The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-02-09
COLUMBUS IN MADEIRA.
The Great Navigator Had Vague Evi-
dences of the Western Land.

The Great Navigator Had Vague Evi'
dences of the Western Land.
| The island of Madeira. in the Allan
tic ocean, although of volcanic origin
is rich in fruits and grain, while its
| climate is so equable that invalids
from all parts of the world seek from
| it relief and strength.
| The island is also noted as having
| been the home of Columbus for some
years. It was on the neigh boring is.
land OF Porto Santo that he married
Dona Fillippa, daughter of Barthol-
| omew Perestrello, the first governor
of the island.
An old chronicle tells us that in the
year 1886 q Portuguese vessel, after a
long and tempestuous voyage, was
driven to the island Of Madeira. All
the crew except three and the pilot
had died. The survivors, who were
badly exhausted, were taken by Column
bus to his home. They told him how
their vessel had been driven from its
course, and of strange lands which
they had seen; supposed to be the West
Indies
In few days they all died; but the
pilot, before his death. gave to Column
bus several maps and papers which
contained notes Of his voyage.
Columbus studied these papers care
fully. His father-in-law at one time
had been a captain in the service of
Prince Henry, the navigator. and he,
too, had manuscript accounts Of voy-
ages which he had made. Then, YES
sells were often touching at Madeira
from all parts of the world, with the
captains of which Columbus talked,
and he began to be strongly convinced
that there were wonderful lands IN the
western seas
So he diligently pored over the logs
and papers of his fsther-in-law, and the
story of strange wanderings which was
left him by the pilot whom he be-
friended. He listened to old sailors.
as they sat by night on the deck of
some caravel at anchor at Madeira, and
told him marvellous tales of strange
lands and peoples Was not the mys-
terious flying island of st. Brandan
sometimes seen in the west? Away
beyond the Canaries did there not lie
the lost island of the Seven Cities,
which two brave and adventurous men
from his own city of Genoa had tried in
vain to discover?
Besides all this, the gulf stream
washed the west coast Of Porto Santo,
and there had often been picked up sea
beans or chestnuts. They are the fruit
of trees growing in the West Indies.
His brother-in-law, too, had found On
the shores great pieces of wood strange
ly carved, and so day by day there
grew more strongly within his mind
the idea Of reaching Asia by steering
straight into the unknown west
one of the frst settlers of Madeira
was = Genoese, named John Esmeraldo.
He came TO the island In 1880, and lived
in the city of Funchai.
He built house for himself on the
street which bears his name. Then he
bought An estate twenty-five miles
from Funchal, to which he transferred
his residence. Column bus. who was his
friend, occupying his old house.
The house. which in the end was
used as barn, was torn down in 1877.
A table made from wood taken from
the house at the time was seen at the
Worlds fair. /.
The house of Gov. Perestrello, az
Porto Santo, in which Colum bus also |
lived, is still partly standing, overlook |
ing the bay. The east wing fell with |
in the present century, and was 70
built.
The southwest wing fell ten years
ago. but is being reconstructed- The |
center still stands, although one Of the |
walls shas sunk several inches. The |
stone stairs leading TO the upper floors /
are badly worn. and bear mute testi- |
nony 10 the many feet that have troc- /
den them for more than four centuries
Golden Days