Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-10-23

COLUMBUS SITS FOR HIS PORTRAIT.
education, ETC., Notwithstanding the fact
that every newspaper and magazine for
the past six months has ranSacked the
Old and New Worlds for data regarding
him.
1t may not be out of place, therefore,
TO summarize regarding the great uavi-
gator for the benefit Of those who have
no time to read voluminouS biographies,
but who are in search Of something
terse, yet trustworthy.
Columbus was the eldest son Of Do
minico Colombo and Suxanna Fontana-
rosa, and he was born, 1t is thought, in
1885, at Genoa. He died May 20, 1906,
at Valladolid, from collapse and coma
brought on by having tried to resemble
HIS different portraits.
The most reliable blographer Of the
great admiral who so soon noted the
value Of America as an opening for the
soiled and oppressed OF the Old World,
whey they could come and bring their
cholera with them, was Fernando Co.
lombo, the son.
Christopher Columbus was educated
at the normal shool in Para, whero he
stood well in mathematics, and especi-
ally in trigonometry, or the science OF
trigs.
Antonio de Terzago was his tutor, 1t
is said. De Terzago was the originator
of the mathematical discovery that In
addition q great saving OF time and also
greater accuracy may be secured by
setting down the right hand figures and
carrying the tens TO the next column.
At the age Of fifteen Columbus be-
came q sailor and began sitting for his
picture.
There were three sons in the Colum-
bus family and one daughter, who mar
ried butcher. Her brother, ii is said,
on his first voyage brought with him
from America dozen soft shell crabs
and a diamond back terrapin for his sis
ter's husband, but no one would pur-
chase them, and they persisted on his
hands. This brother-in-law afterward
wrote piece for the paper stating that
reciprocity with America was not what
it had been cracked no to be.
Another biographer says that Column
bus went to sea at the age Of fourteen,
but this may be becauso Of the conflict
regarding the year of his birth.
Columbus was soon placed in com
mand of q cruiser and visited the archi-
pelago. He also went to Iceland, hop
ing to find an open polar sea. This is not
generally known, but l get it pretty
straight and have no reason to doubt IL.
He visited what was then called Fries
land, or Ultima Thule, from the Latin
tongue, and signifying the jumping off
place. 1t was what is now called Ice
land, and Columbus was one OF the
earliest navigatorS to penetrate TO the
region OF the pole and leave a panta-
looms button on the axle OF the world,
On his return he said that the only
thing in favor Of that country as a home
was that there were neither mosquitoes
nor mslaria there. He staked of
town, but the claim was jumped by a
polar bear and reverted TO the original
owners.
Las Casas describes Columbus as hav-
ing a long face, rudy in places, an
aquiline nose, clear gray eyes, quick,
commanding glance and light hair,
which had begun to grow gray at thirty.
He fell in love with and married
Filipa Monis de Palestrello, who was in
the convent where he used TO pray OF
morning. Her father was very poor,
being governor Of Porto SantO and try
ing 10 live on his salary. This had new
or been tried before and has not been
attempted since. He died leaving little
except a chart OF the world, together
with what was supposed then 10 be an
accurate drawing Of the underpinning
upon which il rested.
Not long after this Columbus con-
fided in Paolo Tascarelli his belief that
it would low be good time to discover
America.
Tascarelli was a physician and cos
mographer OF that place and a man
rather in advance Of his time, as was
Columbus. Tascarelli lived on his prac-
tice as a physician aud relied very little
ON what he could make as a coSmogra-
pher.
He was the first physician to discover
that the fly of Spain, il collected in large
ousutities and placed on the human
skin, would make blister. Let US not,
then. In our enthusiasm over Columbus
forget the man who discovered the bis
ter and perfected it.
Columbus and Tascarelli were great
friends, and one day the former said to
Tsscarelli:
"Doc. I feel almost certain that l, too,
am going 10 discover something. You
now feel of course elated over the dis
covery of the blister. but the day will
come when l, too, shall be looked up to,
and people will come for miles to eat
their luncheons over my grave"
Little did he know then that his ashes
wonld be shipped back and forth be-
tween Spain and the West Indies every
time there was revolution in Cuba for
half a century.
II was now settled that Columbus
shonld md srtake the discovery of Amer
ics hut he needed capital. He mustco-
oDsrate with some one who had means.
~ ne tsrst approached the Senate Of Genoa
His application was referred 10 the
comnittee on Indian Affairs. The paper
read rs follows:
70 ,nx Honorable Senate Of Ge'loa:
crxrrs,rES lit has occurred to me that
- NE - are going 70 discover America it is
h ~ time reHhculd 60 about il II we de-
~, re england kin do It and set her name
-~at -