The old Abe eagle., 1892-10-06

contained the physical features which
| Columbus had found in his San Saliva
dor, then the mystery was solved
/ Oddly enough, the learned historians,
4 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
III addition to Charles Lederer, the fa
nous artist Of the Chicago Herald,
stonemason, Il 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
At Nassau we had 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 rs a letter com
manding all the local officials of the Ba-
hamas to place themselves at our COM
nand. 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 historyI
II the lieutenant governor had had his
way we should have been sent back TO
New York quicker.
Watlings was 2)0 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 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-
ers galore One smelled of her last
cargo, Jamaica rum; another of sponges,
Il third Of fish, "A fourth of poultry. The
cabins of all were mere cells. And it
was the season of the year when calms
reigned for days at a time. The only
steam vessel in port was the steamship
tender. a crude craft with bottom as
fiat as a 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 aI
American flag of the consul. and witt
the stars and stripes flying at masthead
steamed away.
a day and night of alternating calm
and storm, through rocky passages anc
over dangerous shoals. and we were a
Cat island. which Washington Irwin.
made famous and our old geographic!
solemnly confirmed as the San Salvadoi
= of Columbus. For half a day we steamec
along the coast of Cat island, and ex
amined il very carefully j. bears II,
, resemblance whatever to the islanl
which Columbus described in his jour
nal. For fifty years it has been San
Salvador under false pretenscs.
In the afternoon we reached Watlings
Palm trees aud hazy vistas, thatche,
huts and outlying reefs over which til,
surf broke laZily marked its shores.
boat at once put off to us. 1t containet
all the officials Of the island-the loca
magistrate. the port officer, the post
master the sheriff, the colonel of tn,
militia and many more-all in the per
son of Captain Maxwell Nairn, the onl,
white resident of the island, II veritabl
Pooh Bah. monarch of coral isle. Iii
salary is $500 year, and he has beel
there thirty years.
Captain Nairn became our guide
counselor friend and foeman Witt
him we explored tho island A cora
rock II is. dozen miles long and hal
~ broad, containing large lagoons o
brackish water. covered with tropca
vegetation, nearly surrounded by reefs
Eight hundred negroes live here. tilliui
altogether probably score of acres o
land. subSisting principally on fish an,
other sea food They are an honest
pious, temperate people Their chic
failing is n predisposition toward piracy
and woe to the cargo Of the ship that
! wrecked upon their shores. This pirat
ical tendency they came naturally 10y
! for this coral island was once the rende2
yOus Of Infamous Blue Beard. and som
Of these poor people are no doubt hi
direct descendants.
But | could see little In this islam
save Christopher Columbus. At ever
turn the great discoverer was Suggested
The salt lagoon appeared to echo bac
J his name; the sands Of the shore SCENE
c 20 bear the impress Of his feet; the sur
breaking over the reefs chauted the "T
= Deun" IN imitation Of Columbus himself
, The spirit of Columbus dominates everJ
i thing In Watings. oyershadows overy
!, thing. leaves nothing else 10 be though
a OF or written about
And no wonder. Here was everythin
that Columbus described In his journal
= the "largc lagoon In the middle Of th
q island" the luxuriant verdure. ih
/, reefs running all round that island,
. the hills near the shore, the piece q
land like an island. yet which is not n
island. but could easily bc made one" 4
!, an admirable sight for fort. the harbo
!, lying bard by. IN which "all the ships d
= Christcniom coud lie All those an
. many mOre of the things which Colun
: bus had described we found. and at fr'
knew inrtiuctively. and later proved !
4 mathematical certainty. that this wa
the birthplace of the New World
j.. A little hay two miles FROM the ''piec