The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-12-27

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THE ANCHOR Or COLUMBUS FOUND OFF
NAFlDAD.
OF study, and it was to attempt to unrayel
the mystery surrounding those important
events that L was dispatched to Hayti last
year. 1t was my good fortune to uneartn
chaln or evidence that brought to light
MANY important facts and placed in the
possession of our Columbian exposition an
invaluable rehc of the Santa Maria, a piece
Oh the Christmas wreckage
IN the geography of the present time, the
feei on winch the flagship grounded lies off
the city OF Cape Hainen, IN iiayti: a mile or
SO distant is Point Picolet, called by Column
bus Punta Santa. Rounding Point pic0Iet
that memorable Christmas eve, the Santa
Maria was forced by the current upon the
hrSt or 4 llne OF reefs that stretches i'll front
OF cape Haitlen, from three to five miles
distant, and little further from the Indian
village. This Indian settlement, Guarco,
L located at the present bOurg of Petit Anse
two miles from Cape Haitein; it is now
partly in ruins and occupied by fisher folk
1here IS a small chapel here rudely fur
nlshed. and few small huts and houses.
Beyond and around lie salines. or salt flats.
and the coast is bordered with mangrove
SwamDs.
L knew that everything pertaining to the
wrecked vessel was brought to Guacana-
near it. and l looked for it's site not far
away. found it on the summit of Il small
hill III the SallneS, near the beach with
slopes so nearly the perpendicular as to ap-
pear artificial. | found no relic there, but
its position. so near the ancient Guarico, the
onlv elevation within two miles, and its
strategic advantages ove- every other sit
uatiOn marked it as the spot where Coum-
bus founded Navidad
Let us learn the fate OF Nayidad from
Coumbus's own journal. In eleven months
the admiral returned from Spain to IIayti.
as he promised he void, with q large fleet
TO receive the ton or two of gold he conf
IDENTIFY expected They arrived in front of
the fort, but as il was night, and as he
had lost the Santa Maria the year before
on these same reefs, the ships lay-to till
morning. The cannon was tired but there
was no response for the shore. which lay in
the darkness without sign of light or life.
Columbus felt great uneasinesS all night.
and early In the moring he sent boat to
land. The fort was found dismantled, and
not one of the garrison was encountered
alive. 1t was learned finally that Il few
had died of disease, a dozen had been kill
ed i'll an expedition into the mountain re-
gion and that all the rest had been massa-
cered by CaonGbo, the caciQue of the Golden
mountain, who had secretly marched down
on the fortress in the night. They learned
this from Guacanagari; The Spaniards found
him reclining in cotton hammock, suffering
from wound received in personal en-
counter with Caonabo himself.
| do not believe that the cacQue had any
part in the massacre. except in defense of
the garrison. Columbus had returned here,
but he was too much discouraged by what
had occurred to entertain the thought of
founding upon the ruins of Navdad. lie
sent a caravel further along the coast to
search for q sight; and here Columbus him
self sailed out OF our story.
The founding of Nav1ad is the most in
teresting incident of the first voyage of
Columbus, after the discovery of first land
Anything throwing light upon that excit-
ing episode should be welcomed by the
world as an important contribution to the
stores of history. Such contributions l
have made, and it is automatically eGab-
HShed beyond Il doubt.
Sent to the West Indies as special com
missioner of the Columbian exposition, ]
arrived at Hayti in due course landing in
The port of Cape Haitien l had an i'm
portant clue to a valuable find and l.
at once sought out our consul who put me
in communication with the head of the
government. This gentleman, General Nord
Alexis, was the actual president Ill the
north having rendered invaluable aid to
President Hyppolite i'll his struggle for pow
er It SO happened that he was the broth
er-in-law of the general who owned the es-
tate upon which the historic relic | sought
and he took me out to view it.
This relic was nothing more nor less
than an anchor of the Santa Maria
4 learned friend in Santo Domingo had
told me of it and | was anxious to see it,
and if genuine relic to purchase it, My
friend had investigated the subject and
regarded the anchor as authentic.
1t is a very natural question, How can
You prove the commences of an anchor
lost 400 years ago and trace it back to the
very ship from which it was taken?'
This would seem difficult on its face,
and if ] had the space | would give all the
links in the chain of circumstantal evidence
which leads directly back to the time and
scene of theChristmas wreck. 1t must suffice
here that my friend knew the spot at which
the wrpckage was deposited was Guarico
now Petit Anse. and that a fort was built
near and that in 1893 the fort was destroyed
and ali in it dispersed among the natives.
Following out the clews afforded him by ira
tons and historical evidence,my friend dis
covered two old anchors, one about two and
the other three, miles from Guarico.
Both bear every evidence of extreme an
tiouity. Each Is of forged and hammered
iron, about nine feet in length, and with Il
great ring over a foot IN diameter. Sketches
and photographs have been sent to Paris
and Madrid. and they have been pronounced
tvDes of the anchors in use at the end of the
fifteenth century.
At the time he discovered these anchors,
my friend was living at the cape, ana from
the proprietor of the estate on winch one
of them was found he received it as Il
present. But he cid not remove it. and when
/ met him, in st. Domingo, he kindly gave
me permission to take it away 10 chicago,
for the Columbian exposition:
Armed with a letter of introduction to
the proprietor (as already stated went Ill
quest of the relic. Together, this gentle,
man and !, ramhled over the salines., and
then through the scattered gardens and the
remains of ruined estates, to the ruins OF
tn. Old great house," about three miles
distance from the city The estate is one of
the many wrecked plantations abandoned at
the time OF the massacre OF the French,
enc hundred years ago. The general is des-
cended from one of the black liberators,
to whom as a portion of the share of the
spoil, fell this once beautiful estate, now
Unused and uncullivated We rode through
the remains of {, great avenue of tall trees
and hitched our mules at the corner-post
of dilap.date1 dwelling.
A few wards distant stood the anchor,
leaning against the stone pillars of an old