12 ALLAN HANCOCK ATLANTIC EXPEDITION REPORT 



A single collecting station was located in the vicinity of Barranquilla, 

 at the point at which the road from the wharf crosses the swamp men- 

 tioned above. 



Colombia East of the Magdalena River 



From Cabo Augusta to Morro Grande, a distance of 38 miles in an 

 east-northeasterly direction, the coast indents some 13 miles to Boca de la 

 Cienaga, outlet of Cienaga Grande de Santa Maria, a large body of water 

 belonging to the Magdalena delta system. 



Morro Grande, a 200-foot islet topped by a lighthouse, is situated on 

 the west side of Santa Marta Bay, one of the best anchorages on the north 

 Colombian coast. A peninsula shaped like an inverted fishhook forms the 

 north and west shores oT the bay and makes an inner harbor opposite the 

 city of Santa Marta. Depths in the outer bay are from 13 to 30 fathoms, 

 with anchorage in 16 fathoms at the entrance to the inner harbor opposite 

 Pta. Taganguilla, the "barb" of the hook. A railroad extends from banana 

 plantations in the interior to the wharves at which United Fruit boats 

 make regular calls. The lights of the city were clearly visible as the 

 Velero III passed 1 1 miles offshore. 



From Morro Grande to Cabo la Vela, a distance of 135 miles to the 

 east northeast, the coast again recedes, but less gradually. The 5-fathom 

 curve extends 10 miles from the coast north of Laguna Grande. The 

 area immediately behind the shore line is low and barren, but the western 

 portion of the stretch is dominated by the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 

 a snow-capped mountain range with an extreme elevation of 19,000 feet. 

 This magnificent range was clearly visible from the deck of the Velero 

 III, although nearly 50 miles away. 



Cabo la Vela juts westward from the Peninsula de Guajira a distance 

 of 2 miles, giving slight protection from the prevailing northeasterly 

 winds, which reach gale proportions in this vicinity. It consists of a series 

 of low hills, one of which rises to an elevation of 265 feet. A more promi- 

 nent landmark is Pilon de Azucar (sugar loaf), of no greater height but 

 having an isolated position to the northeast. The bottom southwest of 

 Cabo la Vela shoals so gradually that vessels can scarcely approach close 

 enough to take such shelter as the cape affords. The Velero III found 

 anchorage 1 1 miles south southwest of the light in only 5 fathoms. ( See 

 Chart no. 3.) 



Two stations were made in the vicinity of the anchorage, a surface 

 station at the gangway light and sargassum obtained from the anchor 

 chain. Two dredging stations were made closer in, one 2 miles southwest 



