The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-10-12
COLUMBUS DAY.
"Reminiscences OF the Santa Maria, Pinta
and Nina.

ana Nina
The windows of The CHRONICLE office
today are decorated with engravings
illustrative of the voyage of Columbus,
400 years ago. On October 11th there
was rather heavy sea on. A green
branch foated past the Santa Maria, and
on board the Pinta the men picked up
small carved stick, which seemed to
have been ornamented by means of some
land and of humanity, and the men grew
elated. The Pinta sailed the fastest, and
was ahead of the admiral, and presently
land was discried from her deck, where
upon, according to an understanding,
her flag was hoisted and she fred gun.
At two in the morning of October 18th
land was plainly seen at about two
leagues distance. The ships shortened
sail and laid to, awaiting daylight, when
it was seen that they were abreast of a
small island-and the marvellous under
taking of Columbus was happily con-
eluded.
Itmay well have been that, as has
been related, the crew of the admiral
flung themselves passionately at the feet
of Columbus and 1mplored his pardon for
their doubts and repining. As for him
self, it is certain that he was as modest
in the moment of victory as he had been
dauntless and confident through the long
days when all about him despaired.
Then came the ceremony of landing
upon the new-found country. The
island, covered thick with trees and
tropical verdure, sloped down to the
coral reef and the beach along its edge,
where were gathered, quickly as day
light brightene the scene, groups of
natives entirely naked, who gazed in
wonder and half in fear at the strange
floating creatures with wings Tapping
white in the breeze that lay just outside
the reef.
Columbus found that the island was
named, in the language of the natives,
Guanahani. He named it San Salvador.
strongly in their favor, and he never
changed as to this. They were gentle,
generous, faithful and obliging. Had
succeeding adventures treated them as
did Columbus, they would never have
lost these characteristics. The contrary
was the case, the Spaniards abusing
their confidence and maltreating them,
and they become suspicious, revengeful
and bloodthirsty. Their island and
those explored by Columbus at later
period seemed to him and his followers
a veritable paradise.
Thus the most momentous occurrence
since the Crusade, unless it were the
discovery of printing, took place, after
perfectly safe and exceedingly monoton-
GUS voyage of six weeks, in the simplest.
and most unconventional fashion i'm
aginable. To CASTLE and Leon, Colum-
bus had given new world, and hand
full of wondering savages were the only
witnesses to the sublime act beside those
who participated in it. Looking back
upon this scene from perspective of four
centuries, it seems increditable in it's
lack of ostentation and ceremonial. In
deed there is something almost sublime
in the tranquility which marked this
wonderful adventure, whose outcome
was to be the changing of the entire ex-
1stence of all humanity. Two months
spent amid favoring winds and sees, the
fight of birds, the passing, by of ocean
weeds, and then-AMERIcA.
To no other such voyage was there
all of the world that has been discovered