Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-09-27
Harold on the Founder of
Our Country

| Dear Juniorse am going to write
about the founder Of our country.
| Christopher Columbus was born In
Genoa, Italy Columbus was an ltaF
ian sailor when living In Portugal
He knew q great deal about the sea.
When a boy he had spent many day
Ion the wharfs watching the ships COM
Ing and going.
He had listened to many wonder
full story Of India, and he had made up
| his mind that when he became q man
| he would visit that country Of gold and
spices.
When he was fourteen years old he
became a sailor Columbus told the
prior his whole story. He told why he
had left Portugal, how he had hoped
to induce Ferdinand and Isabella to
help him and how nobody In Spain
would listen to him. @
The king was busy carrying on q
great war. The queen was not inter-
ested I'M his plan. People laughed
when he tried to explain his ideas. He
was discouraged.
Several years passed by; years OF
disappointment and sore trials, and
then just as he was going to leave
Spain the queen was persuaded to Ia
vor his project. The king also agreed
to give him the help that he asked.
The ships were made ready. Two
of these, the Nina and the Pinta, were
very small and had no decks. The
other was the Santa Maria, was lit
tie larger. 1t was chosen by Columbus
as his flag ship.
;,,<r tn Ac,,p ho Nffln
fleet sailed away from the harbor OF
Palos The voyage was long one.
The sailors begged to be allowed to
turn back. They even threatened the
life of the commander. But Columbus
was determined not to give up.
He stood on the deck of the Santa
Maria and watched for signs OF land.
At length green branch from tree
was seen floating in the water. Surely
land could not be far away. Then
some birds that live along the sea-
shore lowered around the ships.
Surely land was near at hand. At
length one night light was seen far
over the water. 1t moved as II 1t were
torch being carried from place to
place.
When morning broke the ships were
near a pleasant island, green with
trees and grass. How glad the sailors
| WERE
Columbus dressed in scarlet and
gold, went on shore with some OF his
men. All knept upon the beach and
thanked God for bringing them IN
safely across the dreaded sea. They
planted cross in the sand. They
unfurled the banner of Spain. Colum-
bus named this island San Salvador
and took possession Of it for the king
and queen. Ferdinand and Isabella. 1t
was one of the group which we know
as the Bahamas. Soon from among the
trees strange men and women and
children came shyly to look at the
strangers. Columbus believed that he
was on one OF the islands Of India, and
so he called the people Indians. They
were copper colored, they had long,
black hair and believed that the white
mon were being come down from the
sky to bless the earth.
It was on the 18th day Of October,
1892, that Columbus landed on San
Salvador.
It was the first land seen on this
side of the ocean and 1t Is common
! for use to say that America was dis
covered on that day. But Columbus
thought that he was near the eastern
coast Of Asia. He discovered Cuba and
then sailed eastward along its north
ern shore. But when the voyagers
reached Haiti misfortunes befell them.
The Santa Maria was driven ashore
! in storm and wrecked. The captain
Of the Pinta had already disobeyed or
dnrs and sailed aWaY
Columbus was left with only the Pin
ta. So he decided to sail to Spain.
| Columbus made five voyages. After
the five voyages he made no more.
He lived about eighteen months after
returning from his last voyage.
| He was almost alone, sick and In
poverty. At length on the goth day OF
May, 1906, he died. Very few people
knew Of his death or cared when they
heard about It, but later his body was
laid in a. fine tomb at Seville. The
casket in which he was placed was ar
forwards removed to Haiti then it was
taken to Cuba and a few years ago 1t
was carried back to Spain.
| Harold Morrow, Age IL.
Selma, Iowa.