Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-07
INSISTS OTHERS CAME
BEFORE COLUMBUS
9candlnavIans Said to Have
Been Here 20 Years In Ad-
vance OF Spaniard.

Some sixty years ago a German HIS
torian noted tho fact that certain
historical writings OF tho sixteenth
century contain illusions to an ex-
petition which seems to have visited
Labrador nearly twenty years before
the great discovery by Columbus. the
leading authority for this statement
was Uomara. a Spanish priest. VINO
published "a history OF tho Indies IN
1861. Gomara Givcs no date to the
expedition, but states that II WAS
headed by Norwegian pilot whose
name was Johannes Scolvus.
In 1856 Gustav Storm published q
brief study OF evidence available at that
time In which he Expressed the belief
that scolvus' Journey had no signin-
canoe for the history OF tho new world.
For more than twenty years Storms
,ictum was accepted without ques-
ton.
Meanwhile two documents came to
il9ht which revived tho intrest In the
Norwegian pilot" In the German
city Of 2erbst map. dating from
1896 or thcrcahouts. was discovered.
which at n point some distance west
~ Greenland bears this legend: ITO
people 60 whom Johannes Scolvus. a
Danish pilot. came ca, 1876 The
second document IL n letter found in
Copenhagen An 1903 by Louis Bobe.
This wns dated March 3, 1851. and
written by Carstcn Grip. the Mayor
of klci, who seems TO have been COM
niissioned by Christian III To purchase
books and pictures for the royal
Ia lat al :, "A
new map Just published I'm Paris, which
shows tho country visited by an ex-
poditlon headed by rining and fott-
horst Uwo famous captains with
piratical hahits.) sent out in the days
of Christian I ON the suggestion of
the King of por, lgal. AS Christian l
died In issi, IL, date on the zerbst
map, ca is76. rcceives interesting
confirmation.
Dr. fridtjof hansen and the late A,
A. Bjornho took notice OF this new
evidence. but neither dared risk a
conclusion that would associate
Scolvus or plnning with the North
American mainland. II remained for
pr. sofus Larsen librarian OF the
University OF Copenhagen. TO sort out
the significant facts and to weave
them together into a consistent nara
tive. HIS results were published In
"Aarboger for Nordlsk Oldkyndighcd
os Historic" IN 1919. under the some
what coiorless title "Danmark os
Portugal 4 dct l5de Aarhundrede.
His more important conclusions are as
follows:
/. Tho expedition that visited Ameri-
ca IN the lave OF Christian | has beer
noted by n series OF writers, but they
have all derived their information
from common source. a Portuguese
narrative. no longer eX'ant, which be-
came current IN Europe early In the
sixteenth century. on this point DIR
1.srsenis argument seems conclusive
.. This narrative was prepared by
tho elder Cortcrcal. one OF two Portu-
gucse who accompanied the Danish
expedition. on iris point the author
has produced very plausible though
not wholly conclusive argument Hi,
contention Is based on a statement by
q somewhat late Portuguese writer u
the effect that Cortereal and hi
friend, Homem. who had visited tn
Goldfish country on the Kings orders
were rewarded for their labors witt
official promotion in the Azores. Sucl
rewards actually came 10 these mel
IN iz74. DR.. Larsen argues. therefore
that the date OF the expedition mus
De placed not later than 1878.
3. II Cortereal and his associate
saw the Goldfish country the expedition
must have touched the shores Of Lab
rador and Newfoundland. for thes
were the regions known among IN
Portuguese by that name.
4. The expedition was commando
hy Didrik Pinine, whom we find hold
Ing an official positian IN Iceland Il
1873 The pilot was a certain job
rurnamed Skolv or Skolp. The autho
finds that the term Skolp has bee
applied 20 the Inhabitants OF certai
sections IN Northern Norway. and n
81 therefore inclined TO believe tina
dnhn Scolvus was sailor from IN
Norwegian Nordland.
That a Norwegian expedition actual