The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-25


izing their knowledge of the western hem
isphere. North America would have been
discovered within few years after Soujh
America had the Cabot fleets never sailed.
Daring sailors in the northwestern seas
drifted naturally to those shores. The In
dians got here somehow from the original
Asiatic habitat. The Cabots, John and Sc
bastian, who touched Newfoundland IN
1894 and 1897, respectively, were searching
for a northwest passage to India. Reports
of what Columbus had done and the fash
ion of the time put it into their heads to
take out patents for the discovery and &C.
cupancy of new provinces. The trip made
under John Cabot in 1894 was indeed bold
one, no matter how inspired. He sailed
with a 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 700
leagues away from the known world. The
sail was a remarkable one, for he left Eng
Sebastian sailed over the same course west
ward in l497, 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
to 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 it give"
vivid picture Of the daring, adventurous,
warring people who ruled the icy seas Of
the north before the advent Of merchant
sailors The Morse sea kings were in their
way discoverers, 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 cislands-these were
the lairs aud 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 if it be not true that some
bold Morse Eomeo fleeing with his Juliet
made a ref-g on Newport bluffs and cest
himself despairing upon his spear point
when the q. n marauder left him discon-
solate castsway it ought to be true that
some roman based on the powerful pGs.
sion of love gave rise to the first appear
ance Of man in the new world. The gar
den of Eden mad its love idyL Why not the
western Eden also?
The date of the Newport tower is fixed
by good authority at some period not later
than the twelfth century. In a note to his
poem Longfellow quoted the arguments OF
distinguished French antiquarian in ia
vor of considering the tower to be one of
pref Columbian origin.
Gunnbiorn, Morse sea rover, was driven
west from Iceland in S76 and sighted
strange coast. The discovery was recorded
in Iceland, and so years later another wind
tossed mariner was shipwrecked Oh a coast
lying west from Iceland, and he named tue
new country Iceland the Great. A century
after Gunnbiorn came Red Eric, young
Norwegian who had killed his man at
home and sailed rs a fugitive to Iceland.
Again outraging the laws, he was set af1oat
In strong skip with some daring fellows of
his own ilk, and they sailed away on the
path described by Gunnbiorn to find Il will
home beyond the icy main. At the end Of
three years the rovers went back to Iceland