The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-13
pIsooYnRY on AaInRIoA.

Christopher Columbus gnpie AtoHk AAtet
tho OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES i Known Of
che Early veyageRl.
CHICAGO hleT 0t,aa,
1t is now fully sdmittedAby all his
torlans that America was discovered by
the scandinavians long before its dis
covery by Columbus. From the
fifth century onward the races
inhablting Denmark, swedepS and
Norway, known as the Morse
men, or as Vikings, were masters
OF the Northern seas, They sent QnFF
vessels commanded by bold captains
known as the 'Sea Kings," who were
tho terror OF all neighboring nations.
Iceland was settled by the. Vikings, IN
the ninth century, and very few years
aiterward, about the year S92, Morse
captain called Eric the Red, from fAe
color OF his hair, sailing westward, dis.
covered Greenland, which was tmmesi
diately settled by colonlsts from lee
land aud Norway. In the year 0S6 Q
young man named Bjorn, whose father,
Herjnli, had settled in Greenland, set
sail from Iceland to join him, but met
strong north winds, which drove his
vessel many miles to the south, and
upon coast OF q country which was
covered with small hills and trees
He knew that this was not Green
land, and he did not land, hpt as soon
as the winds would let him, he sailed to
the north, and at last reached the
Greenland coast, He told the colonists
there Of his discovery OF the country to
the south, and one OF the most daring
OF the Morse captains, whose name was
Left Erickson, a descendant OF Eric the
Red, who had discovered Greenland,
was seized with an ambition 10 visit the
country, He therefore went TO Iceland
and fitted vessel with thirty-tiye sail
ors, and they set sail for the west The
date OF this occurrence is somewhat mn
certain, but it was probably In the year
1000. The first land which Captain
Left saw was land Of 10y mountains,
with q plain between the mountains
and the sea covered with fiat atones.
This is supposed to have been the shore
of Newfoundland. The NoTsemen called
it Helluland, which means the land Of
stones. Then they sailed further south,
and reached level country covered with
trees, which they named Mark
land, or Woodland. 1t is thought
that this was the coast OF Nova
Scotia. Then they sailed etill fur
Their south, and finally landed on the
coast Of green and fertile country.
From the descriptions Of this voyage,
which still exist in the Iceland records,
it is supposed that the place Of their
landing was Narragahset bay. Finding
grape-Vines and grapes on tho shore,
Captain Left called the new country
Vinland. He aud his sailors spent the
winter there, and In the spring returned
to Greenland. These men apparently
had no comprehension whatever OF the
importance Of their discovery, Tor Left
never returned to the new country
which he had found. The following
year, however, his young brother, Thor
valid, fitted out ship, and set sail for
the new land, taking a number OF men
with him to found colony. Soon atser
these had landed on the shore whore
the Norsemen had spent the winter two
years before, they got into fight with
the natives Of the country, and Thor
valid, being wounded with poisoned
arrow, died and was buri ed there. His
party passed the winter in the Vinland
huts, and in the spring went back to
Greenland.
Thorstein, another brother Of this
family, was angry with the eailors be-
cause they did not bring Thorwald's
body back with them, and fitted out
ship to 20 and get it. His wife, Gud-
rida, went with him. It was latein the
season when he started, and he met
terrible storms, which disabled his ship
so that he was obliged to land on q
bleak point OF the shore, probably on
the coast OF Labrador. Here through
exposure he died, and many of the crew
also; and. with tho few that were left
Gudrida went home in the spring, car
rying the dead body Of her husband.
None OF the Icelanders attempted 70 60
to Vinland again for about four years,
and then, In 1907, Thorfnn Halsefne, a
rich man who had married Gudrida, set
sail with her for Vinland. They took
three ships, carrying 100 men, somo of
them with their wives, and stock Of
tools and furniture, besides cattle for
their farms. They settled at aplace
which they called Hop. 1t is thought
this was the very place that is now
called Mount Hope. The Indians called
it Montaup. Here the Icelanders
stayed two years, and here Gudrida
had a little son born which she called
Snorro, and this was the first white
child born on the western continent.
Thorfnn and his men traded with. the
natives, exchanging cloth and trinkets
for grain and fnrs, but, as white men
have done from that time to this, they
could not resist the temptation to cheat
these ignorant people, and so had many
fights with them. AT last they gave up
their colony and wentback to Iceland.
1t is not certain that any Norsemen
after these tried to settle on the western
continent, though some writer's believe
that subsequent attempts Of this kind
were made. In the neighborhood OF
Charleston, Mass, many traces Of the
occupation OF civilized men have been
found which plainly belong to a date
prior to the coming Of the pilgrims, and
these have led to the belief that other
scandinavians settled in this country
and for a time colonized quite q portion
OF Massachusetts,, but the evidence OF
this occupation Is very slight. The
story OF the discovery by Lett and his
brothers, however, has oeen found TO be
atteSted by old Icelandic documents
L. y 49,