Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1914-08-20
The First White Boy In America.

When the Santa hiaria the Plnta ana
tue Nina set sail from the harbor OF Palos,
August 3, 1892, there was one boy, and
only one, among the 120 sailors and ad-
venturers who manned the little fleet.
He was one of the many on the flagship,
the Santa Maria, with Christopher Col
umbus, the admiral, and he was destined
to play part Of much importance in the
eventful story OF the expedition. Yet his
name has not come down to US, and his
fate is shrouded in the mystery that wells
his origin and the reasons for his con-
nection with the hazardous enterprise.
The boy is mentioned only once in the
contemporary accounts OF the expedition,
upon which the later historians and the
biographers of Columbus have based
their writings, and that solitary reference
is in terms of censure; but il is not i'm
possible to read something of his story
between the lines, and TO find that he
was not deserving OF all the blame that
was placed upon him. II was easy then,
as before and since, for the men who
were really at fault when disaster betell
to blame mere lad who could not "talk
back"
This boy was in all probability the first
white boy in America, and so the tanta-
lizingly brief glimpse that we have OF
him is of special interest TO the millions
OF American boys OF to-day. II IS not
likely that there were any boys with the
Northmen who came from northern Eu-
rope 10 northern Americe centuries be-
fore the time of Columbus. Those roverS
OF the sea were stern men engaged in a
stern work. In any case, the story OF
their voyages is so hazy with legend and
tradition that if is commonly passed over
in the recital OF first things in America.
The little lad OF the Santa Maria did not,
as matter OF fact, set foot on the main
land OF the continent, but neither did
Columbus himself on that first voyage,
nor any of his followers.
The boy may have been taken along
as cabin boy, or he may have been the
son OF one of the officers OF the ship. No
doubt he lived in Palos, whence the menl-
bers OF the crew were mainly drawn.
Probably he was much envied by his
young playfellows who were on the shore
watching the departure OF the fleet, al
though to the older people the voyage
seemed an act OF madness, and PaloS had
| little faith that the fleet would ever re-
turn. Very likely he set forth with
lighter heart than most OF the sailors
possessed, for many OF them had been
impressed and forced to 60 against their
will. To him, we may we'll imagine, it
was wonderful adventure.
And so Palos on the hill dropped be-
low the horizon, and the pillars OF Her
cules and The last OF the Canaries. For
weeks the westward course was kept
across a vast expanse of blue water never
before cleft by keel. There were no
gales, the winds were fair, and the great
est trouble OF the stern admiral was with
his wretched and trimorous crews, who
feared that the ships could never climb
back the watery hill that they were Gid
ing down so easily. Then at last the
Sargasso Sea, the land birds, the floating
thornbush with red berries, the carved
staff, the moving light at night in the dis
tance, the glad cry from the Pinta in the
morning, the white-fanged coral reef,
the fronded palms, and the gentle, Won
dering natives on the shore.
Through all that anxious voyage, and
in the strange adventures OF the wonder
full weeks that followed among the trop-
ical islands, the boy on the Santa Maria
hore his modest part. II was not until
the end of December, ten weeks after
land had been discovered, that the fate
full hour came that brought disaster TO the
flagship and censure upon the head of
the hapleSs lad.
II was the night before Christmas, 1892,
beautiful night, when the sea was OF
CLASSY smoothnesS. The Santa Maria
was Skirting the coast OF Haiti, where
Columbus was pressing his ever eager
search for gold. The ship was almost
motionless, so light was the wind, and
about midnight Columbus, tried with
many hours on the deck, went 10 his
cabin. He cautioned the master TO keep
a careful watch; but the master, too, was
tired, and he soon followed the example
OF the admiral. The sailor whom the
master LETT at the helm likewise felt
sleepy, and saw no necessity OF remain
ing at his post. He called the boy TO take
the tiller, and went to sleep
Probably the boy was asleep when he
was summoned by the helmsman, for it
was well after midnight. The fact that
the helmsman called him shows that he
was live boy who bore his part in wor &
ing the ship. and that he was trusted.
The fact that he failed at his task is less
to his discredit than if is TO the discredit
OF the master and the helmsman that they
in turn deserted their post and went to
sleep. He at least remained awake and
stuck to his post, and the disaster that
followed could hardly be laid at his door.
II was treacherous current that caused
the wreck of the Santa Maria. Although
the wind was light and ofishore, the force
OF the current drove the ship on an un-
seen shoal. Perhaps an experienced
helmsman-the one who had gone to
sleep-would have recognized the danger
from the motion OF the ship; but TO the
luckless boy, the only one being on
the flagship, all seemed well as he stood
| ~, tho fiiIar apd hold hic rCf,rca ht fha