Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1867-07-11
ANOTHER "SEA-SERPENT" sen.

ANOTHER "SEA-SERPENT" SEN
sATIoN-A Hadeous Monster Dis
covered IN Lake Ontario We know
that it has been customary for the
manufacturers of the marvellous to
revive at intervals the story OF the
"sea- serpent" which has gone the
rounds of the papers "many time
and off," and been laughed at by the
public as it should have been. In
the face of this fact we do not hest
tate to present the following state
ment, which we believe to be true in
every particular, for the reason that
we have it upon the testimony of
eight persons, six Of whom saw, each
for him and herself, all that is con-
tanned in the statement, and two
others, who for reasons given, saw
only portion thereof. If we were
permitted to give the names of those
who make the statement, no one at
all acquainted in Oswego would doubt
it for a moment. The following is
the statement: Last evening about
8 o'clock, party of four ladies and
four gentlemen of this city, went out
upon Lake Ontario for a ride in a
four-oared row-boat. They went up
the lake about two miles. 1t was
still daylight when the party started.
The evening was pleasant with al
most no wind, aud the moon, though
not shining very brightly, made
objects plainly discernible on the
lake. There were a number of sail
vessels in sight, and also few row.
boats. On the return of the party,
when opposite the hill upon which
the Sheldon residence stands, some
300 feet from the shore, and about
10 o'clock, the occupants of the boat,
who were singing at the time, heard
a peculiar noise which attracted their
attention. About two hundred feet
ahead of them and within one hun
dred feet Of the shore, they saw what
they at first thought to be log float
ing in the water. The peculiar noise
was repeated, and this time it was
apparent that it came from the
vicinity of the log. The steersman
headed the boat towards the clog"
as he said, for the purpose Of rescu-
ing the cast-away "bull frog" I'm
mediately that the boats head was
turned, the party all saw a most
horrible sight. The form of a huge
snake was raised fully fifteen feet
into the air, and brought down into
the water three or four times in quick
succession. A noise similar in ma
ture to that heard previously, but
greatly increased in power, was
heard; the reptile settled into the
water, and with its horrid head two
feet above the surface, began to move
off towards the centre of the lake, re-
peating the noise, which sounded
like the below of bull, and lashing
the water into foam for a distance at
least forty feet behind the head.
When the monster raised its head
first, the two ladies, who sat facing
the scene, screamed and tainted.
The other two, though terribly
frightened, kept their eyes fixed
npon the monster until it -disap-
peared. The men seemed paralyzed
by the sight, and state that they
were unable to make stroke of the
oars. They were not near enough
to see the shape of the head, but
unite in saying that the body of the
animal was at least two feet thick at
the neck, and gradually increased in
size down to the water. The belly
seemed of light color, and the
back black.
We did not see this thing our
selves and simply give the state
ment as it is made to us. 1t has, in
all probability, been made to others,
by the parties who saw the sight;
and We feel assured that, while some
may attribute it to hallucination, and
endeavor to account for it on the
theory of heated imagination, none
who know the parties will for mo-
ment doubt their perfect sincerity.
The ladies have not yet recovered
from their fright, and the men say
they hope never to be compelled to
witness such a fearful scene.-Os-
a0ego Palladium, 11th uh.