 |
| The Santa Maria at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (eculp.lib.uchciago.edu) |
On this date in
1951 The Chicago Tribune ran an
article that lamented the slow demise of the replica of the Santa Maria, a replica of Christopher
Columbus’ flagship during his voyage to America that was built in Spanish
shipyards for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, along with its sister
ships, the Niña and the Pinta.
The United State Congress had appropriated the $50,000 necessary for the
construction of the three caravels, and on July 7 of 1893 the Santa Maria’s
captain, Victor M. Concas, wrote in his log book, “147 days out of Cadiz,
dropped anchor in front of the Worlds’ Columbian Exposition.”
The ship was the
centerpiece of the last day of the fair, Columbus Day. Scrubbed clean and fully crewed, the Santa
Maria and her sister ships left their mooring space near what is now La Rabida
hospital and moved to a point off the fair’s music hall where they dropped
anchor about 500 yards off the beach and lowered small boats. In the first boat stood an actor portraying
Christopher Columbus, sword in one hand and a flag in the other. The pageant had everything: monks kneeling in prayer at the base of a
cross, natives of San Salvador ducking behind palm trees for cover, native
chiefs summoned, and friendly greetings exchanged between native and foreigner.
 |
| The three caravels in New York harbor on their way to the 1893 fair in Chicago (wikimedia photo) |
The glory didn’t
last long, and the ship rapidly faded along with the memory of the great white
city of 1893. The Knights of Columbus
hatched a plan to save the ship in 1900, but nothing came of it. By 1903 The
Tribune in an editorial called the ships “useless, deserted, forgotten
hulks, victims of wind and storm and the prey of vandals, stripped of their
furnishings and appliances, stripped even of all sentiment and associations,
melancholy reminders of the festal days of the white city.”
The ship did not go
without a fight, though. In fact, on
Columbus Day of 1911 the ships set sail again, reaching Grant Park at 8:30 in
the morning as 100,000 “natives” lined the shore from Jackson to Grant Park. Even as the celebration went on, the Santa Maria struggled. At one point in the pageant, all of the crew
as well as the actors aboard were summoned to the pumps as the ship’s hold
began to take on water.
 |
| Onlookers at the fair watch the three ships sail into Jackson Park (notesonlooking.com) |
In 1913 the ships
left Chicago, headed for San Francisco.
One observer remarked, “Their decks are absolutely rotted and their
hulls are not much better. They will go
down surely.” The vessels made it as far as Detroit, where a fickle wind
damaged both the Santa Maria and the Pinta as they were being towed to a
dock. By 1914 the Niña and the Pinta had
made it to Buffalo when the promoter in charge of the move to San Francisco ran
out of money and they were returned to Chicago during that summer. The Santa
Maria, ever intrepid sailed on to Westerly, Rhode Island where it was
determined she could not make it through the rest of the trip.
Then came the
ultimate insult when a New York city lawyer bought the Santa Maria for $940 at an Admiralty Court sale. A fundraising campaign allowed the ship to
return to Chicago, but her arrival was not the same glorious entrance that she
made in 1893. The Tribune wrote in an editorial, “The protection of the caravels
entails no more expense than the repair of an occasional golf green or the adjustment
of a water plug . . . In spite of the almost sacred character of the relics the
park board already has suffered them to be dragged half way over the continent
by irresponsible adventurers, to be shown as dime museums and hawked about in
the port of strange lands, libeled fro debt and no hand raised to protect them
save that of distant folk whose regard for rare sentiment overrode the quibble
for the dollars it required to save the Columbian replicas from destruction.”
By the end of 1919
the Santa Maria floated alone at the
Jackson Park lagoon. In 1918 the Pinta, her seams open after 25 years of
neglect, sank. The following year the Niña burned to the water line. $90,000 was spent at that point to restore
the remaining ship, but by July of 1938 The
Tribune reported, “[The Santa Maria]
has been allowed to rot for lack of paint and the replacement of a timber here
and there . . . Her once smartly tarred shrouds of imported hemp are black with
age . . . She reeks of bilgewater that slushes about her tons and tons of rock
ballast. She’s a nobody. But she doesn’t complain. Only when the wind is in a certain quarter in
the east and the swells drive into the lagoon form the lake does she teeter a
bit at her moorings.”
 |
| The three Spanish ships in Jackson Park harbor (chuckman's collection) |
There was another
flurry of activity in 1946 aimed at restoring the caravel, but the news was not
encouraging. James A. Regan, Sr., head
of the Calumet ship yards, the place where the 1920 restoration of the Santa Maria was carried out, said, “The
ship is much worse off now than in 1920.
For the first rebuilding we salvaged only the keel and the metal work. It is doubtful that even the keel is usable
now.” Many began to ask the question,
“What do you do with the replica of a ship when almost none of the materials
that make up the replica are usable?”
And the folks at the Jackson Park Yacht Club were beginning to complain
about the hulk that was making navigation in the harbor difficult.
By 1951 the Santa
Maria was broken at the keel and would not last another year. In 1952 a crane with a clam shell attachment
was brought in on a barge, and it didn’t take long for the Santa Maria to end up as rotten kindling to be carted away and
dumped.
The great fair of
1893 was an event so important that it sits as one of the four stars on the
Chicago flag; it was an event, after all, that was named in honor of the
captain who commanded the three ships that sailed into the unknown seas in
1492. 60 years after the triumphant
entrance of the three replica ships into Chicago waters, the memory of the last
one sailed over the horizon and into the limitless seas of time.
