The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-10-14

The ideas of Ptolemy about the spher-
icity of the earth We're beginning to be
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 1470,
calculated the circumference of the
earth prodigiously near the truth-he
made it only l24 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 a chart which was OBJ
tainable. Nevertheless Columbus had
a theory Of his own about the width of
the Atlantic ocean and about the cir
cumference of the earth. Columbus be-
lieved that Toscanelli's figure Of the
~ rpr mi Fara oil
SO instead of about the true circumfer-
ence Columbus went back and accepted
Ptolemy's estimate, and thus made it
$500 miles too little. He calculated
that to reach the wonderful Island of
Zipangu, or Japan, he would have to
sail only about $500 miles from the
Canaries. In 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
tance from the Canaries to Japan was
1000 miles he of course would never
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
scientific purpose, in scientific spirit
simply in order to 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 till he bumped. Yet, though
the finding Of America was purely an ac-
cident, the whole voyage was more Of a
scientific undertaking than if Columbus
Aad fancied new continent was TO be
found. Had he gone to seek continent
ne would have gone only on suclh knight
errant Quest as had been common enough
during the ignorant Middle Ages. II
would have taken no more bravery and
been no more significant than thou
sand chiyalrous and foolhardy quests
after nothing by the knights of Christen-
dom.
His voyage was significant because it
was undertaken in the interest Of science
the new science. Of Europe. Columbus
was the first man who had cared or
dared venture out through what had
been called tie Sea Of Darkness TO dem
onstrate properly arrived at scientific
theory. This constitutes the real glory
of Columbus over Left Ericsson, who may
have visited America, bat who was too
much barbarian to appreciate its sig-
nifcance.
The other interesting fact is, that un.
less Columbus had made the ludicrous
error in his science he would never have
made his extraordinary venture.
FRANCIS BELLAMY.