"
Long before this poem was written
about sixty-six years ago-an eight
year.old boy named Eben Norton
Horstord, living then at Moscow, N. Y,
heard from his mothers lips the tale OF
the lost city OF Norumbega; its wealth
and beauty and power. Tho tabled
story made o deep impression on the
lad, but with other childhood inem-
cries it was laid aside for years. Mean
time the boy grew in knowledge as well
as stature, became an authority in SCI
ence and taught and studied for years,
finally becoming Rumford Professor OF
Applied Sciences in Harvard Univer-
sity, and making his permanent homo
in Cambridge, Mass. During this timo
an acquaintance with distinguished
Scandinavian people and love for the
sagas OF the Norsemen aroused adesire
to find tho lost city. Professor Hors-
ford had become possessed OF wealth as
we'll as knowledge. Lacking either OF
the two he could not have pursued his
investigations.
Having both, he spared no pains to
secure books and proofs at any cost OF
time or money. He says: "Much Of
my interest in the subject has been
largely due to the influence OF q North
man, Ole Bull, in whose genius and re-
nown we all have pride" Also: "To
one modern writer more than any
other we are indebted for keeping the
story OF Norumbega alive. Rev. DR.. De
Costa, at that time editor Of the Ameri-
can Magazine of History, wrote and pub
lished few years ago the most tascin-
ating story OF the Lost City OF New
England His conviction, however,
like that of Champlain and oil other
personal explorers except Allefonce and
Thevet, was that il the ruins OF the city
were ever to be anywhere found they
would be on the Penobscot."
Professor Horsiord testifies that every
bit of the Penobscot has been exam.
ined, but no traces Of the city can be
found. He could not make the state
ments OF the sagas agree with that To-
cality. The failure spurred him on to
ascertain where the old fort Of Norum-
bega and the city similarly named were
and his search, If slow, was very eXcit-
ing. One of the clews was the discov-
cry in manuscript left by Allefonce in
1913 that there were two Cape Bretons,
and that Cape Ann was the southern
Cape Breton. From the sagas Norum-
bega had been determined to be be-
tween Cape Breton (Cape Ann) and
Cape Carenas (Cape Cod).
When Professor Horsford had decided
where the old fort ought to be he drove
TO the spot, at the junction OF the
Charles river with Stony brook, and
there found the remains OF extensive
walls and bitches, This was in 1885.
Four years later tower was completed
there, built by him to commemorate
the discovery. Over the tablet in its
wall is Scandinavian falcon THE sym
boil of sovereignty in Iceland) about to
alieht with new world in its talons.
Mr.. Whittier regrets that he could not
be present at the unwilling OF the tablet
and wrote:
"That Scandinavians visited New
England, and attempted settlement
here hundreds OF years before Column
bus is no longer matter of doubt. l
supposed that the famed city OF Nor
umbega was on the Penobscot when l
wrote my poem some years ago, but
am glad to think OF it as on the Charles,
in our own Massachusetts. The discov-
cry of traces OF that early settlement at
the mouth OF Stony Brook, and at Wa
tertown, is matter OF great arch@o-
logical interest, and the memorial tower
and tablet may well emphasize the i'm
portance ofthat discovery"
But the site OF the wonderful city and
of the ancient Vinland where Left Erik
son settled were still unknown. The
Allefonce manuscript located the Nor
umbega river in the forty-third degree
and said, ''it is tidal river, at its mouth
full Of islands which stretch out ten or
twelve leagues into the sea" The
Charles river only answers to this de-
scription. The final clew was obtained
from paragraph in staga OF Thcrfinn
Karlsefn, abiding to something made
Of mosurr wood from Vinland.
A study Of mosurr or maZer wood re-
yealed tho fact that 1t was the burrs
growing on certain kinds OF trees, such
as oak, birch, hickory, maple and ash.
The story of tho saGas showed that
household articles wero made OF it, and
that the blocks wero tloated down to
where they were shipped across the
seas, tor rnazer wood was an important
article OF commerce. To float tho
blocks required canals OF ditchesi to
ship them thoro must BIO wharves or
landing places.
In 1880 Professor Horsford made a
communication to tho president and
council of the American Geographical
Society, in which he said that Water
town, where they we're then in session,
was the site of the city OF Norumbega,
and that Cambridge was within the
ancient Vinland where he had found
traces Of Left Erikson's house and many
other interesting remains. In this
communication he said:
az do not deduce the mazer industry
from the presence OF the dam at Water
town, but deduce the dam, and sea-
port, and docks and wharves as essen
tial TO the mazer industry revealed in
the sagas. all these are remains OF the
ancient seaport OF Norumbega. This
was the sight pictured on go many an.
Client maps at the head of tidewater on
the river that flowed through lake to
the sea, the Hop Of Thorllnn, a small