THE CITY OF WONDERS

A Souvenir of the World’s Fair.

BY

MARY CATHERINE CROWLEY

CHAPTER 3. THE CARAVELS AND THE VIKING SHIP

[For other installments of our serialization of The City of Wonders (1894), see the Table of Contents]

From La Rabida, the Kendricks and their uncle proceeded to inspect the Spanish caravels riding at anchor upon an inlet of the Lake, opposite to the monastery.[1]

The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, supposed to be exact counterparts of the little fleet of Columbus, made a beautiful picture as they rested on the silvery waters with the sun shining full upon them, shedding a glory over their antiquated hulls and rigging, and on the banner of Castile and Aragon, and the pennant of the Admiral of the Ocean Seas floating from their mastheads.

“I know that the largest, with the high bows and stern, is the Santa Maria, the ship in which Columbus himself sailed,” said Ellen.

“Of course, it is readily distinguished by the quaint image of the Madonna upon the prow,” Nora answered: “What a beautiful custom it was for mariners to put their vessels under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin and the saints in this way!”

“Such is still the practice of the seamen of Catholic countries,” remarked Uncle Jack.

“The second ship must be the Pinta, which, I remember to have heard, is built much after the same model as the Santa Maria,” said Aleck, after a pause; “And so I suppose the little one, that seems as if it had been cut down in front, is the Niña–.”

“How small they all are!” interrupted Nora. “What a wonderful undertaking for Columbus to have set out upon the ocean with such ships! It is not surprising that the sailors were afraid.”

They went on board the Santa Maria, Uncle Jack assisting the girls down the steep ladder that leads to the low main-deck, situated in the centre where the ship looks as if it bad a piece cut out. Here they found themselves among the crew.

“How foreign these people appear with their dark faces and flashing eyes, their gesticulating, and their chatter in a strange tongue!” whispered Ellen. “They seem indeed to have come from the farthermost parts of the earth.”

Nora watched them with fascinated curiosity.

“Although slight and short of stature, they are lithe and hardy, with muscles of iron, adventurous spirits, and remarkable powers of endurance,” said Uncle Jack. “I presume the crew of Columbus were much the same. Undoubtedly they were among the best seamen of the time; and, notwithstanding that they mutinied and gave him trouble, it was not until after they had ventured much farther upon the unknown ocean than had ever been recorded, in even the most extravagant traditions of the sea.”

Some of the men were engaged in the forecastle, cooking their rations, etc. Uncle Jack spoke a few words to one of them in his native language, and the effect was magical. His countenance brightened; he smiled, showing his white teeth; touched his hat, and bowed as profoundly as if saluting a great hidalgo. Then he grew voluble, and the girls listened in pleased amazement at the vehemence with which he poured forth the rich and sonorous Spanish. With ready courtesy he pointed out the various objects of interest. In the open space at the stern they saw many specimens of the arms used by the fighting men of Columbus’ day.

“How these long lances, and swords, and battle axes, make one realize the tales of the Crusades and of the wars with the Moors!” cried Aleck.

He and Uncle Jack now became interested in the armament of the ship, and walked to and fro examining it.

“You observe,” said Mr. Barrett, “the Santa Maria has four small carronades on the upper deck, and four breech-loading guns on the gunwale.”

“What queer contrivances some of them are!” said Aleck. “For instance, those large guns lashed with ropes to heavy blocks of wood to keep them steady. They look like the pictures of buccaneers’ cannon. And these stone balls–what were they for?”

“They were the kind of cannon balls used at the time.” said Mr. Barrett.

The good-natured sailor showed them the method of loading the small cannon mounted on the rail; how a flat, curved pin holds in position an iron receptacle, which, upon the withdrawal of the pin, is readily removed. In this are placed the charge of powder and the stone ball; and the priming and firing are done in a very simple manner. Mr. Barrett remarked also the arrangement by which these guns may be pointed upward or horizontally. The odd-looking blocks for the tackles, which are used for raising the heavy yards, attracted Aleck’s attention; he studied the working of the old windlass, too, and the curious method of securing the cable.

The girls were glad when the party finally progressed as far as the cabin, which extends across the stern of the ship, and is said to be an exact copy of the one occupied by the great Discoverer.

Here they saw upon the walls, armor such as he wore, and ancient swords like those he used; while the furniture of the simple little room consisted of a quaint bedstead, a wardrobe, two uncomfortable looking chairs, and a table, on which were several antiquated astronomical instruments, a curious old chart, a compass, etc. But from all these relics their gaze naturally turned to the centre of attraction, a time-faded painting hanging between the two little porthole windows at the end of the cabin.

“There is the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor which Columbus loved!” cried Nora.

“Hardly the original,” returned Uncle Jack. “But at least it is the same dear face to which he raised his eyes when hope was darkest, and which ever suggested patience and renewed confidence in God.”

Our young people saw also a copy of the standard of Columbus–a banner with the Crucifixion portrayed on one side, and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on the other.

