From the Book
Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664
Transcript:
Greetings, today I will talk about Columbus’ voyage and how he reached the New World.
The three ships departed the Canary Islands on September 6, 1492. The ships would remain out of sight of land for 5 long weeks.
Columbus recorded the number of miles the ships traveled each day.
He typically used two sets of measurements to record the distance. One set was the Portuguese system of recording distance and was the one his crew was familiar with. Columbus used another system as his standard, which used a longer mile than the Portuguese system. Many have believed in the past that he did this to deceive the crew, however it is now thought that he showed them the Portuguese results, as this is the system they knew.
Columbus was the first person to notice a phenomenon called magnetic Declination. By mid September he noticed that the compass no longer pointed directly north. The compass points to the magnetic north, not true north, as indicated by the position of the North Star. Though they are close together, they are not at the same location. The difference between the two angles can be different and can vary seasonally. Columbus at first did not mention this to the crew, fearing it was add to their already mounting fears. When they did notice, he assured them that the compass did not point to the North Star, instead pointing to some specific point on the earth’s surface. His explanation calmed the crew.
As the days flowed by the consternation of the crew increased. Food and water were dwindling and would soon reach a point where they would not have enough to return. In late September they sighted land vegetation floating on the ocean’s surface. On October 7 a flock of land dwelling birds flew by the ships. Columbus changed course to match that of the birds. Still, there was no land. On October 10, the crew’s anxieties rose and Columbus told them that if, in 2 days they did not see land, he would turn around and return to Spain.
He did not have to keep that promise, as at 2:00 AM on October 12, a crewman on the Pinta gave the cry that he had sighted land. A relieved crew gave a cry of exultation. They had made it. They were in Asia.
The name of the island is the source of debate among historians. Many believe it was San Salvador Island, which was renamed in 1925 to reflect this belief, however there other islands it could have been. Columbus spent very little time on the island. After claiming it for Spain, he sailed on.
Columbus next encountered the island he called Fernandina on October 16. This is now Long Island in the Bermudas. He did stop there long enough to make contact with the native Arawak tribe. He gave them gifts of beads and leather thongs. He restocked his water casks and sailed on on October 19. The flotilla sailed on, reaching Cuba on October 28.
This episode is based upon my book, Colonial American History Stories – 1215 – 1664. The articles in the book relate much more detail about the events. The book is the first in a 7-volume series. This book includes contains almost 300 history stories presented in a time line that begins in 1215 with the signing of the Magna Carta to the printing of the first Bible in Colonial America in 1664. A visit to my web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com, will provide sample chapters excerpted from each of my 130 titles as well as links to purchase the books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and many other online book retailers. While you are on the web site, please subscribe by registering your email address in the subscribe button. When I post something, usually about 3 – 5 times weekly, you will recieve an email. The posts include podcast episodes, You Tube videos as well as other content, including the publication of a new book. You can also purchase books direct from me. Residents of southeastern Indiana can find my books in Batesville at the Walnut Street Variety Shoppe on George. Street. This podcast will also appear in video format on You Tube on the Mossy Feet Books channel. Subscribe to the channel for more great content.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.
Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 