The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-07-27
old SEA KINGS BOLD.
Daring NaYisatOrs Who First Sighted
North America.
The CRbots and the Earlier voyag-
ers--What Was Done or Left
tndone 40 Explore the
New World.

Spaniards in util.
izing their knowledge OF the western hem.
| isphere. North America would have been
discovered within few years after South
| America had the Cabot fleets never sailed.
Daring sailors In the northwestern seas
drifted naturally to those shores. The In
dams got here somehow from the original
Asiatic habitat. The Cabots, John and Sc
bastian, who touched Newfoundland in
1904 and 1897, respectively, were searching
tor a northwest passage to India. Reports
Of what Columbus had done and the fash
ion OF the time put IL into their heads to
take out patents for the discovery and 90
cupancy Of new provinces. The trip made
under John Cabot In 1924 was indeed bold
one, no matter how inspired. He sailed
with single vessel and struck for the
unknown northwest. Columbus was sup
posed to have reached the islands of the In
dies on the east The American continent
was still unknown. With the fate of his
expedition bound up In a single ship Cabot
steered through the trackless ocean 200
leagues away from the known world. The
sail was remarkable one, for he left Eng
land In May and was back again in August
Sebastian sailed over the same course west
ward in i497, sighting Labrador again and
points on the coast as far south as Florida,
then carried his knowledge Of western navi-
cation over to Spain.
The Cabots were not the first sea rovers
10 make land in North America. Longfel-
lows stirring ballad, 1.-THE Skeleton In
Armor," may be the widest fancy SO far
as historical basis goes, but II gives
vivid picture OF the daring, adventurous,
warning people who ruled the icy seas of
the north before the advent of merchant
sailors. The Morse sea kings were In their
way discoveries, conquerors and colonizers.
They did not lack for room at home as
much as for freedom, excitement and
pleasure, like more civilized men who find
diversion in the jungle. Unknown far
away seas, barren arctic islands--these were
the lairs and hiding places Of the van
quished, the outlawed. the brave but des-
perate refugees when driven from their
people by crime, misfortune or love OF
isolation. One such is the hero of Longfel-
lows verse, and IL il be not true that some
bold Morse Romeo fleeing with his Juliet
made a refuge on Newport bluffs and cast
himself despairing upon his spear point
when the grim marauder left him discorl-
ISOLATE castaway 1t ought to be true that
some romance based on the powerful pas
sion of love gave rise TO the first appear
ance of man In the new world. The gar
den of Eden had its love idyl. Why not the
western Eden alsop
The date of the Newport tower Is fixed
by good authority at some period not later
than the twelfth century. In n note to his
poem Longfellow quoted the arguments OF
a distinguished French antiquarian in fa-
vor Of considering the tower to be one Of
pre- Columbian origin.
Gunnbiorn, a Morse sea rover, was driven
west from Iceland in $40 and sighted a
strange coast. The discovery was recorded
in Iceland, and so years later another wind
tossed mariner was shipwrecked on a coast
lying west from Iceland, and he named the
new country Iceland the Great A century
after Gunnbiorn came Red Eric, a young
Norwegian who had killed his man at
home and sailed as a fugitive to Iceland.
Again outraging the laws, he was set afioat
in strong ship with some daring fellows of
his own ilk. and they sailed away on the
path described by Gunnbiorn to find wild
home beyond the icy main. At the end of
three years the rovers went back to Iceland