boating, it is not the kind of weather one would select for 

 diving, or even for searching in the vicinity of wave- 

 roughened reefs. Day after day we experienced strong 

 southeast winds, which occasionally veered into the south 

 and west before developing into a full-blown winter 

 "norther." 



However, we found plenty to do the first two weeks 

 in equipping Eryholme for her new activities and in test- 

 ing the endless variety of equipment which Ed had 

 shipped south. In addition to a small air compressor and 

 three sets of Desco face plates, the paraphernalia included 

 an outfit of self-contained Aqualung equipment and the 

 large, clumsy white suit and lead boots of the so-called 

 heavy diver. 



But chief among the new equipment was an under- 

 water metal detector which Ed had rebuilt from a type of 

 land-mine detector developed during World War 11. It 

 consisted of a long black rod with a coil of wire sealed 

 into a circle of clear Plexiglas at one end. In a waterproof 

 tank at the other end were located the electronic gear and 

 batteries and an electric meter to indicate the presence 

 of metal. With this equipment Ed felt sure he would be 

 able to locate cannon and other metal objects buried be- 

 neath the coral or under the sandy bottom. 



We had flown to Marathon from our home in Bing- 

 hamton. New York, in our five-place Grumman Widgeon, 

 which Ed planned to use as part of his search equipment. 

 It had already proved its worth the previous summer for 

 spotting the outline of reefs and the most likely places for 

 search. But we had also found at that time that it was 

 next to impossible to make out objects on the bottom 

 through the surface of the water. An airplane traveled too 

 fast for such reconnaissance. 



The amphibian definitely had its uses, however, as 



The Florida Keys 31 



