22 ALLAN HANCOCK ATLANTIC EXPEDITION REPORT 



Landmarks conspicuous from the bay are the La Ventille church, 

 located on La Ventille Hill at an elevation of 535 feet, and Fort St. 

 George signal station, elevation 1,069 feet, on a hillside northwest of the 

 city. The Maraval and St. Anne rivers flow through the city and empty 

 west and east of St. Vincent's Jetty, respectively. 



St. Vincent's Jetty extends 375 feet into the bay at the foot of Queen's 

 Wharf, on which are located customs and harbormaster's offices. The bay 

 is so shallow that vessels must anchor one mile off to be beyond the 3- 

 fathom curve, another mile to be clear of 5 fathoms. Dredging of a ^asin 

 32 feet deep west-northwest of St. Vincent's Wharf with a 30-foot-deep 

 approach from the west-southwest was in progress at the time of the 

 visit of the Velero III in April, 1939. The bottom is soft mud, because 

 of the drainage of the Caroni swamps to the east, and vessels must allow 

 sufficient clearance to avoid fouling intakes. Mean tidal range is 3.4 feet, 

 spring 4.0 feet. 



Port of Spain is linked with Europe and North and South America by 

 steamship lines and cables. Air-mail service to Miami is regular and has 

 no doubt increased over the 4-times-weekly sei'vice in effect in 1939. The 

 climate is healthful and sanitary conditions are good. Temperatures 

 ranged from 76° F. at 2 A.M. to 82° F. at 2 P.M. while the Velero III 

 was anchored in the bay. 



Dredging was accomplished from the small boat near the five islands 

 (Las Cotorras), dipping at the gangway light, and shore collecting at 

 Manzanilla, on the opposite side of the island. Fish were purchased at 

 the public market. (See Charts nos. 1,8.) 



Tobago Island 

 (Chart 9) 

 The island of Tobago, one of the British West Indies, lies off the 

 northeast corner of Trinidad in such a position as to be caught in the full 

 force of the equatorial current, which sweeps up the east coast of South 

 America and enters the Caribbean through every opening between the 

 Lesser Antilles. It is a heavily wooded island, 23 miles in length and 6 

 miles in greatest breadth, trending in a northeasterly direction, and hav- 

 ing a mountain chain with elevations to 1,910 feet extending along its 

 eastern two thirds. The higher peaks are near the northern shore, which 

 is consequently steep and little indented, save at Man-o'-War and Great 

 Courland bays. The southern slope is more gradual, several side spurs 

 extending out to rocky points and enclosing between them well-drained 

 valleys met by indentations of the shore line at such bays as Rockly, Hills- 

 borough, Prince, King, and Tyrrel. Little Tobago Island lies off Tyrrel 

 Bay at the eastern end of Tobago Island, and the Giles or Melville 



