New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-03-02
Capture of the Sea Serpent.


Wind of Summer long ago!
Capture of the Sea Serpent.
I'VE give the following letter as it came to our hands
without expressing opinion to the truth fiction
Of its statements
SHIP MososGAHELA AT SEA, Feb g. 1852
To the Editors Of the Wy Tribune-A
small vessel has just been reported from my
masthead, and as she is apparently bound into
some Of the Northern ports, intend to speak
her, purposely to acquaint through your widely +
dlffused journal, the people OF the United States
with the fact Of the existence and capture of the
Sea Serpent-a monster deemed fabulous by
many-but the truth Of whose existence is for
ever settled, and l trust / will be excused in
saying by Yankee intrepidity.
On the morning Of January 13, when in lat.
8 deg, 10 min. s., and long 131 deg so min. W.,
the man on the look-ou seated on the fore top
mast cross trees, sang out &c White water" and
in reply to my ssWhere away!'' said .sTwo
points on the lee-bcw.'' Supposing it to be |
made by sperm whales, and very anxious to OBJ |
tain oil, l ordered the ship to be kept off and
Immediately went aloft with my spy glass. /
will observe that for several days we had been
struggling along with very light end battling
winds, but at daylight Of the morning of the
18th the wind had drawn to the south south
west, become steady, and threatened to become
agale. was aloft nearly half an hour before
"'SSA
then 1 presumed it to be made by school or
rather shoal of porpoises, but wishing it to be
made certain, ! ordered the mate, as it was
seven bells, to turn all hands, square in the
yards and send out the port Sudden sails. 1t
being my breakfast hour, l urged the man to
keep both eyes open, and came down, but before
| reached the deck my attention was called to
the sudden and vehement cry of Onnetu Vanjan,
Marquesan Islander, go! Look! Look Me
see Too much Too much!''
All eyes were instantly directed to the savage,
to ascertain where he was looking, and then all
eyes turned to the ee-quarter. I just had time
to see "back skin when it disappeared. The
native was excited and in reply to my ones
tons, said, 'sNo whale-too much-too big--too
| long--me no see all same dat feller-me frad.' y
Not being able to tell which way the animal or
fish was bound, l luffed and came aback, order
ing the lines in the boats and the crews to
''stand by" The horizon was scanned in every
direction for nearly an hour, when giving up all
! hopes braced forward and went below. The
native continued to look with eagerness, pushed
on by the observations of the crew, who asserted
! that he had seen nothing, but he proved the
! . truth of his sight in few minutes by uttering
another cry, and with more vehemenee than the
!, NJ first. rushed on deck, and the first look, not
n mile to leeward, rested on the strangest crea-
re ture had ever seen in the ocean. 1t was ap-
nd parently still, but ssobbing" up and down, az
we SHY VI Spefm Whales. knew II WAS not
nf whale. The head l could not see, but the bod,
" had motion like the waving of rope, whel
i've shaken and held in the hand. Every eye in til
ship regarded it attentively, and not word wa
t. spoken or sound uttered. In few minutes tn
hs 1,s whole length of the body and lay on tn
water, it was of an enormous length. Present.
nl nIs the extremity tail moved or vibrated, ag
tating the water, and then the head rose entrel
' above the water, and moved sideways slowly, a
if the monster was in agony or suffocating s'1
is Sea Serpent exclaimed, sc stand by tn
boats" There was a hesitancy, and the Mat
said: ''Of what use is there lowering for him
we only lose time and gain nothing, besides.
/ abruptly checked him, and ordered all hand
called aft. When they had mustered, | toll
them l wished to "try" that .felo,r-I urge
them with all the eloquence l possessed, tellin
- them there was but few who believed in the ex
fe istence of the Sea Serpent, and that wish ha'
been expressed that whale-ship might fall il
DOC with one of them: that if we did not attacl
100 him, and should tell of seeing him when we go
400 home, we would be laughed at and derided, an,
md the very first question would be, Why didn'
,al you try him !" told them our courage was II
a ns stake-our manhood, and even the credit of th
:, whole American Whale Fishery, and concludes
s. ,s. by appealing to their cupdty holding GU
that we might possibly get into some southern
4 port.
g | do not order one of you to go in the boats,
| Stlu. Dul Nuo Will NoluubttI- Leu lue su
to their credit every American in the shi
stepped out at once, followed by all but one ma
tive and two Englishmen. | ordered the boat
steerers and officers to examine and see tina
every thing in and about the boats was in per
!; feet order had already jumped into my boa
: when the Serpent began to move quite rapidly
60 and it was necessary to stand after him Th
wind was piping up strongly, but as we game
per ] continued to carry all sail, hoping to be abb
to lower before the gale rendered it impossible
lr The Serpent worked to windward, which con
oD ss PEELED to haul the wind, and soon after
ns S,s carried away my foretop gallant mast this wi
"' most unlucky for us, and what was still wors
on o lost sight of the monster. We repaired dar
ages with all possible dispatch, and still kept
saa Of the wind hoping to see his snakeship. In le
than an hour we saw him again, but some wa
to windward; soon ascertaining that he part
turned and was headed baft our beam, put t
. ship about on the other tack. The wind h
8. increased SO much that was obliged to put
single reefin the fore and mizen topsails. I
Serpent disappeared for few minutes aga
but when he rose he was a mile ahead of I
ship and going slowly to leeward, having ma
a complete circuit
frankly admit my hopes were feeble of e,
really capturing him, and the gale made
ner, hesitate about lowering, but the time arriv
the Serpent was still, and we nearly half N
rsu- to wndward. / come to with the head yal
and aback to have better control of all the sh
hoss and told the hip-keeper to keep close to
ends and by means to lose sight of us for
,unt' instant We lowered, myself taking the les
o,n, and in few strokes, the wind and sea carryi
.pers ss to leeward, l told the boat-steerer, Jan
~ Whittemore, of Vermont, to '' stand up;" w
cain, and cool intrepdty, he laid hold of
w. iron, (harpoon,) and when l beckoned with
Ao- movement of my hand, quick as thought both
Mar, his weapons were buried to the socket IN the
Igos, pulsive body before us. l shouted stern, &
'hAs there was no visible motion of his snakeslnp
N are shifted ends with the boat-steerer, and clear
''''' away a lance as quick as possible, peckoni
them to pull up that might get a lance, VIII
IA movement of the body was VISIBLE ana
head and tail of the monster rushed MS 1t w
to touch the wound
The frichtfulness of the head, as it approach
the boat filled the crew with terror, and TIL
of them Jumped overheard. instinctively h
out my lance and its sharp point entered
> eye-l was knocked over and felt deep chu
ing of the water around mel rose to the s
eet face, and caught glimpse of the writhing DO
. and was again struck and carried down
Il partly lost my consciousness under water.
K recovered it when rose again in the blo
~ foam, the Snake had disappeared, and shou
~,