New Britain herald., 1926-10-12
COLUMBUS AND AMERICA

COLUMBUS AND AMERICA
 Four hundred and thirty-four years ago today Christopher Co., lumbus landed on the coast of San Salvador, taking possession of the newly found land in the name of Spain. San Salvador was one Of the Bahamas. The story, probably, is only too familiar to most of us, from school age up. But It ts a tale that bears repeating, neverthe- less.
 Columbus was a man with a vi- sion. History indicates that he was accounted crazy, that his ideas were regarded as the rawlings of a crank. He certainly was obsessed with an idea, but he succeeded in proving his idea was correct, doing so by taking his life in his hands and sailing into uncharted seas and un- known lands. We wonder whether his confidence in his theory ever waned, whether he was ever in- ciined to doubt that he could reach the coast of India on a westward route and might sail over the edge of the great platter that the world was popularly supposed to be at that time into the nothingness of space, ships and men. There seems to be plenty of proof that his men @ feared, mutiny faced him several times. Unquestionably some of them doubted his theory. though what they imagined was to happen to them we cannot know.
 So sceptically were his beliefs re- ceived that he encountered many difficulties in obtaining the neces- ary funds and authorization for the trip. He. of course. knew nothing of great continent to the west ward. The theory he was working under was to the effect that he could reach the eastern coast of India by sailing to the west, a theory that others had, though Co., lumbus was the first to act upon 1t. He tried the Portuguese. the Genoese government, and Henry the VII of England, failing to .'sell' his plan. In fact it was his second trip before the court of Ferdinand and Isabella which finally caused the union with the Spanish government and the Pin zons. merchants, in outdtting the three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina, Columbus be- ing on the first ship and two Pin tos brothers being in command of the other two. The squadron left Palos on August and sailed from the last known port, Gomera. on September 6. into unknown seas.
 We can readily imagine the ef- forts of the crews of the ships to see land and the difficulties that they encountered in entering tne unknown. There was much rivalry among the men to be the first to sec land as a reward of thirty crowns yearly had been promised 70 the person first discovering 1t. History reports that the admiral himself was the first to see evi- dences of 1t. He, the story goes, saw a light on shore on the evening Of October II, but could not be certain of it, However. Rodrigo dc Triana. aboard the Pinta, saw the island at about o'clock the next morning.
 While this was not the continent of North America. in fact Colum- bus thought that it was an island off the east coast of India, it marks the discovery ot land off the con tinents of what are known as North and South America, and the date has been accepted as the date of discovery of the Americas.
 It is quite probable that others reached the continent at an earlier date, but there is no record Of any trip made to this continent before the time Of Columbus
 And there is the story, over again.