should prove to be similar, however, it would be a strong 

 indication that the two had come from the same sunken 

 sliip. 



It would not be surprising for two similar anchors to 

 turn up, he explained, for it was customary in those days 

 for ships to carry several anchors. When a ship was help- 

 less oflF a lee shore, her anchors were often the only thing 

 to stand between her and shipwreck. A ship like the Santa 

 Maria normally would have carried two large anchors on 

 deck at the bow and one or two astern. There would have 

 been additional anchors in the hold, for it was not un- 

 common to lose anchors at sea. He said the Santa Maria 

 probably carried an even larger number on this voyage, as 

 no seaman of Columbus's abihty would have set out with- 

 out several spares. 



The following day Pete and Ed flew to Port-au-Prince 

 to inspect the famous anchor which had been found in the 

 muddy bottom of the Grande Riviere in the eighteenth 

 century. One of Haiti's most prized possessions, it was 

 housed in the National Museum. 



At first glance it presented a completely different ap- 

 pearance from the one we had found on the ocean floor. 

 It stood more than three feet taller and was crowned with 

 a large, hand-wrought-iron ring. At its base the curved 

 arms ended in sharply pointed flukes, which were missing 

 on our find. But the greatest difference was in the look of 

 the structure itself, for it was long and slim and dark in 

 color, while the one from the bottom of the sea was thick 

 and heavy with coral. 



It was hard to believe that the two anchors had any- 

 thing at all in common. But after examining it long and 

 carefully, Pete finally delivered his opinion. "The simi- 

 larity would be striking," he said, "if the anchor at Cap 

 Haitien were not broken and corroded." 



224 Sea Diver 



