The St. Johns herald., 1893-01-19
COLUMBUS FLEET.
Recent Investigation Concerning
 the Discoverer's Ships
Interesting Particulars of the Great Voysger's Equipment Giesne from Ancient Documents Found
 in Spain.

Europe and America vie with each other at the present time in presenting to the world interesting facts, gleancd from researches in connection with Christopher Columbus and the discovery of this country, the commcnoration of which is soon to be ceie 5rated. The Austrian Maritime Rcvi vv has recently published a very interesting illustrated article, the result of investi -ations that have been made, particularly in Spain, in order to ascertain beyond doubt the exact type and maritime value of the three ships that brought the great eX- plorer to the boundaries of a new conti- nent. These ships. as we already know, were called ''caravelles," but only the latest researches have gained for us the knowledge that this name did not apply to any particular class Of vessel.
 The Spaniards used the word Cara bela," which they borrowed from the Franconian tongue, and which has it's root in the Greek word ''Karati," to designate ships that bore not the slight est resemblance to each other, either in construction or capacity.
 The investigators gathered all possi- ble proofs that could be furnished either by the admiral's diary, particu- larly the log book, and the sketches which Columbus published through Juan de Ia Cosa, his pilot. besides many ancient documents pertaining to this subject. This thoroughness on the part of the investigators has enabled them to furnish to the marine painter Rafael Manleon the means for execut- ing an aquarell, representing the fleet of Columbus.
 The three vessels were the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. The dimensions of the Santa Maria were as follows: Length of keel, fifty-eight feet; between perpendiculars, seventy feet; displacement of tonnage, from one hundred and twenty to one hun dred and thirty. The crew numbered no more than ninety men at any time, and the ship was able to carry suffi- cient water and provisions for them. The admiral's diary speaks of the size of his lifeboat, but treats the arma- ment only superficialy. It mentions, for example, that December 26 the ad- miral caused to be fired una Lom- barda y una Espingarda." The latter of these arms is very well known, while the former is cannon of small caliber used in Lombardy. The tackclage of the Santa Maria was that of small three-master with five single sails. The mainmast had a scuttle, which the sketches show to have been round, like a basket. The general form of the hull was that which was common to the round vessels of that age. In the stern the ship carried large cabin-house, with a small one in the bow.
 The seaworthiness of the Santa Maria was excellent. The admiral's diary speaks thus of it: "The vessel be- haved splendidly in b. d weather; it travelled with the swiftncss of q good flyer" It was the same with the other ships, and the log records often fifteen Italian miles an hour. which is equal to eleven nautical miles, a speed that was very good for the vessels of that age.
 The dimensions of the other two yes sells are not recorded, but the sketches and designs describe them as of smaller size. The Nina resembled the Santa Maria; the Pinta carried triangular sails, which were replaced with square ones after the first stop at the Canaries. Each vessel carried the Castillian flag on its mainmast, and the flag of the ad- miral on its mizzenmast. The Aragon- ian arms were excluded by order of the queen, because Aragonia refused to participate in defraying the expenses of the expedition. The admirals flag was white standard with green cross be- tween two crowned letters, F. and l., the initials of Ferdinand and Isabella. A cross was also painted on every sail of the ships, custom adopted by the Spaniards and Portuguese to distinguish their fleets from those of the infidels. A canvas, found in the museum of Madrid, representing the landing of the admiral's fleet at San Salvador, and ex- ecuted by the painter Brugada, corre- spends fully with the descriptions set forth by the Australian Maritime Re- view.