The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-10-05

His name was Christopher Columbus
and October u is the date which
annually celebrate Columbus day or Discov-
cry day.
The 81 states which honor him on that day
are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland Massa-
chusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey. New York,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn
sylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and
Washington.
One of our territories honors him on a differ
ent day from October II. In Puerto Rico Novem-
Der 10 is Discovery day, for it was on Novem-
Der 10, 1893, that the Italian navigator sailing
under the flag of Spain the first white man
to look upon that island.
Universally hailed as the "dscoverer Of the
New world" yet Fate ruled that the name of
another man should be given to the two CONT
nents made known to the Old world by the voy-
ages of Columbus. In 1899 a Florentine named
Amerigo Vespucci accompanied Ojeda, Span
lard, to Espanola (Haiti) and the mainland in a
search for pearls. He wrote a letter in which
he called the country he had seen "MunduS
Novus" New Land). Eight years later at st.
Die in the Vosges mountains Matthias Ringman,
a Latinist, and Martin Waldseemuler a geog-
rapher, two members of the faculty Of a little
collegiate institute which the center of the
geographical learning Of the time, were prepar-
ing a edition of Ptolemy's Geographic"
However, before it's publication they printed
the new printing press which the institute owned
a little essay called "Cosmographiae INTRODUCED"
to which they added the letter that Amerigo
Vespucci had written. In this essay Waldsee-
muller offered the suggestion that since Amerigo
Vespucci had seen and described this "Mundus
Novus," IL might properly bear his name and be
called America.
Later map-makers followed Waldseemullers
suggestion. And that is why we have North
and South America instead of North and South
Columbia"
Although German scholars suggestion cheat
ed Columbus out of having two continents named
for him, on both there innumerable land
marks which bear his name a derivation Of
it. In South America there is a republic Of
Colombia and the chief Caribbean port of the
republic of Panama is Colon, which preserves
the Spanish spelling of Columbus name-Cris-
tobal Colon. In far-off Ceylon, an island off the
coast of India, which he sought but was des-
tined never to reach, there is city Of Colombo
which honors his name.
The map of North America Is dotted with
reminders of him. Canada has a province of
British Columbia and in it rises one of the
mightiest rivers on this continent-the Columbia.
The little tract of land which contains the
tional seat of government of the United States
is called the District of Columbia, and one Of
the poetcal names for this nation is Columbia.
So when sing two of our favorite patriotic
songs-"Hail, Columbia, happy land :" and
co. Columbia, the gem Of the ocean we
are pronouncing two syllables of the name Of
the Italian captain.
Two state capitals Columbus, Ohio, and Co
lumbia, S. C.-also honor him. Eleven states
Georgia. Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana,
Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio,
Texas and Wisconsin-have cities named Column
bus and one state, North Carolina, has Colum-
bus county. Iowa has Columbus Junction and
Ohio has Columbus Grove.
Eight states-Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi. Missouri Pennsylvania, South Caro-
lima and Tennessee-have cities named Columbia
and eight states-Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
New York. Oregon. Pennsylvania, Washington
and Wisconsin-have Columbia counties. Ohio
has a COlumbiana county also city by that
name, as has Alabama. Indiana has Columbia
City, Montana has Columbia Falls and Mime
sofa has Columbia Heights.
The largest university in the United States is
Columbia university in New York City with 1904
faculty members and 30,5SS students. There is
also Columbia college in Iowa and innumerable
grade schools throughout the country bear the
name of Columbus Columbia One of the most
important fraternal organizations in the United
States is the Knights of Columbus and the first
worlds fair-in many respects, the greatest
ever held which honored the achievements of a
man bearing his name was the Worlds Column
ban exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Memorials TO Columbus in the form of statues
and monuments are legion One of the latest, if
not the latest is the magnificent statue which
was unveiled on August of last year (the ami
versary of Columbus sailing from Palos. Spain.
on his first voyage of discovery on Chicagos
lake front ct stands overlooking Columbus
drive one of the main thoroughfares in Chicagos
boulevard system.)
This statue, which was designed by Charles
Brioshi of St Paul and cast in Milan, Italy, is
IL feet inches high and stands on a 22-foot
pedestal of Baveno granite from Milan. 1t was
presented TO the city of Chicago by Italian-Amer-
leans of that city and August 8, 1888, the date
it was unveiled. Italian day at the 1888
Century of Progress exposition when thousands
of people of that nationality gathered to honor
not only the great navigator of 400 years ago but
also a modern navigator who had led his cara
wells of the air" across the Atlantic-Admiral
Balbo of the Italian navy.
Besides the new statue which thousands of
Worlds fair visitors passed on their way to the
exposition, there another reminder of Co
lumbus at last years exposition. That was the
model of the Columbus Memorial lighthouse.
which formed the exhibit of the republic Of
Santo Domingo. This lighthouse which is to cost
approximately S1500.000, is being erected on a
point of land facing the harbor of the city Of
Santo Domingo not far from the ruins OF what
was once the palace of Columbus brother. Bar
tholomew. Built in the form of a cross its radi-
ated lighting will beacon for both
navigators and aviators.
From its harbor side the lighthouse will be
rAr-