The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-04-29
POINTERS ON 4 new WORLD.
Columbus Got Them From q Dying
Pilot Whom He Befriended.

Mr.. Healey, the American Con-
sui at Fenchel, has been gathering
interesting information about the
life of Christopher Columbus in Ma
deira, says the Washington cores
pondent of the St. Louis Globe
Democrat. From an ancient volume
of local history, written in 1890, he
obtains the following, which he
sends to the State Department:
"An Italian, Genoese by birth,
named Christopher Columbus, a
man versed in navigation, came
from his land to the island of Ma
deira, where his chief employment
was making nautical charts. In the
year 1886 vessel, either from An
dalusia or Portugal, had, through
stress of weather, been driven from
her course, where she met strange
lands and scenes, supposed to be
the West Indies, and after long
tempestuous voyage, having been
tossed to and fro on the billows,
they were driven to this island, not
knowing whittier they were going.
All the crew except three and the
pilot had died. The pilots name
and ofwhat land he was native,
are not known. The little band
were so badly exhausted and con-
fused that they could give little ac-
count of their journeyings. Colum-
bus, finding them in such distressed
condition, took them to his home,
where he treated them kindly; but
being SO badly fatigued by their
long and perlious voyage, the three
sailors died in few days. The
pilot, finding that his end was ap-
preaching, and being poor, with no
means to pay his benefactor for his
hospitalities, gave him some papers
and maps, some of which contained
interesting notes of their voyage,
which Coumbus accepted willingly.
He was very diligent in the review
of them, and, making comparisons
with his own views, Columbus then
began to think that if by chance he
should discover those new lands 1t
would be possible to find in them
great wealth and would gain him
great honor and profit"
From another volume of local
chronicles Consul Healey extracts
the following:
ut was here that Columbus mar
ried Donna Fillipa Perestrello,
the first 'dono' of this island, there
by inheriting his father-in-law's
manuscripts and those of other
Portuguese navigators. These and
other observations led to the dis
covery which has immortalized his
name in modern history. He also
met here vessels from all parts of
the then known world, as we'll as
the celebrated Portuguese navlga-
tors Vasco da Cana, Fernando
Magalhaes, Pedro Calral and other
noted navigators, with whom he
sailed on expeditions to the African
coasts"
"What impressed Columbus
mind" Consul Healy continued,
"more forcibly than even Peres-
trello's charts was the fact that the
gulf stream washed the west coast
of this island, where were picked up
round brown objects called by the
inhabitants 'fareas ou castanhos do
mar (sea beans or chestnuts) }.
They are the fruit Of trees grow
ing in the West Indies, and are now
frequently picked up. The seeds
may be ratified, within their hard
shells. This and the picking up OF
pieces of carved flood wood, coup
lied with his information from sail
ors before referred to, as we'll as his
other observations, firmly con-
vinced him that there were lands in
the western ocean whence those ma
terials came. On his third voyage
to Novo O Mundo he visited the
group"
The Perestrello house where Col.
umbus obtained his wife, still
stands at Porto Santo. Consul
Healey has visited it.
"It was built" he says, "close to
the foot uf hill in the most Sc
cluded part Of the town, and high
wall built against the hill, conse'
quently it did not have much all
and no sunshine from that side
Close to it was built the little chap
81. which is the oldest and plainest
design in this archipelago. It if
all stone, including the roof, with
small window five inches wide and
36 inches high. This house and
chapel seem to have been sur
rounded by a wall, and there still
exists a low wall surrounding the
church and chapel and the remaln'
of an old gateway. Had it not beer
for the fact that Porto Santo is 8
very dry place, the old house woule
have gone to ruins years ago. Tn
east wing fell within the presen
century and was rebuilt. The south
west wing fell some nine yeas ago
and is being reconstructed. In
center still stands; one of the walls
though. has sunk several inches