The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-19
WHAT IT COST TO " FIT OUT FLEET
 FOR COLUMBUS

London, July 19.-The Madrid cor respondent of The Pail Mall Gazette says that some ledgers recently dis covered at Palos, Spain, contain 1n- teresting information concerning the outlay made by Columbus on his great expedition to the New World. The armament of the little fleet cost 14,000 pesetas. Columbus and his officers spent about 2,000 pesetas on their personal expenses, and in- cluding the expenses of the crew, 22,050 pesetas was spent for the eight months during which the voyage last ed.
 The sum total for which America
 was discovered amounted to some 36,- 900 epesetas, or about $7,000.
 It has been agreed by some histor- ians that about $4,5OO, representing the greater part of the outlay on the expedition of Columbus, was contrib uted by Ferdinand and Isabella, while
 one-eighth of the cost was furnished by Columbus himself. It has been difficult to tell just where Columbus 1 in his impoverished circumstances, oh- 1 tained this sum, unless it was from | the POnzonS, or more probably some noble courier who was seeking the favor of his sovereigns by showing l willingness to support the scheme, | however hazardous it looked.
 The fact seems to have been that l two of the vessels of Columbus were | assigned to his service with their crews by a royal order, dated April 1 30, 1492, after having been taken from 1 the town of Palos in consequence of some offense to the royal dignity. The royal command also provided that Columbus might add third vessel, which he did, it is supposed, with 1 the aid of the PinZons. It was also l directed that the seamen of the little
 fleet should receive the usual wages of those serving in armed vessels, and should have pay for four months | in advance. All maritime towns were enjoined to furnish supplies at req sonab1e price.
 The following entry found in the account books of Garcia Martinez and Pedro de Montmayer is quoted by Na- varette as showing. the amount sub- scribed by their Catholic Majesties toward the equipment of the expedi- ton:
 '"The said A1onso de Las Cabezas gave and paid by another warrant of | the said Archbishop of Granada. made on the 5th of May in the year 1492, to Luis de Santangel. Secretary of the Allowances of the King our Lord, and through him to Alonso de | Angulo, by virtue of an order which | he exhibited from the said Secretary l of the Allowances, in which was in
 
 avedies on account of 100000 paid to
 Vasco. de Quiroga, which the said Archbishop paid by. the said warrant
 of 2,640,000 maravedies, which he was | to receive in this manner: 1,500, 900
 maravedies to pay to D'Isag Abraham
 for a like sum which he loaned to l their Highnesses to carry on the war,
 and the 1,140,000 naaravedies remain l ing to pay the said Secretary of AL
 lowances on account of like sum
 (which he loaned to pay for the cara vels which their Highnesses com manded to go as a fleet to the Indies,
 to pay to Christopher Columbus, who went in said feet
 1 This shows that Ferdinand and Is- abella were compelled to borrow the 1 small sum, amounting to about $4,500 | in our money, that was required to
 equip the enterprise It must be 1 borne in mind, however, that money ] had in 1892 at least ten times the buying power that it has now, and 1 probably good deal more.