The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-09-30

The ideas Of Ptol-rny about the spher-
icity OF the earth were beginning to b
held again. II WAS therefore not .
great leap to think that perhaps the
ocean on the east OF China and the ocean
on the west OF Spain We're the same
ocean Roger Bacon thought so, saying
he fancied the distance from Spain to
Asia was not 30 very great. Columbus
thought SO too. He never dreamed .
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 A.
tronomer. who drew his map about 147O,
calculated the circumference Of tho
earth prodgiously near the truth-h0
made it only i24 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 OK
California and extending east to Europe.
Columbus porrd over this map and
carried il with him on his voyage as tho
nearest thing 70 chart which was OBJ
tainable. Nevertheless Columbus had
a theory 81 his own about the width Of
the Atlantic ocean and about the cir
cumterenceof the earth. Columbus be-
lieved thar Toscanclli's figure OF tho
earth's circumference was all too large:
SO instead VI about the true circumfer-
ence Columbus went hack and accepted
Ptoleray's estimate. and thus made II
z 800 miles too little He calculated
that to reach the wonderful Island OF
Z,pangu. or japan. Ne would have TO
sail only about 200 miles from tho
Canaries. Ia OTHER words, he put Japan
little nearer Europe than the West
Indies Columbus squeezed the earth
up till he made its circumference just
too small for America Yet the CONT
nent that his theory made impossible
was to be his immortal glory.
1t was very lucky. however, that CO.
lumbus thus jumped America in his
reckoning, and that Toscanelli had
stretched Asia across to California. For
| had Columbus known that the real dis
| lance from the Canaries to Japan was
\ $4,000 miles he Of course would never
4 have dreamed Of undertaking that voy-
age, America would have waited for
her discoverer till she revealed her pres
ence by some accident.
/ Here are two exceedingly interesting
facts: Columbus sailed westward with
Z scientific purpose, in q scientific spirit,
simply in order 70 demonstrate the
sphericity Of the earth as practical
means Of reaching China, and In process
Of that demonstration he ran against an
unlocked for continent. Mark Twain
truthfully declares that Columbus could
not help discovering America; he only
had to sail on tillhe bumped. Yet. though
the finding Of America was purely an &C
cident, the whole voyage was more Of .
scientific undertaking than II Columbus
had fancied new continent was to be
found. Had he gone to seek continent
he would have gone only on such Q knight
Grant quest as had been common enough
during the ignorant Middle Ages. II
would have taken no more bravery and
I been no more significant than . thou
0Huu C0lvHlIOu5 nAAu AoSthotNy 4"~@~-
after nothing by the knights Of Christen'
dom.
His voyage was significant because 4
was undertaken in the interest o. science
\ the new science Of Europe. Columbu'
\ was the first man who had cared OF
dared venture out through what had
been called the Sea Of Darkness to dem
onstrate properly arrived at scientific
theory. This constitutes the real glor,
Of Columbus over Left Ericsson, who maj
have visited America, but who was tor
much d barbarian to appreciate It, sig
|. nihcance.
\ The other interesting fact y. that On
less Columbus had made the ludicrou'
error in his science he would never have
lads his extraordinary venture.
Francis BELLAxys