The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-27
oURIos1rIEs OF TEE cARAvELs.
They Are at New York Visited by
Thousands of People.


New York, April 26.-Interest in the
Caravels, or the "carabelas," as the Span
ish officers call them, is undated to-day,
and there has been a general anxiety on
shore among the crowd Of visitors to get on
them. Nothing quainter than the Santa
Maria under sail could possibly be inn
agined, She is painted a light olive
green, and the trimmings are of a bufish
color The timbers usually found nova
DAYS inside the planking are on the out
side of her planks. They were probably
put there as additional strength to the
frames proper or ribs as they are called.
Commando ConCas is extremely anX-
iOus that everybody should know the
name of everything on board his ship,
! and he proposes to have a thorough de-
! sCriptiOn of her made in English, to be
circulated among the visiting multitude.
He also proposes to label everything in
English so that people shall thoroughly
understand exactly what there is abroad.
In the open space under the poop deck are
all sorts of specimens of the arms used by
| the fighting men of Columbus day,
among the most curious of which are the
large guns called ''lombdrdia," which are
dashed with ropes to their stout wooden
blocks of carriages, while near by in
netted bag hangs stone balls, which were
the proiectiles of the day
In the little cannon "falconets," which
are mounted on the rail, one finds the
| great-great-great ancestor of our guns. in
| the shape of breeCh-lOading cannon. A
small ftat-Curved pin holds in place lit
tie iron pot-loOzing receptacle which. upon
the withdrawal of the pin, is readily re
moved In this is placed the powder
! charge and then the diminutive stone
ball. The printing and firing are done at
touch hole in the upper rear portion of
| the powder holder The falconets are ar
ranged so that they can be moved about
! laterally and vertically.
The odd looking blocks for the tackles
which are used for raising the heavy
! yards are also curiOusly made things,
while the compass is one of the most in
| teresting of curiosites The old windlass
for raising the heavy looking anchors and
the means for securing the cable at once
/ attract attention.
The trip across the ocean made by the
| Santa Maria was a very fast one, and
averaged about 100 miles a day. Some
times she went as fast as 81 knots per
! hour, but this was with a fair, fresh
! breeze. When the wind came out ahead
she could not be depended upon to do
much; when she had to so from one tack
to another to work up to windward. she
could do it ten points, five on one side of
| the wind and five on the other, which is
certainly very good, although going so
over light, she could not hold up against
very much of a sea.
The vessels had very favorable weather
until Just before getting in here, when
they struck somewhat of a heavy sea, and
had. as the Spaniard explained. what
you call in zee America a time like zee
talking pajarro (bird) and the mono (mon-
kew. They bounced up and down like
| bOla elaStica, and was thrown first on
zeis side and zen on Eat" 1t only lasted,
! however, for short time, but was eX-
tremely unpleasant.
The cabin aboard the Pinta is little
bit of a low place, bad for zee dos"
(baclz) as the Spanish lieutenant re-
marked. 1t reminds one very much of
the cabin of the ship commanded by Earl
! Demdonald, in which when he wanted to
shave he po1ed his head up through the
| Skylight and rested his shaving glass on
the quarter deck. In the little Nina the
cabin is only a sleeping place bulfheaded
off from the main portion, which is for
the use of the crew.
All of these vessels carry the falconets
mounted on the rail, but the Pinta had
some of the larger guns slowed down in
her hold These were got up and
| mounted in her cabin as soon as she ar
rived in New York. They are carried be
low when at sea to make the vessel roll
less heavily. The Caravels remind
eastern travellers Of the Junks seen in
both China and Japan. The former they
resemble in the matter of painting, but
their construction features are more like
the Japanese boats inasmuch as they
have high sterns and a very peculiar
shape at the bow. The forward portion
of the cutwater projects above the for
ward rail in a manner almost identical
with the large Japanese trading junk.
The cabin arrangements are also similar
to those of the Japanese junks, but the
latter are far more commOdious.