The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-09-25
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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
Early in the morning of the 9th oi
September Columbus set sail from the
island of Go1nera, and now might be
said first to strike into the region of dis
covery, taking leave of these frontier
islands of the old world and steering
westward for the unknown parts of the
Atlantic. For three days. however, a
profound calm kept the vessels lettering
with tagging sails, within short dis
tance of the land. This was tantaliz-
ing delay to Columbus, who was i'm
patient to find himself far ont of sight OF
either land or sail, which in the pure
atmospheres of these ATTITUDES may be
deserted at an immense distance. On
the following Sunday, the 9th of Sep
tember, at daybreak, he beheld Ferro,
the last of the Canary islands, about nine
leagues distant. This was the island
whence the Portuguese caravels had
been seen; he was therefore in the very
neighborhood of danger. Fortunately a
breeze sprang up with the sun, their
sails were once more filled, and in the
course Of the day the heights of Ferro
gradually faded from the horizon.
On losing sight of this last trace of
land the hearts of the crews failed them.
They seemed literally ohave taken leave
of the world. Behind them was every
thing dear to tie heart of man; country,
family, friends, life itself; before them
everything was chaos, mystery and
peril. In the perturbation of the
moment they despaired of ever seeing
their homes. Many of the rugged sea-
men shed tears and some broke into loud
lamentations. The admiral tried in
every way to soothe their distress and
to inspire them with his own glorious
anticipations. He described to them the
magnificent countries to which he was
about to conduct them; the islands of
the Indian seas teeming with gold and
precious stones; the regions of Mangi
and Cathay, with their cities of unrivaled
wealth and splendor. He promised them
land and riches, and everything that
could arouse their cupidity or infame
their imaginations. nor were these
promises made for purposes of mere
deception; he certainly believed that he
should realize them all.
He now issued orders to the command
ers of the other vessels that, in the event
of separation by any accident, they
should continue directly westward, but
after sailing 700 leagues they should
lay by from midnight until daylight,
as at about that distance he conf.
IDENTIFY expected to find land. In the
meantime, as he thought it possible he
might not discover land within the dis
tance thus assigned, and as he foresaw
that the vague terrors already awakened
among the seamen would increase with
the space which intervened between
them and their homes, he commenced a
stratagem which he continued through
out the voyage. He kept two reckon
ings; one correct, in which the true way
OF the ship was noted and which was re-
tanned in secret for his own government;
in the other, which was open to general
inspection, a number of leagues was
daily subtracted from the sailing of the
ship, SO that the crews were kept in ig-
norance of the real distance they had
advanced.
On the l1th of September, when about
i5O leagues west Of Ferro, they fell in
with part of mast, which from its
size appeared to have belonged to a vessel
of about 1870 tons burden, and which had
evidently been a long time in the water.
The crews, tremblingly alive to every
thing that could excite their hopes or
fears, looked with rueful eye upon this
wreck of some unfortunate voyager,
drifting ominously at the entrance Of
those unknown seas.
On the 18th of September, in the even.
ing. being about 300 leagues from the
island of Ferro. Columbus for the first
time noticed the variation of the needle.
q phenomenon which had never before
been remarked. He perceived about
nightfall that the needle, instead of
pointing to the north star, varied about
half point, or between five and six de-
grees, to the northwest, and still more
on the following morning. Struck with
this circumstance, he observed it atten-
lively for three days and found that the
variation increased as he advanced. He
at first made no mention of this phenon-
enon, knowing how ready his people
were to take alarm. but it soon attracted
the attention of the pilots and filed them
with CONSERVATION. 1t seemed as if the
very laws of nature were changing as
rAey advanced. and that they were en-
tering another world, subject to un.
known influences They apprehended
that the compass was about to lose its
mysterious virtues. and without this
guide what was to become Of them in a
vast and trackless ocean?
Columbus tasked his science and inge-
nuity for reasons with which to allay
their terror. He observed that the direc-
ton of the needle was not to the polar
star, but TO some fixed and invisible
point. The variation, therefore, was not
caused by any fallacy in the compass, but
by the movement Of the north star itself,
which like the Other heavenly bodies.
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