The evening times., 1898-10-06
THE COLUMBUS DRAMA.

For the interest of people whose his
torical knowledge has grown rusty, the
Philadelphia Ledger gives this brief re-
view of the career and death of the dis
coverer of the American continent:
And now, once again, Christopher CO.
lumbus starts out to cross the Atlantic,
to make his fifth round voyage, and, by
curious coincidence, seek his fifth burial
place. Unhappy mariner. doomed to sail
the seas, denied repose either in life or
death. the Wandering Jew himself fur-
nishes no such Illustration of restless
ness. IN the story of his life, success
and disaster honor and dissension, are
invariably linked together. and If mis- last
wishes We're sobeyed, and the irons IN
which he made one OF his voyages were
buried with him, they symbolic his ljte
grimly enough.
Every child knows how Columbus
went from court to court asking for
SHIP trying to convince kings. priests,
nOblemen that a new world was not L
mere fancy. and how finally, almost TWO
leagues from Granada, at the Bridge of
Pines, messenger overlook him and
told him to turn and go back to the
Queen; how he did return and now. in
the thick of the war which drove thc
MoorS back to Africa and gave Spain
again to the Spaniards, Isabella granted
Columbus his commission and expenses,
and sent him upon the most fateful jour
ney in the worlds history.
THE Sd of August, 1892, he set sail
with his three ships. 119 men and a let
ter of introduction to the Khan of
Cipango, whom he intended to con-
vert to Christianity. should he find
him. 1t was on this voyage that he
discovered Cuba. In the early spring
Of 1893 he was back in Spain, and SO
ended his first voyage But it would
have been impossible for him now to
rest at home, and on the following Sep
tember he again set sail with quite a
little fleet carrying 1,500 men, and after
voyage of less than month he sight
ed land, and few days after went
ashore at Porto Rico, which he eX-
plored and named San Juan For over
three years Columbus remained in
the West Indies, exploring. colonizing,
trying to settle disputes, sending trait
orous messengers back TO Spain; he was
III with fever worried and tormented,
and finally. early in June 1496, he re-
turned TO Cadiz, lowspirited and weak,
clad in the robe of a Franciscan. But
honors and fresh supplies, and promises
of "a liberal share in all good fortune
gave him fresh courage and hope, so
third voyage In May. li9S in which he
was fated to discover the continent of
South America. and to mistake IL for
a group of islands. When he returned
from this voyage he was in irons. But
again the skies cleared and he made
his fourth voyage in May. 1902, with
four caravels. $50 men, and, as the ola
ballad has it. Trouble gang alang. and
plenty of it,.
h., l, 4
but not yet through with his travelling.
In lJ06 he died and was buried at Val
ladoiid. When his son Diego died a few
years later. this government took Co
| lumbus out of his grave ana carried him
to Seville, where the two were buried in
| the Carthusian Monastery. Here they
rested but few years, when Latin senti-
ment demanded that Columbus grave
should be in the New World which he
had discovered. So ne was taken up again
and made his fifth voyage to San Domin-
go The years passed on, and Spain ceded
the island to France, and Columbus. being
very emphatically movable property.
was taken to Havana. where. with great
! pomp and many promises of a gorgeous
! tomb tomorrow he was for the fourth
| time buried, and on his tomb was placed
| an inscription which hoped he might re-
/ main where he was for leo centuries
| This was in 1886 a little more than 1el
years ago, and now his tomb is opened
| and he is to cross the seas for the tenth
/ time
When. in October. 1882 he ere, neal
i TO land and saw floating weeds and sticks
| wrought with iron. he was about to give
/ Spain the most splendid gift nation ever
received When. in October 1895 he is
| carried away from the New World he dis.
/ covered ieut of all her great possessions
on the great continent and the adjacent
i islands, she will not have kept enough tC
| give even his poor ashes a grave in Span.
/ ish soil. The story is curiously complete
! beginning with the arrival of the grea,
navigator 100 years ago and closing with
! the departure of his ashes from Havana
| this week"