Having explored the Niña and the Pinta also, they next went on to visit the Viking Ship, which was built in Norway, and brought to the World’s Fair as a memorial of the alleged discovery of America by the Norsemen in the tenth century.[2]

“Of the stories of voyagers who are said to have reached the Western Continent before the time of Columbus, the earliest is that of St. Brendan, of Ireland,” stated Uncle Jack. “Tradition affirms that in the sixth century he sailed up the Chesapeake Bay as far as the month of the Susquehanna; and later, descending the coast, found the Potomac River. Following this, we have the tale of the Norsemen, which begins with the fact that about the year 860 some of the bold Norse Vi–or sea-kings, who were really pirates, established a republic in Iceland, which lasted four hundred years. A century after the discovery of this peninsula, Eric the Red founded a colony in Greenland; and not long afterward a Viking named Bjarne, while seeking this colony, was driven out of his course by a storm, and is supposed to have sailed as far south as Nantucket. Returning to Norway, he sold his boat to Leif Erikson, (son of Eric the Red), who set sail with a large crew, found the lands as Bjarne described them, and called the country Vinland, because of the grapes there. He is said to have spent the winter upon the coast of Massachusetts. In the spring he returned to Greenland, and his brother Thorwald took his ship and went to Vinland. The latter established a town there, but was killed by the savages, so the story goes. Some antiquarians claim that there are traces of the Norsemen in New England; but the tales of their explorations and exploits are largely made up of poetic legends. They were assuredly remarkably daring mariners for their time, however.”

“And their queer boat is very interesting,” said Aleck.

Among the group of persons on the deck was a young man whom they recognized.

“Why,” exclaimed Ellen, “there is Mr. Ned Champney!”

It was indeed the brother of one of her schoolmates.

Mr. Ned saw them immediately and came over to speak to them.

“I belong to the party of Harvard students who volunteered to help the Norwegian sailors to tow this ship through Lake Erie,” he explained: “And a jolly time we have had of it.”

He then went on to tell all about the singular vessel, saying:

“It is a reproduction of an old Viking ship found in a mound on the coast of Norway, and supposed to be that of Gogstod, in which, according to the Norse custom, the fierce old hero was laid to rest somewhere about the year four hundred.”[3]

“But,” began Nora, “this is scarcely larger than a big open row-boat. We thought it extraordinary that Columbus should venture upon the ocean with the caravels; yet how much greater must have been the danger, tossed by the waves in a cockle shell like this.”

“I have been told that she is in reality much smaller than Erikson’s ship,” admitted Mr. Ned.

“And, with due regard to the hardihood and bravery of the old Vikings,” said Uncle Jack, “we must remember that in their voyages they were never at a great distance from the shore. They, as it were, crept over to Iceland, and thence to Greenland. If they reached the mainland now known as America, it was by following along the coast. They never set their course westward, across the wide and unknown seas, as Columbus did. This identical little craft, to be sure, staunchly crossed the ocean; but, without wishing to detract in any degree from the honors it has won,–with the way plainly marked out, the knowledge now possessed by navigators, and the chances of meeting with other vessels, the perils were by no means what they would have been in the days of the Vikings.”

“Their vessels certainly seem intended only for coasting trips,” said Ellen. “But this one at least is very picturesque, with its single mast, and curving gilded bows and stern. Notice that splendid shining dragon at the prow, Nora. Would you not like to watch it gliding through the waters?”

“Yes,” continued Mr. Ned enthusiastically: “You should see the good ship under way, with her square, striped sail filled with the breeze, and her crew of nearly fifty oarsmen plying their long oars between the line of warriors’ shields which form an additional bulwark upon either side. It is a stately and imposing spectacle and reminds one of the majestic barges and galleys of imperial Rome. On board indeed there is no similarity, for here everything bespeaks the hardships and exposures of a rough, seafaring life. You observe there is no enclosure for cabin or forecastle; nothing in the way of shelter for the sea-king and his sailor subjects, or their modern representatives, but a canvas awning. And the two small boats at the foot of the mast appear to be the only provision against emergency.”

“I suppose that is the old Viking standard floating from the masthead?” said Aleck. “You are right, it is the red war flag, which for several hundred years held supremacy and carried terror with it upon the Northern Seas,” was the reply. “Those are the Norwegian colors flying at the stern, and you need no introduction to the Stars and Stripes at the bow. The guns of the ship are quite as queer, you see, as those of the caravels.”

[The Kendrick party’s next visit will to an exhibition hall devoted to other modes of travel throughout history, when they explore the Transportation Building in Chapter 4 of The City of Wonders.]

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NOTES

[1] “the Spanish caravels riding at anchor” The Spanish Caravels arrived at Jackson Park on July 7, 1893.

[2] “they next went on to visit the Viking Ship” The Viking ship arrived in Jackson Park on July 12, 1893, so setting this story sometime after that date. The Viking was located near the North Inlet, which was more than half a mile away from the Spanish caravels in the South Inlet.

[3] “supposed to be that of Gogstod” The Viking ship is an exact replica of the vessel known as Gokstad; the ship is still on display in the Chicago area.