Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-08-05
EARLY DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA

(ErOm inc hHnSHS Slty StaV.)
One Of the ironies Of fate is that.
II n man Is fortunate enough to build
, up an enviable fame. he must die
| and leave 1t for an unkind future to
| play battlcdorc and shuttlecock with.
Among these victims Is Chrlstophcf
Columbus The latest attemp, to de-
| tract from the credit Of the Genocse
comes from the Sons of Norway. This
organization. which would transfer the
credit for the discovery of America
| from the South to the North OF Flu
| rope. reported a few days ago the
| finding In Minnesota Of n stone bear
Ing Runic characters. translation
Of which tells this strange story on
an adventure Of centuries ago: Eight
Cloths and twenty-five Norwcgians up
on VOYAGE OF discovery from VIM
land westward.
I'VE n had a camp by two skerries one
days Journey north from this stone.
We were out fishing. ono day. When
We returned we found ten men red
with blood and dead. Ave Marie, save
us from evil.
"Wc have ten men by the sea to
look after our vessel Al days journey
from this island. lear LOVE.
n this is a true record OF an &C
tual expedition. and the University
Of Christiana has accepted II as
such 1t tells the story of an explor-
Iation Of the New World that ended
moro than a century before Columbus
set sail under the banner of Ferdin-
and and isabella to ind the much
, sought shorter passage to India.
Those restless nomads of the sea
the Norscmen, certainly trcd the
shores Of American centuries ahead Of
the Spanish. After colonizing Ice
land in $50 IT was an easy step from
, there to Greenland. which Eric the
Red settled IN 9s2 and proved himself
one Of tho earliest Of the astute col
2 onization agents by bcstowing It's
miynomcr upon it to attract other
voNagcrs.
-, Biarni. son of Eric. attempted n
Christmas visit to his father in Green
land and WIS driven southwest until
he saw region Of trees that certain
lv did not answer to the description
, OF Greenland. and sailing north again
an island and Il low-lying. sandy
. coast. which probably were New
= foundand and Labrador.
: These tales told in the court Of Erit
4 Of Norway, fired Eric with an ambi
= ton to ind the rev land. The result
n was Vinland. beyond doubt tn" coas
of Massachusetts. A settlement wa
r. made there and II was in existence
n for 400 or 400 years From Snorre
II a white child born there, is claimed
=. descent for Thorwadren. the sculp
y tor.
II Undoubtedly II was n party OF hard
J. advent.rers from this settlement tina
set their faces toward the forest an
. penetrated to the spot In Minnesot
y where was found tho Runic recor
" carved in stone. There are record
" from century to century of Nors
settlements in the new land up Z
= when the sea rovers turned their at
: tention in other directions.
The stories of these wonderful voy
ages drfted into southern Europe. u
course but few gave them credenc'
. The Zcno brothers. Italians. visite
. Greenland in 1880 and heard the mar
=, velous tales of new continent. Re
. turning to italy they wrote an ac
= count OF what they had heard and
, was such accounts as these that.
. century later inspired Columbus wit
=, n desire to see for himself Ian
- which he doubted not was the marve
=, lousy rich and long coveted India.