Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-10-28
A WONDERFUL FISH.

4 single hsh was caught near Eastp0rt
Maine, few weeks ago A picture of i
appears in Harper's ReehIy, and the fol-
lowing description is published in the
Bangor Wing .-.
I" The strange animal recently captured
near Eastport, meagre reports Of which
had reached us, arrived in this city few
days ago, and has been on exhibition, dur.
ing which it has been visited BY our citi-
zens, all of whom have expressed their
wonder as we'll at the remarkable size Of
the monster as at It's anomalous character.
This animal, part beast and part fish, is
over thirty feet in length, and girts TWEEN
tyone feet. It has one enormous dorsal
lin, two side belly FMS and a broad, shark
like tail About one third of its length
from its tail, in connection with small
fins, it has two huge legs, terminating in
webb feet. It's mouth makes a lire of
five or six feet in length, the whole ex-
tent Of which is set with innumerable
small teeth, very much resembling in iize
and shape the kernel of aspeces of sharp
pointed pop corn 1t has series of gills
which overlap each other like the fouuces
once the style in ladies' dresses It's i'm
mense body, which was estimated to have
weighed when captured about eleven tons,
had no frame work of bones, its most solid
portion consisting Of cartilage incapable
of preservation. Its skin is dark and
tough like that of the elephant and rhi-
Hocerous. nL
There is no record Of his species, and
to none is it greater wonder than to ma
turallsts, whose attention is being drawn
70 1t. Among others who have had the
opportunity seeing it is Professor Baird
OF the Smithsonian Institute at Washing
ton, who is as yet unable to place it in
the known lists Of the animal Kingdom
1t is indeed veritable wonder calculated
to excite popular curiosity, and to invite
the researches .ofithe scientific. = 4age
" At various times during the past ff
teen years strange monster, believed to
be a huge serpent, has been reported seen
in Lake Utopia, in New Brunswick, just
across the State line, but as these reports
la eaoh instance rested upon the testi-
mony of but one or two individuals, they
were generally discredited. Latterly,
however, the reports and the number of
witnesses had so increased as to take the
story out of the realm of fiction. On Sun
day, August 3, the monster was discover
ed near the shore on the west side Of
Eastport Island, where Passamoqdoddy
Bay is connected with Lake Utopia by ii
marsh a quarter of mile long. 3eing
attacked by musketry, it struck for tae
marsh, and probably for the lake, which
was undoubtedly its home; and, before
being rendered incapable of locomotion,
it had worked it's way with its fns and
legs a number of rods The report of its
presence at once spread to the town, at
tracing large number to the spot to aid
in its destruction. It received some
seventy musket balls, and although at
tackled in the forenoon, it exhibited signs
Of life the following day.
"Thus the northeastern point of our
State, with the assistance of New Bruins
wick, has the honor of producing the
nearest approach to a veritable sea serpent,
which is destined to make a popular sen
satjon wherever exhibited. 1t is to be at
Portland during the forthcoming State
Fair, and is thence bound for Boston,
New York and other principal cities"