Posts
445 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 445 of 445Great Blog You posted. Really easy words you used in your blog and I think this is good because everyone can understand your language if you are using easy words. Today, I am also here to promote my online Assignment help web page organically on a review basis. So kindly visit my website and let me know if you found any issues. We always welcome you to visit My Assignment help website.
I've been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another platform. I have heard good things about 토토사이트추천. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it? Any help would be really appreciated!
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I’m quite sure I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next. 스포츠토토
It has fully emerged to crown Singapore's southern shores and undoubtedly placed her on the global map of residential landmarks. I still scored the more points than I ever have in a season for GS. I think you would be hard pressed to find somebody with the same consistency I have had over the years so I am happy with that. 메이저토토사이트
슬롯커뮤니티
CasinoMecca
Happy to see your blog. Really informative content and love the words that you used in your blog. I have an Assignment help website and I am also here to provide some information just like you. My website is Do Assignment Help and with DoAssignmentHelp we provide online homework help and assignment writing service. So visit for information and let me know if you think there are any issues you found on the website.
Lawn Mowing Fredericksburg VA has been dedicated to enhancing appearance of Virginia homes for years.
The team at Independence Tow Truck are proud to serve a large service area.
Albany Tow Truck is happy to service the greater Albany, Schenectady and Troy with our full fleet of tow and roadside assistance vehicles.
parking enforcement Vienna VA provides the best management services in Vienna and no competition has been able to match.
equipment hauling Vienna VA is a company providing equipment transport services in Vienna, Virginia.
What a nice post! I'm so happy to read this. 토토사이트추천 What you wrote was very helpful to me. Thank you. Actually, I run a site similar to you. If you have time, could you visit my site? Please leave your comments after reading what I wrote. If you do so, I will actively reflect your opinion. I think it will be a great help to run my site. Have a good day.
Nova Cash For Junk Cars began as a small family business in North Virginia. We want our customers to feel that they can recommend us to their family and friends. about us
CasinoMecca
equipement hauling Manassas VA is a local service that you can trust to get your large valuable assets to where they need to be.
Tow Truck Abingdon MD have taken this negative connotation of our business and flipped it on its head.
Tow Truck Fredericksburg VA is a full service towing, rescue, and recovery business serving the city of Fredericksburg and all of the surrounding areas of Virginia.
Is there hard to find the succinct front in your solution work? Then, you are in the fierce requirement to fill something positive in your subconscious mind. Hence, you do not feel worse and take the support of Law Assignment Help Canada to let you bless with high grade marks.
This a very notable blog with a well written article piece, very exclusive as it contains information which is unique to its own. do my assignment
parking management Manassas VA is a reputable parking management company in Arlington, Virginia and its environs.
카지노검증
Extremely decent blog and articles. I am realy extremely glad to visit your blog. Presently I am discovered which I really need. I check your blog regular and attempt to take in something from your blog. Much obliged to you and sitting tight for your new post.메이저사이트모음
Towing Service West Palm Beach FL have been working hard to establish our brand within the lower Florida area.
CasinoMecca
Royalcasino477
Royalcasino470
CasinoMecca
The team at Fredericksburg Tree Service are true experts of their craft.
I finally found what I was looking for! I'm so happy. 사설토토사이트 Your article is what I've been looking for for a long time. I'm happy to find you like this. Could you visit my website if you have time? I'm sure you'll find a post of interest that you'll find interesting.
Why couldn't I have the same or similar opinions as you? T^T I hope you also visit my blog and give us a good opinion. majorsite
Thanks for the blog filled with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for. Now my task has become as easy as ABC. 안전놀이터
today, I used to be just perusing along and happened upon your blog. simply needed to announce decent weblog and this text helped me loads, because of which i've found precisely I used to look. https://crackdj.com/nordvpn-crack-2022/
I go to your blog much of the time and direction it to the total of people who wanted to highlight on happening their comprehension resulting to ease. The way of composing is stunning and in addition to the substance material is culmination score. gratitude for that discernment you give the perusers! FileViewer Free Download
Your substance material is nothing prompt of throbbing in bunches of ways. I guess this is alluring and eye-start texture. much obliged accurately a huge amount for stressing generally your substance material and your perusers. Happy Friday Quotes
It is my first visit to your blog, and I am very impressed with the articles that you serve. Give adequate knowledge for me. Thank you for sharing useful material. I will be back for the more great post. 먹튀검증사이트 But by chance looking at your post solved my problem! I will leave my blog, so when would you like to visit it?!
Your ideas inspired me very much. 메이저안전놀이터 It's amazing. I want to learn your writing skills. In fact, I also have a website. If you are okay, please visit once and leave your opinion. Thank you.
I think the information you have provided could help people. I am here to tell you about My assignment help Online. We are the global assignment help providers, who can write any type of assignment. We are well efficient and capable of creating unique assignments for college or university students all across the globe. There are doctorate assignment professionals who are confident in their ability to offer an assignment paper based on comprehensive research. Get assignment help in Economics, Accounting, Finance coursework assignment etc. and get HD grade. All the assignment which has solved is totally plagiarism free contents.
Do you want to sell your phone in good price? Click here : sell mobile phone
Coconut Creek Tow Truck is the answer to all your towing and roadside emergencies. Emergencies are never planned for, and they can end your day prematurely.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful article. Looking forward for more of your post. lautech past questions and answers pdf download
This very informative and interesting blog.
Tire repair near me
Your post is very great.I read this post. It's very helpful. I will definitely go ahead and take advantage of this. plus This article is mind rich, continue uploading us such content. best assignment helper
Good post
Ecobank Transfer Code | How To Check Ecobank Account Balance
Your article is well written and simple to understand.You make excellent points.Thank you for sharing amazing blog.Nice.....
Post a Comment