The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1892-10-20

WALTER W GILMAN.
The plan of The Herald was easy
to understand For centuries the iden
tity of the island which Columbus first
landed upon had remained unknown
The quadricentennial of the discovery
Of the New World was about to be Gel
ebrated in Chicago with great exposi-
ton, and The Herald thought it proper
that the spot at which occurred the most
tremendous event in history should be
sought out and appropriately marked
This was queer task but fasci
mating one. went att in characteristic
American fashion-that is, jumped at it
| ransacked the Congressional library
and other libraries cabled to London
for book which was not to be found in
America. | procured from the hydro
graphic Office charts of the Bahamas
made by our government and the Brit
ish admiralty.
Night and day study of the mystery
of the discovery quickly showed these
facts: In all history there is nothing
that throws light upon the landfall save
the journal kept by Columbus himself
Five islands had been put forward as
the real San Salvador, and hundreds Of
books and pamphlets written in support
of these theories. The correct theory
must be based upon two conditions; The
island itself must have certain features
described by Columbus-lagoon, reefs,
harbor hard by headland through
which the sea had cut its way, etc
and it must lie at certain distances
and in certain directions from five
other islands visited and described by
Colum bus AS to the latter condition
inspection of the charts showed Wat
lings to be the only one that would fit
the geometrical lines of Columbus first
voyage through the Bahamas. If it
contained the physical features which
Columbus had found in his San Saliva
dor, then the mystery was solved
Oddly enough, the learned historians,
geographers and photographers who had
supported the claims of the rival islands
had not taken the trouble to visit the
region of which they discoursed. Had
they done so their controversy might
have come to an end long ago.
Early in June our expedition sailed
from New York. We went by Ward
line steamer Santiago to Nassau, the
capital of the Bahamas, having on board
in addition to Charles Lederer, the ia
nous artist OF the Chicago Herald, a
stonemason, marble globe, memo
rial tablet thirty barrels of cement, a
man servant, a Photographic outfit and
sundry boxes, barrels, demijohns and
bottles containing the necessares of life
At Nassau we had a narrow escape
The governor of the Bahamas was to
leave for England within an hour or SO
after our arrival, and without his au-
thority we could do nothing. An hour
of hustling, the assistance of the Ameri
can consul and letter which had
brought from Sir Julian Pauncefote
British minister at Washington, and
Governor Shea gave us a letter com
handing all the local officials of the Ba
hamas to place themselves at our com
mand. Lucky for us that we caught
kindly Governor Shea The lieutenant
governor, who came into power the min
ute the governor sailed, was against us
"lmpertinent, presumptuous Yankeesl'
he exclaimed; "to think they can come
down here and in few weeks set
tie one of the great mysteries of historyT
If the lieutenant governor had had his
way we should have been sent back to
New York quicker.
Watlings was 200 miles away. We
had decided that if visit to Watlings
produced the physical evidence neces
sary to establish its claims beyond doubt
well and good. If not, we We're to study
the other islands III the order of their
theoretical probability How to get
to Watlings was the question. In the
harbor were sloops, yachts and schoon-
ers galore. One smelled of her last
cargo, Jamaica rum; another of sponges
third of fish, fourth of poultry. The
cabins of all were mere cells. And it
was the season of the year when Gains
reigned for days at time. The only
steam vessel in port was the steamship
tender. crude craft with II bottom as
fiat as street. car, keelless and not
lovely Besides she cost pretty penny
But we bothered the expense and took
her hove into her our cement and sup
plies, employed some more masons with
their tools, bought half ton of precious
ice, hired SANDY" the most famous
pilot of the Bahamas; borrowed an
American flag of the consul, and with
the stars and stripes flying at masthead
steamed away
A day and a night of alternating calm
and storm, through rocky passages and
over dangerous shoals, and we were at
Cat island, which Washington Irving
made famous and our old biographies
solemnly confirmed as the San Salvador
of Columbus. For half day we steamed
along the coast of Cat island, and | ex-
amned 1t very carefully. 1t bears no
Resemblance whatever to the island
which Columbus described in his jour
nal For fifty years it has been San