Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-01-04
ABOUT COLUMBUS.
NEW LIGHT SUPPLIED BY SOME RECENT IN
VESIIGATIONS.
A Paper Read Before the American Historical ASs'
citation Which Seems TO Settle the Dis
puts as to His First Landing
and Present Tomb.

At the last days session OF the Amer
can Historical Association at Wasnlng,
TON President C. X. Adams, OF Corneii
University read very interesting paper
having for its title, "Some Recent Dls-
coyeries Concerning Columbus. foL.
nmes have been written on the SUBJECT
NJ the first landing place OF COLUMBUS
in the New World and the final resting
nlacs Of the remains OF the explorer
| professor Adams is of the opinion tuSs
these questions have been dehhiteiy
settled by the recent Investigations OF
the German explorer, Rudolph Cronln,
who went about year ago 10 the ba-
bamas for the purpose Of studying. nrst'
the location OF the land fall, anu sec
ond. the vexed question as to the
nresent location of the remains OF
the discoysrer. President Adams
naner reviewed the work OF
Mr.. Cronin and his paper gave
the first information of the result OF
Mr.. Cropin's labors. Mr.. Cronin, he
said, appeared to have had exceptional
facilities, having had letters from the
German Government which opened 10
him every opportunity OF carrying on
his investigations as he desired. de
studied the question of the land fall IN
the light of the original journal OF Co
lumbus and of his own comparison OF
the island, with the descriptions or that
journal and OF other original authori-
ties. His conclusion is that the hrst
landing was on Watling'S island, and at
or near Graham's harbor, on the west
side of the island. His reasons, Presi-
dent Adams said, may be summarized as
follows:
PROOF AS TO HIS LANDING.
Both the islands correspond well with
the original descriptions of position,
form and description. There is no har-
Dor on the east but q good one on the
west side. On October II, Columbus
says, they had the toughest weather
they had encountered during tina whole
voyage. He also says that between sun
down of the day and > in the morning
he sailed at the rate OF twelve miles an
hour, making ninety miles. The wind
must have been In the east. When at
in the morning they first saw land six
or seven miles distant, they were sail
ing at the rate of twelve miles an
hour. They shorten ed sail, but CrOnin
thinks they must have gone at halt-
speed, aud so made fifteen or twenty
( miles before daylight. This would
have carried them al least ten miles
west of the island by daybreaB. Turn
ing about they thus approached the
island from the west aud landed at
natural and easy shore at Graham's
Harbor. Cronin visited the points
mentioned by Columbus and found IL
easy TO reconcile the situation with all
the statements made by Columbus and
Las Casas.
OF still more Importance, perhaps. Mr.
Adams said, are the Investigations 0t
Cronn in regard TO the place OF the
present remains Of Columbus. He spent
a full month in San Domingo in tho
work Of investigating the subject, and
as a result was convinced that the Span
ish authorities are mistaken in suppOs-
ing that the remains were transferred
to Havana in 1895 On the 1lt,I of Jan
uary, 1891, Cronin, in the presence OF
the archbishop, the Minister of the In
terror and the ConSuls of the several
Governments represented at San Do
|
the local authorities TO contain the re-
mains of Columbus.
HIS TOMB AT SAN DOMINGO.
These had been sealed up at the time
the vault containing them had been dis
covered and opened in 1877. Mr. Gro
min photographed all the inscriptions
with great care. They are found TO
differ very considerably from the repre-
sensations previously published, and in
the opinion of the author are iucontest-
ably genuine. The whole of the argu-
ment MI Adams summarized as follows:
The situation OF the vault containing
these remains indicates that II was con-
structed before that which contained
the remains taken to Havana In 1795.
The remains of Columbus were taken
from Spain to San Domingo about 1871,
whereas the remains OF his son and
grandson were not transported until
the beginning OF the Seventeenth Cen
fury. 1t seems improbable that the
leaden box containing the remains Of
Columbus would have no mark by which
it could be identified. The box exhum-
ed and taken to Havana in 1895 con-
tanned no inscription whatever.
The box discovered in the longer
vault opened in 1877 contains two in
scrptions. Cronin believes that the
charge Of fraud brought by Spanish
officials against the authorities of San
Domingo cannot for a moment be adj
mitted. He says the inscriptions them
selves when carefully studied show that
they are old: that the process OF oxidl-
cation, which has evidently gone on
since the inscriptions were made, pre-
cludes the possibility OF their being
modern; that the charge of fraud made
against the Archbishop and others,
In the absence OF direct proof, Is
overwhelmingly improbable; that no
one Of those who have brought the
charge OF fraud has ever inspected the
coffin or its remains; that the only basis
OF conjecture of fraud is the imperfect
and incorrect inscriptions heretofore
published; and, finally that careful
and independent questioning OF several
of those who had participated in the
elimination in 1877 resulted In sub
stantial agreement as to all the i'm
portant details of the transaction.
Cronin thinks, Notwithstanding the
Spanish claim, the proof should be re-
garded as complete that the remains OF
Columbus are still at San Domingo.