European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Man Tea had  i  rout to in 9 opt Vyff a Caner cg0tt��t itt Triy � Flatt Ohrt it 40 ofom Mumy. Columbus landed somewhere else maybe by John Noble Wilford new York times tracking a centuries old mystery a learn of researchers used computers and anew analysis of key documents to conclude that Columbus did not Matte his first Landing in the new world where most historians had thought he did. The historic landfall probably occurred 65 Miles away at a Small Remote Island in the Bahamas Samara Cay. According to new findings announced by the National geographic society. The new interpretation was the first major Challenge i in More than 40 years to the widely held conviction endorsed unequivocally by the late Harvard historian Samuel Eliot Morison. That the lies Landing took place at another bahamian Island san Salvador. Rather than resolve Ine landfall Issue however Many scholars expect the new hypothesis to revive spirited debate on this and the Many other unanswered que Klioris surrounding the voyage of discovery nearly 500 years ago. Samaria Cay narrow nine mile Tong Island with no permanent inhabitants was identified a the most probable Landing site after a live year investigation conducted for the geographic society by historians Archert Ogisi navigators cartographers and other experts. Results of the study which included a new translation of Columbus log a recalculation of his trans Atlantic route and the discovery of the apparent Lens Jyh of 1 sin Century Spanish units of nautical measurement will be published in the november Issue of National geographic Magazine. At a news conference Joseph judge a senior associate editor of the Magazine who directed the landfall investigation said we believe we have solved after five centuries one of the grandest of All geographic mysteries. We think we have demonstrated conclusively that this Mailer is finally settled. Most of the history books Are  on a Visilio Samana judge said he found the Island just As Columbus described  h is fatal and Green and has Many Waters As Columbus said of us Many Lagoon and lakes. Charles Hoffman an associate professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University chief archaeologist on the landfall project said he had uncovered several pieces of pottery and other artefacts indicating that the Island was inhabited at the time of discovery As Columbus reported. The inhabitants were the arawak a people Columbus called indians because he believed he had reached 01,Hying islands of Asia or the indies As they were known then h Samaria a indeed the place where Columbus set foot in the new world on oct. 12.1492. Scholars said it served As further proof that he was an incredible Seaman. The Island is surrounded by treacherous reefs and the inshore Waters Are mined with Coral Heads. It would have taken consider ate skin they said Tot him to have safely navigated its coastal Waters and come ashore. Columbus voyage new calculations with help of computers researchers Analysed water current and wind factors to conclude thai Columbus did not make his first landfall m the new work at waning Island in the Bahamas later named san Salvador but rather at Samana Cay. The according Lo�Lerlheorylandfall-2 am oct. 12.1492. Page the stars and stripes but Over the years scholars have advanced arguments in favor of no fewer than eight other islands along a 400-mile arc in the Bahamas and to the South As the Sites of Columbus first landfall. Besides san Salvador named Walling until 1926, he candidate islands were egg cat Conception Plana cays Maya Guana grand Turk and East Alcoa. Samana Cay was first advocated in 1882 by Gustavus v. Fox. Who had been Abraham Lincoln s assistant Secretary of the Navy. Bui his calculations were discounted by authorities then completely ignored. At least one expert on the landfall question Saki he had changed his mind As a result of the National geographic study. Robert h. Fuson. Professor emeritus of geography at Tho University of South Florida in Tampa said i m converted. I m the Only expert to change my mind three limes from Catoosa to grand Turk end now to  Fum i mid the to ovary of the True value of a Spanish Aea league was one of the most valuable contributions of the investigation and should help clarify Many other problems in interpreting accounts of the age of discovery. A search of 16lh-Century navigation manuals showed that the sea league which was previously thought to be equal to 3.18 nautical Miles was actually 2,82 nautical Miles. A nautical mile 1.1s times As King a the 5,280-foot statute mile. Arna Molander an aerospace Engineer who has studied the landfall problem for three decades said Samana Wae a somewhat better fit than Morison made for san  Bui he said he Al ill believed Columbus sailed More closely along the 2°ree latitude and thus landed Al egg Island in the Northern Bahamas. Hoffman. Uie archaeologist who previously reported artefacts on san Salvador indicating it could be the site said the Only area i think Here May be a problem is on the Island of Samana itself. San Salvador looks More like tha Island Columbus  beginning to it judge enlisted several experts to by to solve the landfall problem. Eugene Lyon. Research director of the St. Augustine foundation in Florida an authority on old Spanish scripts made anew translation of the Columbus log for oct. 10 to oct. 27, which was used to interpret the explorer s movement around the first Island and his route through the Bahamas to Cuba. Then Luis Warden a former National geographic sunday november 2.1988 editor and experienced trans Atlantic Sailor plotted Columbus 33-Day, 3.000-mile voyage across the Ocean from the Canary islands using the daily navigation entries in the ship s log. Warden said he discovered to his Surprise that previous calculations had not accounted for the effect of currents and leeway. The slow downwind Drift of a ship. To reach san Salvador or wafting. Marden said. Columbus would have had to travel a nearly straight line As traced on the seabed Behwen departure and  steering by Compass alone with almost no astronomical checks As Columbus did it is a physical impossibility to sail such a straight line Marden said. Mardwin Suaad computer the new knowledge of the length of a Spanish sea league and estimates of current and leeway provided by navigation experts to calculate that Columbus course took him to a Point about 10 Miles Easl Northeast of Samana. Another link in the Chain of evidence pointing to Samana judge said came from a computer analysis of where Columbus sailed the Nina Pinta and Santa Maria after the initial landfall. Computer programmers at the control data corp. Converted a map of the Bahamas to electronic data so that any number of possible routes suggested by various interpretations of Columbus log could be sailed electronically and instantaneously. The researchers found one place where two of Columbus bearings Cross. Ii is at a Point about 20 Miles Southeast of Cape verde in the Southern lip of Long Island i the Bahamas which Columbus had named Fem Andina. Working Back from the Cape verde fix with the computer judge reported took the route to the Southern Shore of Samana. Thua icon Long to Trie new findings Columbus first came upon Samana Cay. 65 Miles Southeast of san Salvador and then sailed to crooked Island Long Laland Fortune Island the ragged wands and finally to Cuba. Judge said the Only Gap in the theory is at Fortune Island. Columbus described it As 12 leagues Long but it is Only 12 mites Long some experts suggested that there might have been an error in the log s transcription. The original log was it soon after Columbus return to Spain. Judge conceded that the new calculation Wouk not end the controversy Over where co Himba landed. History grows a said. This who go on forever. H should go on