NO. I COLUMBUS S LANDFALL WOLPER 9 



depends upon its translation. Interpreting the translation on the spot, 

 word by word, particularly that part pertaining to the days Columbus 

 spent going about San Salvador and on to the next island, is of the 

 utmost importance. The eminent historian Adm. Samuel Eliot 

 Morison, USNR, has written this about the Journal: "No one who 

 did not follow Columbus's route could have faked this document, 

 so accurate are the bearings, the courses and the observations." 



i. Preparation 



Documentation. In preparing for the Columbus Expedition, the 

 writer used, with his generous permission, Admiral Morison's manu- 

 script of his exact translation of Columbus's Journal for the 11th, 

 12th, 13th. 14th. 15th. and 16th of October 1492. He actually has 

 retraced 10,000 miles of the voyages of Columbus and has made the 

 most complete investigation into this subject. 



Exploring. The writer followed Columbus's statements word for 

 word, exploring San Salvador Island for 7 years by plane, jeep, foot, 

 and boat, comparing today's topography with that described in the 

 Journal. The search continued on cross-island jaunts with machete, 

 in fields, on beaches, and along the banks of Pigeon Creek and all 

 the lakes. Underwater equipment was used in harbors connecting 

 the island reefs and in channels and the cays ; the investigations 

 included measuring the height and length of sites about which there 

 had been some question. Modern maps, written records, and oral 

 information from outsiders (even as close as Nassau, the capital 

 of these islands) are inaccurate and misleading. 



Tradition. Studies have been made of the soils, trees, fruits, and 

 bush-medicines. The culture described by Columbus can be linked 

 with part of the present-day culture. This continuity casts doubt on 

 the statement that all Indians on these islands became extinct during 

 the 16th century (Wolper, 1962). Most knowledge of the traditions 

 of the past, however, will end with the present older generations. 

 For this reason a study should be made of these people before then- 

 traditions die with them and are lost forever; the author plans to 

 do so in a later publication. 



Climate. Trips were repeated during various months, in seasons 

 of drought as well as of rain. On each trip were found additional 

 data concerning Columbus's landfall. The season of drought lasts 

 usually from January or February to May or June. In 1955 there 

 was no rain in January or February; the smallest amount fell in 

 March (0.35 inch) ; none fell in April; the total rainfall for the year 



