The Irish standard., 1913-08-23
REMAINS OF THE
GREAT D|sC0vERER
Keen Interest now Taken in De-
termining the Resting Place
of Columbus.
Proposal That Remains be Carried
on First Ship to Pass Through
Panama Canal.
CONGRESS Asked to Assist in Making
Search and Establishing Identity
Claims of San Domingo.

Walter w. Wick. newly appointed
collector of customs at San Domingo,
who with Mr.. Osborn, assistant secre-
tary of state, has become greatly in
terested in the question of whether
the remains of Christopher Columbus
are in the Dominican cathedral in
stead of at Seville, Spain, has written
letter to friends here in which he
tells of his recent visit to San Do
mingo, says the Catholic Citizen of
Washington, D. c.
Mr.. Wick, who was secretary of the
inaugural committee for the induction
into Office of President Wilson, is now
at his New Jersey home arranging his
private affairs preparatory to depart
ing for his new post. He is particu-
larly interested in the suggestion that
the American public, few of whom
ever go to Santo Domingo, be given an
opportunity to see the remains by
placing them in the Dominican build
ing at the San Francisco exposition.
In his letter Mr.. Wick mentions the
fact that the first Christian churcn
built in the western world is in Santo
Domingo, and is now in ruins. There
too, he, says. are the remains. of q
lscastle hutit by Diego Columbus, son.
Of the discoverer Of America.
christopher, his son Diego, and his
grandson, Louis Columbus, were all
| buried in the Cathedral at Santo Do
mingo," writes Mr.. Wick in his letter.
'"The Dominican government has
erected in the Cathedral very fine
monument, in which the remains of
Christopher Columbus repose.
"The monument is a very artistic
and beautiful piece of work and each
of it's four sides has a bronze tablet
symbolic of some of the chief events
erica. One shows him being ridiculed
by the learned gentlemen of the court
of Ferdinand and Isabella, when he
| was describing his theory of naviga-
/ ton. Another tablet shows his first
/: landing, and another shows an Incl
dent in the securing of the friendship
/ of Indian chiefs in the quest for food
in Hispaniola"
"While human nature yields to SEN
timent and fancy, while living who are
yet alive remember the dead who are
already dead, while dutiful observ-
! ance is to be discharged with form
and ceremony, while sculptured stone
transmits to posterity the memory of
/ man who was good and deed which
was great, SO long will the world hold
(. it a pious purpose to establish with
/, certainty the place where rest the
ashes of Columbus"
| These words, taken from the intro
i duction of long history of the life
| and deeds of the discoverer of Amer
| lea, written by John Boyl Thacher, an
exprt on that subject, express the
| deep interest taken by many people
| in the question of whether Columbus
remains rest at San Domingo or at
Seville. Spain.
The suggestion of Assistant Secre-
tary of State Osborne and Walker w.
Wick. newly appointed collector of
customs at San Domingo, that the re-
mains be taken through the Panama
canal and placed in the Dominican
building at the San Francisco exposi-
ton has revived general interest in the
present location Of the bones.
, Mr.. Thatcher in his book shows that
he has investigated the different
claims and reports about the present
resting place of the remains Of CO.
lumbus. He gives exhaustive reports
on the question, profusely illustrated,
and apparently considers the various
claims in strictly non n-partial spirit.
After going thoroughly into the ac-
| counts of the movement Of the sup
posed remains of Columbus to Seville
/ in 1898. Mr. Thatcher concludes that
these remains were not those Of CO.
lumbus at all, and that the bones of
the great discoverer really rest in the
.