Evening star., 1919-04-06
peel.l CORE ,pondsnce Of The Star.


Is being exhibited for sale
n Lisbon. It is the dated Gothic win
Dow Of the Columbus house at Ma
eeria, and its owner Is Senior Agos-
tine d'Ornellas Of the Lisbon Academy
Of Sciences, who traccs Ills descent
from the family Of the immortal
navigator and who inherited the up
Per part of the Columbus house. un-
happily demolished by a stupid mu-
hicipality.
BY happy circumstances, I have Sc
cured photographs Of house and win
uow as hey stood. A learned Spaniard
On visit to Funchal passed through
the street of Esmeraldo by chance
, tnd was impressed by the big house.
half ruined, showing Its antiquity by
its architecture. He inquired and
learned. to his astonishment. that this
kvas the Columbus house. Long con-
Eidered unfit to live In, 1t had been
leased as a grain warehouse. Now it
twas to be demolished. to run through
y new street. To this pitiful state
The owners of the entails (morgados)
had let degenerate this lordly man
kion.
On the Spaniard's request, Campa-
pho, the Funchal photographer, took
Views which were subsequently too
3ate) forwarded to the Portuguese
3ast chance to make acquaintance
with both house and window from
which Columbus looked on the Allan
sic dreaming Of new world.
Xxx
Seated at the window. leaning
against the carved mullion, we can
Imagine Columbus watching the set
fling sun drop into &he waste Of wa
Hers. "Over there" he would whisper
10 himself "over there"
Why. 1t Is the window to America!
All book writer's on Madeira tell
about 1t. The American consul gen.
eral. John Dix. in "A Winter in Ma
deira," gives a drawing Of the window
g, Ps frontispiece. Miss Ellen Taylor, in
s'Madeira: Its Scenery and How to See
3 gt": Robert White. in his Handbook
S<nate and Resources Of Madeira" and
Mason & Driver. In their Treatise on
the Climate Of Madeira" all bear tes-
timony to the local traditions and
quote extracts from the mass of his
torical data.
Senor d'Ornellas. in a memoir print
ed by the Lisbon Academy. has gath
piSo HOI0 Ola LILO QuOtd-
tions from ancient writer's and mod
ern specialists concerning the stay of
columbus at Madeira and in this spe-
tlfic house in Funchal. it's capital. 1t
Is. Of course. a plea for Columbus OBJ
= taining all his dope from them.
Here is tho outline. to back local
tradition.
Columbus married Firppa Moniz,
daughter Of Perestrello. first governor
Of the adjoining Island Of Porto
Santo. and at Porto Santo, Columbus
son. Fernando; 1t is told that his
son. Fernando. 1t is g told that his
father owed much of his success as
navigator to the knowledge and ex-
ample of this father-in-law of his,
Perestrello. and his brother -in-law.
Correa who also lived in the islands.
Madeira was constantly visited by
the leading Portuguese navigators
and their seamen. from whom alone
Columbus could have obtained spe-
cif1c information to encourage him on
the great enterprise OF which he
dreamed.
Indeed according to Fernando's
s.Historia." the first man who gave
Columbus details on the Atlantic
Madeira. And Gas will be seen), "the
widespread legend Of the wrecked
pilot" says the Lisbon academician,
mentions his possessing a house in
MduelTa. Inc IaCt is equally trans
mitted by unbroken local tradition"
We find Columbus at Madeira and
Funchal. it's capital, on all sorts OF
Important occasions.
X X
"1t was from Funchal that Column
bus witnessed the sailing Of the ves-
Bels that Don Fernando. lord Of Ma
deira. sent In search of the island,
which had been perceived somewhere
TO the northwest by Goncalo Fernan-
des de Tavira on his return from the
fold river.
From Funchal. too. left the eXpedi-
tlon of Ruy Goncaloes de Camara.
second son Of Zarco. to discover AN
ISLAND to the north Of Cape Verde
On his return to Portugal and when
Rbout to start for Spain, Columbus
learned the attempt of another Ma
deira man. Fernao Domingues do
Arco. to conquer the island Of seven
towns. whose ownership he had Sc
cured beforehand.
ut was with a Madeira man, too,
Alfonso do Estreito. companion of
d'Ulmo. captain Of Terceira, with
whom Columbus made a bargain for
the fitting out Of an expedition men
tioned In the Historic as trying to
reach North America in the direction