Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-09-11
--latest Particulars of the Sea Ser.
pent Story.


The falla1sire ere the paltisslars sc the snake
story told by capt. Richard Burr, late Of the
brig Long Island, to one or more of the Marine
Surveyors of New York, on his arrival, which,
however, was some time since. He is now alb
sent on a trip to the eastward When he re-
turns, the Reporters of the " Y. Journal Of
Commerce are promised an interview with him
and an extract from his log. Notwithstanding
the apparent conviction OF the Journal of Com
merce, and not attempting to controvert the ex-
istence Of the genus sea serpent, it seems to us
there are discrepancies in the story.-lIere is the
statement as it stands -
Capt. Burr states that when in lat 80 North
and Ion, or % West, on his passage from the
Isle Of Sal, Cape le Verbs, to Rio Grand, there
being dead calm, a shoal Of singular looking
fish approached his vessel. A very large one,
which he took to be the molher ofthe small ones
appeared to be about 100 feet long, and It's body
as large as the lower mast Of ship of 500 tons.
Moving towards the brig she came at one time
within about twenty feet. She would raise her
head 10 Or II feet out ofthe water look around
upon the objects presented, then settle her head
and body under the water and move On. Of the
small ones there were 100 to $50. They were
about the brig and in sight 20 minutes or more.
They were stearing to the eastward. Some of
the small ones came quite alongside the brig.
Capt Burr having pair of five pronged cranes
on board seized it, and struck it into the neck
of one of the smallest. But in attempting to
haul the prize on board, the body parted from
the head (the cranes having cut the backbone
off, and fell overheard. The head was saved
and put in salt for preservation.
It's now in the possession Of the Marine Sur
veyors and queer concern it is. The head
proper, back to the gills, is % inches long,
The mouth or muzze is compromise between
that of sucker and common snake. 1t has
no teeth, and lift ever had tongue that unruly
r,sr,s.es s now atssng, Its gills are very largg
4 and powerful, ant its mode of securing its prey
was evidently by suction. The eyes are large
one on each side and ten inches back from the
t muzzlc. From the muzzle back to within an
inch or two of the eyes, the size of the probocs,
or whatever it may be called, is uniform, say an
5 inch and quarter in diameter, in its present di.
. minshed condition; but where the eyes are in
serted, the diameter is about two nches and in
creases back to the extremity of the gills. Just
behind the giIIs are two fins, one on each side,
ot tbot ,,oint copor,onno, tuhat NAV hn H.
ed the body. Ofthis only about four inches are
preserved, charging to the point where the
cranes broke it asunder. The entire length of
the head, including this small section of the
body, is II inches Captain Burr thinks the
portion of thebody which fell off was Is or 1G
feet long, at least and its largest diameter Or
6 inches. There were no back fms The tail
was not seen.
The entire casing of this strange fish Or SER
pent, as the case may be- is much harder than
common bone and we can easily imagine that
in full grown subject it would Be bullet proof
1t is, however much harder at the top and on the
sides than beneath. The capacity Of the guile
as well as the absence of teeth, shows that thi;
animal, like the lake snake, is in the habit o
swallowing its food in the gress, without masti
cation.
OF the mother snake, about forty feet was
seen above the water at once.
These, gentle reader, says the JownaLof Com
merce, are the facts as they are given to u.s.
f Mr. Burr is said to be man of excellent char
acter Whether what he saw was family Of
sea-scrpents or not, the reader can judge as wei
as we. The part above described is before oul
eyes, and can be seen by any one who pleases
at the Office of the Marine Surveyors. If it is
not part Of a young sea serpent, what is it p
. VIII the naturalists tell us? it is evidently a
. water animal else what is the use of gills ant
fms? We have never seen the like Of it before
and we understand the old salts are equally a
fault in regard no it. About the eyes we are
told it resembles a certain species of alligator
But the mouth is entirely unlike that Of the ALI
gator the long probocis or snout does not belong
to the alligator and on the whole, it clearly be
longs to different family.
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