Evening star., 1909-06-19
WHOSE IS THE HONOR?
Controversy Over Discovery of
the Hudson River.
VOYAGE OF VERRAZZANO
Coast of North Atlantic Described in
Long Hidden Letter.
WAS RENOWNED AS A PIRATE
His Fate Shrouded in Conjecture
Tragic End of Hudson on His
Fourth Trip to America.
WAS RENOWNED AS A PIRATE
By WILLIAM T.. IRTIS.

By WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and tht
Chicago Record Herald.
NEW YORK, June Is. 1909.
Henry Hudson made four voyages to
America. The first was in the employ of
the English MuScovy Company from
April % to September II, 1907. in an eff
fort to reach China by sailing to the
northwest His ship was called the
Hopeful of sixty-six tons, and he reached
latitude 81 30. point nearer the pole
than any other navigator had reached up
to that time.
The next year. 1908. he tried it again
in the same ship and crew with the same
object, sailing April 80, and returning
August ~. On this voyage, Hudson re-
ports that two of his crew saw a real
mermaid, half woman and half fish.
In 1909 Hudson entered into a contract
with the Dutch East India Company, and
made his third and most important voy-
age in the Half Moon, sailing from Am
sterdam April 4. 1909, with mixed crew
of eighteen Dutch and English sailors. lie
started to the northeast, rounded the
North Cape and steered toward Nova
Fem bla, when his crew refused to go any
farther. He then changed his course To-
ward North America. and decided to as
certain the truth of the theory which
Capt John Smith of Virginia had Sug-
gested, about "A strait connecting the two
oceans somewhere between New England
and Virginia. He reached the coast OF
Maine about the middle of July. made a
new mast from a pine tree, touched at
Cape Cod and entered Delaware bay.
Cruising along the coast September -
1GO9, he entered the Bay of New York.
and anchored under the Navesink high
lands.
A week was spent exploring the bay,
and, on the 18th of September he started
up the river Saturday, September I'D,
the Half Moon reached the farthest
north. anchoring opposite Albany From
this point Hudson sent small boats to
explore the upper Hudson and the Mo-
hawk river in the hope of finding deeper
water and the passage for which lie had
come in search, but in this he was dis
appointed. and concluded that this was
not the much desired route to the Pacific.
Wednesday,. September 23' he weighed
anchor, and started down stream Fri
day, October >, he reached the southern
end of the Palisades and anchored off
Hoboken.
A Month on the River.
Hudson spent a month on the river and
was enthusiastic In his descriptions. 1T
upon" he wrote The land is the finest
for cultivation that | ever set my foot
upon" and he characterized the natives
las sensible and warlike people, whilst
in the highest part the people were more
friendly but they had a great propen-
sity to steal'' and We're exceedingly
adroit in carrying away whatever theS
took fancy to-
The friendly relations between his party
and the Indians We're broken by the lack
of discipline among Hudsons mixed crew.
John Coleman and four other sailors IN
Cured the hostility of the natives and
had fight in which Coleman was kllleu
and two of his companions were wounded.
There were several other collisions, ana
on one occasion the entire crew were en-
gagged with fleet of log canoes hlled
with Indians, who were driven on WIN
the loss of eight or ten killed AS ms
stock of provisions grew low and his crew
were becoming mutinous, Hudson started
homeward and arrived at Dartmouth,
England November :. 1909. Thence, after
some delay. he went to Holland.
Hudson had become famous as navl-
gator before he embarked upon his fourth
an1 fatal expedition from Gravesend on
the Thame. April II, 1910. His ship was
called the Discovery. only nfty-hVe
tons, and not 50 large as an ordinary
canal boat. was purchased ana pro,
vjsioned for six months by the English
Muscovy Company in which a large
number of the nobility and indeed sew
eraI members of the royal famliv were
stockholders His object was the same
as before-to search for northwest route
to- China, through what Is 10" caheu
HudSons strait.
Hudson's Tragic Fate.
In August he entered Hudson's bay
explored it's entire coast. but renamed
too late and his vessel was frozen in
The massage through the strait was not
omen until the 18th of June in the 1olio"-
ing wear. By this time their provisions
were practically exhausted. the crew mao
been on starvation rations for several
months and We're living on seals, hsh ano
whatever else they could catch HUDSON
attempted to retain strict discipline, but
because Of certain incidents, the ere"
seized their captain. his son, John ftud-
son. and seven others VINO mao re1useo
TO ioin the mutiny and were also SIGN
and disa bled These nine persons were
forced into a silallop. an ordinary open
boat. where they We're voluntarily joined
by the carpenter. who deserted the mutt
neers They were given gun. small
quantity of powder and shot an iron
pot chest of carpenters tools, re"
other things and were cut loose.
The mutineers then set sail Tor nome
leaving their captain and his companions
to the mercy of the waves or death ps
starvation Hudson's party was never
seen or heard of again; but, after en-
courtering great perils and priVatlons, the
mutineers finally made land in Galway
bay. Ireland.
Hudson's own account OF the voyage
terminates with his entrance into the bay
that was discovered by him and bear:
his name. For information concerning
his explorations and the tragic end OF the
erear nayieator's brilliant career we are
forced to trust to the narrative or one o.
his men. Abacuk Pricket II we may pc
Ii.ve his story Pricket had no part I'm the
mrtinv. but no one can read his nara.
tive without sharing the suspicious ol
Fox who observes:
We'll Pricket, ] am in great doubt OF
thy fidelity to Master Hudson
Claims for Verrazzano.
II has been generally conceded. al
though stoutly denied, that Henry Hud-
son was not the first voyageur to enter
the harbor of New York, and sail upon
the waters of Hudson river. This honor
is usually assigned to a Florentine navi-
gator named Giovanni da Verra zzano al
though the only evidence in his favor is
found in a letter alleged to have been
written by himself to King Francis / of
! France. from Dieppe, July $. 1924. and
. published by Giambattista Ramusio. an
| Italian geographer. in a collection of mar
| ratives of exploration filling three vol
| umes and published in 1886.
| There is no other testimony of any
| sort, direct or indirect. that NerraZzano
| ever visit the American coast. and
/ the authenticity of this letter has been
| questioned by many impartial as well
| as critical historians. The controversy