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

j DIN dtl'E Hil'iti hist pltouHtN.
In the afternoon we reached Watlings
| Palm trees and hazy yistas. matched
/ huts and outlying reefs over which the
surf broke lazily marked its shores. A
| boat at once put Oft to MS 1t contained
all the officials of the islaud-the local
magistrate, the port officer the post
master. the sheriff the colonel of the
militia and many more-all i'll the per
son of Captain Maxwell Marin, the only
white resident OF the island, veritahle
/ Pooh Bah. monarch of coral isle. His
salary Is 5000 Il year, and he has been
there thirty wears.
! Captain Marin became our guide.
counselor. friend and foeman. With
/ him we explored the island. A coral
rock II Is. "A dozen miles long and half
rs broad containing large lagoons OF
! brackISh water, covered with tropical
vegetation, nearly surrounded by reefs
| Eight hundred negroes live here, tilling
altogether probably a score of acres of
land. subsistlng principally on fish and
other sea food. They are an honest
pious. temperate people. Their chief
/ failing Is a predisposition toward piracy
and woe TO the cargo of the ship that Is
wrecked upon their shores. This pirat-
zeal tendency they came naturally by
for this coral island was once the rendez-
vous of infamous Blue Beard, and some
of these poor people are no doubt his
direct descendants.
/ But | could see little in this island
save Christopher Columbus, At every
turn the great discoyerer was suggested.
The salt lagoon appeared to echo back
his name. the sands of the shore seemed
to bear the impress of his feet; the surf
breaking over the reefs chanted the "Te
| Deuu in limitation of Columbus himself.
| The spirit of Columbus dominates every
thing in Watlings, overshadows every
thing. leaves nothing else to be thought
of or written about.
And no wonder. Here was everything
that Columbus described in his journal
the Large lagoon in the middle of the
island" the luxuriant verdure, the
reefs running all round that island,
the hills near the shore, the piece of
land hike an 1~ia1ri, YET whicn nm
island. hut could easily be made one, rs
an admirable sight for fort; the harbor
living hard by, in which 'all the ships of
Christendom could lie All these and
many more of the things which Column
bus had described we found, and at first
knew instinctively, and later proved to
mathematical certainty, that this was
the birthplace Of the New World.
| a little bay, two miles from the piece
Of land like an island chose after
much exploration as the very spot at
which the landing was made. That this
island was the San Salvador of Colum-
bus know; that this pretty bay, with
its overhanging headland and shining
beach. was the more particular scene of
the discovery believe. In the nature
of things it cannot be proved, though
there is much in its favor, Near it is
high hin which Columbus probably first
saw III the moonlight of that fateful
morning. 1t is the first bit of coast to the
south, free enough from reefs to permit
safe landing. 1t is at point whence Co
| lumbus would have rowed north north
easterly to see the other side of the
island" as he says he did the second
llOT1illlS dlltI Ills VII thio oNth
sion discovering the piece of land like
an island" and the wonderful arbor lin
which the water is still as in a well. :"
On the promontory which lifted its
head above the little bay we erected a
memorial. 1t was constructed of coral
| limestone found hard by. Thirty ma
tive worSmcn were employed cutting
roads with their machetes, bringing for
ward materials, mixing mortar and car
rying cement up the hillside, Skillfnl
boatmen brought supplies from the
steamer through the dangerous coral
reef The American flag hoated from a
staff as we worked and the monument
grew day by day. The sun beat with
tropical tierCeness; our drinking water
was dipped out of the hollows of the rocks,
warm and brackish. But no one fell i'll,
and finally the work was finished 1t
had been well done. Plenty of cement
bound the stones firmly together. The
result was beautiful. In the coral lime
stone are all the tints of the rainbow,
all the marine forms Land and sea to-
gether had built memorial to Column