Salt Lake Telegram | 1925-07-12 | Page 13 | Seeing the World with Columbus

SEEING THE WORLD WITH COLUMBUS COLUMBU If It Christopher Columbus had re resorted resorted resorted re- re sorted to advertising to obtain crews for h his s venture Into Western oceans he undoubtedly would have designed d a poster postel showing the high backed Santa Maria Marla coquetting with a frothy white cap and above it St some come such alluring legend as Join Columbus and See the World Beneath It it for the Genoese Geno ese were hardy sailors who liked their comfort Columbus would have listed cannily the good points Of f the vessel Note the high forecastle forecastle fore tore castle and impervious to attack Easily protected by bow and arrow The airy deck an ideal place to 10 sleep under the stars The ample space between decks occupied occupied occupied pied only by the cargo and supplies supplies sup sup- supplies plies a cozy place to sleep in In Inclement Inclement Inclement In- In clement weather Note Nole especially the cooking box of ot excellent se selected se- se seI I small stones Every device for safety and comfort known to navigation I IThe The sailors who stood about the public squares of Genoa swapping sapping nautical yarns with each other I would have discounted the allurements allurements allure allure- ments of ot the tho poster by half for half for II the tho gentle uses of ot advertising areas are areas as old as the world yet world yet et had they been interested to examine the Santa Santa Santa San San- are ta Maria Marla and her sister ships they would have found them none below the average of ot their time In his Slips Ships of ot the Seven Seas Hawthorne Daniel gives a detailed description of the sturdy flagship From bow to stern the Santa Maria Marla measured barely ninety feet and displaced about tons Her bow was not gradually carried out as ason ason ason on the ships of today but was high and overhung the water by twelve I y feet teet The deck or waist which dropped abruptly about one- one fourth of the way aft was low It remained unbroken for another fourth of the vessels vessel's length then there was another deck about the level of the forward one behind which a high rose Forecastle and were the ships ship's chief means of defense For many centuries s these raised platforms fore and aft att had served as fortresses where the ships ship's crew could gather In order to rain their arrows upon the decks of enemy ships So useful were the castles that often foes were able to penetrate penetrate pene pene- waist the of an enemy ship only to be driven off by the missiles mis mis- sues siles fro from in above theIr heads The term is ts now obsolete in nautical language but the crews crews- quarters on some ships chips are still called the forecastle The cabin of ot Columbus was aft aftIn In the topmost section of ot the stern stern- castle a simple affair furnished furnished fur fur- with a bed which greatly resembled a a chest a table and little mUe else A door opened upon the high narrow deck and windows p portholes portholes port port- rt- rt holes were unknown looked out on the tho stern high above the water Quarters for tor the crew rew were ver practically practically practically nonexistent For the most tart of the sailors slept o on deck al althoUgh although although al al- though there was was room between decks for some of ot them This space was vas but poorly ventilated however and was used for the cargo and supplies sup SUp- plies Below this was the bilge bUge which was filled with stone for tor or bal bal- last They raised forward deck was little more than a platform a roof over part of the waist and waist and beneath this in protected spots pots the crew v would secure shelter in adverse weather Cooking was done on a box of small mall stones placed on the main deck This crude fireplace was decorated by a large square plate of zinc that was attached to toone toone toone one end of Ot the box as a wind wInd- break Below was the bilge water alwa always s 's a a. serious problem Inthe in inthe the tle hull It was a nev rend rend- in Int ing annoyance and even in fall weather was constantly being pumped or bailed balled out In heavy weather the storms so pounded the ship that her seams would burst open and she would be in grave danger of ot foundering It unquestionably took bold seamanship seamanship seamanship sea sea- manship and vision to pilot this leaky little ship to the harbors of the n new w world but we have always allVa's v thought that ha Columbus should h l have II issued medals for endurance to tho the cre clel who l-ho ho did th tho bailing