Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-03-24
MISCELLANY.
The Three CsrnvsIs Of Columbus.

In the days Of Columbus vessels we're
generally called "caravels, and If of con-
siderable size for those times they were
called by the Spanards naos. When Queen
Isabella determined to help Columbus TO
make his voyage, royal order was sent to
the city Of Paos, TO fit out three caravels
and 10 place them at the royal disposal.
The city made pretense of complying, but
IL was so well known that the ships were
for Columbus's hazardous venture into the
terrible western ocean that neither money
nor force could get them equipped and
manned. Over and over again the people
were assembled In the public square and
the order read with grea, pomp, but all in
vain Columbus, in his despair, begged
that the prisons be opened and the convicts
allowed TO 60 with him. Finally, ship
owner of Palos, Martin Alonzo Pinzon,
was induced, by an offer OF a large share OF
the rewards in case Of discoveries to make
an active effort 10 tit out the expedition.
He was a popular sea captain and a vigOr-
Gus man of business, and it was entirely
due TO him that Columbus was able TO set
sail from Palos on his ever-memorable voy-
age. Pinzon condemned two Of the cara
wells given by the town, and substituted
two stanch vessels Of his own.
One was a decked vessel of three hun
dred tons, large enough to be called mao,
and the other was a little thing with lateen
sails, which was chosen on account Of her
light draught, in case rivers had to be as
cended in the country they expected to dis
cover. The mao was at first named the
"Gallega" but they renamed her the
"Santa Maria" Columbus took her for
his flagship, for he held an admirars com
mission from Ferdinand and Isabella The
little lateen-rigged caravel was called the
"Niha." OF the three caraves offered by
the town of Palos, the only one which Pin
zon considered seaworthy enough TO accept
was the "Pinta,n boat about half as large
as the Santa Maria, and rugged like her.
His shrewdness in rejecting the others was
fully proved before the expedition reached
the Canaries; for it was discovered that
the Pnta had been tempered with, and
had been purposely weakened. A long de-
lay in the islands was necessary TO repair
her
Such were the vessels in which Column
bus discovered America: one as large as
small schooner, and the other two about
the size of lighters. Had he suspected the
length OF his journey. or known of the ter
rble storms which can rage in the Atlantic
ocean, he never would have dared to ven
ture ont in craft so frail.-J0hu ". Eli
colt, L. 5. ", in 81. Nicholas.
1t is of interest to know that three ships.
modelled exactly like those of Columbus,
have been built in Spain and will be
brought to the Worlds Fair. The Spanish
government provides one Of them, the Santa
Maria, and our government pays for the
other two. All three are now in the har-
Dor OF Cadiz awaiting favorable weather
for them TO cross the Atlantic. The Pinta
and Nina will be towed across by the United
States steamer Bennington, going over the
route of Columbus's voyage. At Havana
both will be presented to the Spanish gov
eminent. Then, in charge of the Span
iards, all three will be taken from Havana
to the st. Lawrence river, up the st. Law
renee, and through the canals to Chicago
where all the world will have a chance to
see how clumsy and fragile were the ships
in which Columbus crossed the storniest
OF all oceans