Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-10-02

The ideas of Ptolemy about the spher-
icity of the earth were beginning to DO |
held again. 1t was therefore not a |
great leap TO think that perhaps the |
ocean on the east of China and the ocean
on the west of Spain were the same
ocean. Roger Bacon thought so, saying
he fancied the distance from Spain to
Asia was not so very great Columbus
Thought so too. He never dreamed a
continent lay between. He argued that
he had only to sail westward and he
would soon come to the eastern coast OF
China or Japan, or, as he called them,
Chafan and Zipangu.
Columbus was aided by the map work
of Toscanelli. This distinguished as
tronomer, who drew his map about 147O,
calculated the circumference Of the
earth prodigiously near the truth-he
made it only 124 miles too great. This
accuracy for that day is simply amaz-
ing. Toscanelli, however, was all In
dreamland about Asia; he elongated
Asia till it covered the whole Pacific
ocean. Then he pictured open ocean,
beginning at about the longitude OF
California and extending east to Europe.
Columbus pored over this map and
carried it with him on his voyage as the
nearest thing to chart which was OBJ
tainable. Nevertheless Columbus had
n theory of his own about the width OF
the Atlantic ocean and about the cir
conference of the earth. Columbus be-
lieyed that Toscanelli's figure OF the
earth's circumference was all too large;
so instead of about the true circumfer-
ence Columbus went back and accepted
Ptolemy's estimate, and thus made II
$500 miles too little. He calculated
that TO reach the wonderful Island OF
: Zipangu, or Japan, he would have &c
sail only about $500 miles from the
! Canaries. In other words, he put japan
n little nearer Europe than the Wes'
Indies. Columbus squeezed the eartf
, ND till he made its circumference JUS
i too small for America. Yet the cont
nept that his theory made impossible
3 was to be his immortal glory.
: 1t was very lucky, however, that 20
: lumbus thus jumped America In hi
Il reckoning, and that Toscanelh ha'
Q stretched Asia across to California. Flo
u had Columbus known that the real dis
a lance from the Canar1es to Japan wa
lt - 900 miles he of course would neve
h have dreamed of undertaking that voy
II age; America would have waited fc
8, her discoverer till she revealed her pre-
l, ence by some accident.
It Here are two exceedingly interestin
1t facts: Columbus sailed westward wit
le a scientific purpose, in a scientific spfTl
E. simply in order to demonstrate Il
v, sphericity of the earth as practic
o. means of reaching China, and In proce
a. of that demonstration he ran against
unlocked for continent. Mark Iva
truthfully declares that Columbus cou
not help discovering America; he on
had to sail ON till he bumped. Yet, thout
the finding of America was purely an q
cident, the whole voyage was more OF
scientific undertaking than If Columb
had fancied new continent was to
n found. Had he gone to seek contine
< he would have gone only on such KING
y errant quest as had been common enouI
q during the ignorant Middle Ages.
would have taken no more bravery a
been no more significant than a tho
sand chivalrous and foolhardy que
after nothing by the knights of Christi
dom.
he His voyage was significant because
di- was undertaken in the interest OF scier
es. the new science of Europe. Columf
,ek was the first man who had cared
in dared venture out through what }
his been called the Sea of Darkness to de
Jay onstrate properly arrived at scient
-ial theory. This constitutes the real gu
o: of Columbus over Left Ericsson, who n
: have visited America, but who was
/: much barbarian to appreciate its
z: nifcance.
/: The other interesting fact is, that
/: less Columbus had made the iudicr
I: error in his science he would never d
!: made his extraordinary venture.