Arizona weekly citizen., 1892-11-26

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 eel
 ebrated in Chicago with great exnOsi-
 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 III lrkel.
 This w;s queer task, but fasci-
 hating one. l went atitin characteristic
 American fashion-that is, jumped ;.t it.
 1 ransacked the Congressional library and other libraries. cabled to London
 for a book which was not to be found in America. 1 procured from the hydro graphic office charts of the BahGm made by our government and the Brit
 Sh 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 nf books and pamphlets written in support of these theories. The correct theory must be based upon two conditions: Tie 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 1t must lie at certain distances and in certain directions from five other islands visited and described by Columbus 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 Salva-
 tor, then the mystery was solved. Oddly enough, the learned historians, geographers and photographers who had supported the claims of the rival islands lad not taken the trouble to visit the region of which they discoursed. Had they done so their controversy might uave come to an end long ago.
 Early ;n June our expedition sailed from New York. We went by Ward inc steamer Santiago to Nassau, the
 ;apital of the Bahamas, having on board n addition to Charles Lederer, the fa- nous artist of the Chicago Herald, a 5tonemason, marble globe, memo rial tablet. thirty barrels of cement, man servant, a photographic outfit and Sundry boxes, barrels, demijohns and bottles containing the necessaries of life.
 1t Nassau we had narrow escape. The governor of the Bahamas was to 'eave for England within an hour or so after our arrival, and without his au- rhority we copld do nothing. An hour If hustling, the assistance of the AIleri- can consul and letter which l had brought from Sir Julian Pauncefote, British minister at Washington, and GoverIlor Shea gave us letter com manding all the local officials of the Ba- namas to place themselves at our con- mand. Lucky for us that we caught kindly Governor Shea. The lieutenant governor, who came into power the min
 llt tit SON StilAtAls Ntlo ci1tllAASS bo
 'lnpertinent, presumptuOus Yankees!' ne eXclained; ito think they can come down here and ill a few weeks set tie one of the great mysteries of histOry!' 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 a visit to Watlings produced the physical evidence neces- -ary to establish its claims beyond doubt, well and good. If not, we were to study the other islands in the order of their theoretical probability. How to get to Watlings was the question. In the harbor were sloops, yachts and schoon- CTS galore. One smelled of her last cargo, Jamaica rum; another of spOnges. d third of fish, d fourth of poultry. The cabins of all were mere cells. And it was the season of the year when calmS reigned for days at time. The only steam vessel in port was the steamship tender, a crude craft with a bottom as fiat as street car, keelless and not lovely. Besides she cost q pretty penny. But we bothered the expense and took her, hove into her our cement and sup plies, employed some more masOns wlth 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 geographies confirmed as the San Salvador | of Columbus. For half a day we steamed | along the coast of Cat island, and l ex amined it very carefully. It bears no resemblance whatever to the island | which Columbus described in his jour | nal. For fifty years it has been San | under false pretenses.
 In the afternoon we reached Watlings. | Palm trees and hazy vistas, thatched | huts and outlying reefs over which the |