NO. I COLUMBUS S LANDFALL WOLPER I 5 



knots ; this, added to the estimated 2-v, made 27. - 2 The night was 

 black. The moon had been full on October 16; this being the fifth 

 night after full moon, it was expected that 60 percent of the moon 

 would be lighted and that it would rise 40 minutes earlier than the 

 night when Columbus approached the island. 23 



Light (fig. 3). Seconds after 9:45, on a deck 12? feet above sea 

 level, the writer saw two flashes of light pierce the darkness ; one 

 followed the other but disappeared into a large white circle that was 

 seen by those on the same deck. This circle remained. At 10:05 the 

 skipper asked the author whether he should direct his course due 

 west, and as the boat was turned about, the white circle remained in 

 the same area. 



At 10:15 a bright light flared up, then sank ; another light followed, 

 and then another shot up, disappearing slowly into the center of the 

 white circle. Suddenly a small flashing light grew at the bottom 

 center of this remaining white circle, the light becoming steadier and 

 brighter as the boat continued to move in closer ; steadier and larger 

 it grew as it rose and fell, until at 18? nautical miles from the point 

 of the Drake's departure, with much excitement and scrambling about 

 on the decks below, the crew shouted, "Hodio up there ; Hey, Mon, 

 d'ja see the light? D'ja see the light?" 



The light was red now ; it had been white first, then yellow. At 

 this point, when it had risen to its fullest height, a picture of it 

 was taken (fig. 4). 



At 11 p.m. the light was steady, "rising and falling" slowly, but 

 the planned fire was not the only one seen ! There were two other 

 lights which had disappeared at 10:40! Why? The answer to this 

 problem was found the following clay. Could it have been the same 

 answer to the disappearance of the light Columbus described? 



The planned fire on High Cay was blazing red as though the entire 

 cay were on fire, and straight ahead of the ship at 11 :15 p.m., but 

 Columbus's description of the light as "a little wax candle rising and 

 falling" was similar to the other lights also seen this night ! All those 

 aboard waited anxiously for the coming of day, to learn from the 

 natives responsible for the fires what had caused this condition. 



22 It should be noted that by 10:05, when the M.V.Drake began its turn 

 about, approximately 2 more nautical miles had been traveled, which accounts 

 for the 29 nautical miles given on page 22. 



23 This information was given by Dr. James S. Pickering, assistant astronomer 

 at the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium, New York, X. Y., who worked 

 with the writer in determining the exact night to approach the island. 



