Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-02-12
ANCHOR or CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS.
THE OLDEST RELIC IN EXISTENCE OF THE
DISCOVERY oP AMERICA.

On the night OF the I'd Of August,
l49s, the little fleet of Christopher Co
lumbus, the diseoverer of America (he
being then upon his third voyage, lay
at anchor just of the Southwest point
of the island of Trinidad, off tho main
land OF South America, which he had
seen that day for the first time. Be-
ing on board of his ship says Wash
ington Irving, in his history of the
great navigator (Vol. H., Book X,
page 123), "late at night kept awake
by painful illness and an anxious and
watchfnl spirit, be heard a terrible
roaring from the South, and behelj
the sea heaped up, as it were, into a
great ridge Of hill, the height OF the
ship, covered with foam, and rolling
towards him with tremendous uproar.
As this furious surge approached, rem.
dered more terrible in appearance by
the obscurity of henight, he trembled
for the safety Of his vessels. His own
ship was suddenly lifted up to such a
height that he dreaded least it should
be overturned or cast npon the rocks
while another Of the ships was torn
violently from her anchorage leaving
it was hardly necessary for Mr.. Irving
TO add her anchor behind her1 The
crews were for time in great con-
sternation, fearing they should be swal-
lowed up but the mountainous surge
passed on, and gradually snbsided. after
a violent contest with the counter-cur-
rent of the strait. This sudden rush
Of water, il is supposed, was caused by
the swelling Of one of the rivers which
flow into the gulf of Paria and which
were as yet unknown to Columbus"
SO far Washington Irving, who, OF
course, POUNDS his text upon that of the
old authorities, and especially upon
the "Vita" of Ferdinand Columbus, the
son OF the great Admiral The words
of Ferdinand, in reference to the loss
OF the anchor aforesaid, in the original
Italian, are as follows Ma piacque
Dio che passo di soto, o per dir mig
lio che xii lovo in alto, senza farglI
danno, dnchorche dd uH ndUigli0 leuaSSc
ie anchore di terra"-"Although one OF
the ships left her anchor behind her p
The anchor was lost on the night OF
August I'd, l498-nearly four hundred
years ago from one of the ships of
Columbus, off the Southwest extremity
OF the island of Trndad-Point Are.
nat, as Columbus named the spot, ride
Irving-has recently been recovered
by Senor Argostino, the gentleman
who now owns the point of land in
question. 1t has the rare and thrilling
merit of being the Oldest relic extant
OF the great navigator and Of the dis
covery of America.
As would be expected from the age
Of this relic, it is an anchor in its sim
plest form OF expression. The shaft is
round, and nine feet eight inches in
length, AT the head of the shaft is a
round ring, nearly foot in diameter,
to which the cable was fastened The
hukes have q spread of about five feet.
It's total weight is / 100 pounds.
But the strangest part is to come.
This anchor was dug up by Senior Ar
gostino, in his garden, from depth OF
six feet, at distance of three hun
dred and twenty. seven feet from the
nearest beach Of the sea. His first
supposition was that he had stumbled
upon relic Of the Phpnicians, or OF
the ancient Nations who have been
supposed by many to have visited the
coasts of America thousands of years
ago. But an attentive examination Of
local facts aud authorities soon con.
vinced him that a portion of his garden
uow occupies the rery spot at which
the ships of Columbus lay at anchor
on the night of August %, l49s. The
land is constantly rising from the sea
and encroaching upon 1t along this en-
tire coast, as has been shown by Hum
boldt, Findlay, and scores Of others
who have written upon this subject,
and the rate of this encroachment is
kfown to have been quite sufficient to
turn in 400 years the anchorage of the
great feet into the garden Of a private
citizen. There is no doubt, therefore,
at the end OF the rigid inquiry that has
been made, that the anchor recently
found by Senor Argostino is really and
truly the lost anchor of Columbus.
-. On -r----s-