The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-06
An OLD STORY REVIVED.
A Sea Serpent is Seen BY "A Jersey Fish
erman.

The Newark IN. j. Courier is res.
ponsible for the story:
James Andrews. a Jerseyman and
fisher of pOrgies and the like in New.
ark bay, resides at Saltersville, OH the
eastern shore, and is a person of sound
sense, and steady habits, not at all
given to grog, ard luckily not possess
ed of an unusual share of imagination.
Among his .neighbors Mr.. Andrews is
esteemed tho. Oughly reliable, and his
strange story is very generally accepted
for fact by those who know him.
Mr.. Andrews states that on Sunday
afternoon last, he was returning from
EliZabethtOwn in his boat, small
affair capable of carrying only four or
five persons, and after he had passed
under the Central Railroad bridge, and
rowed, as he thinks, about a mile I'D
the bay, his attention became at first
attracted by an unusual commotion i'm
the water about two hundred yards i'm
advance of the boat. Curious as to this
unusual agitation, he rested upon his
oars and watched for few moments
the spot, which was strongly marked
by the waves and foam, when to his
great surprise and terror the head of a
monster as large as -four barrel, and
having something of the appearance of
a dogs head, appeared above the water.
1t stretched away along the surface,
and black scaly back lifted itself grad
ually from the waters until it appeared,
according to Mr.. Andrews, twice the
length of an ordinary schooner. 1t
swan easily and with but little motion,
occasionally raising its head three or
four feet above the surface with that
peculiar sinuosity common to the snake
tribe. Suddenly, with a tremendous
splashing, it disappeared from sight,
leaving behing large area of seething
foam.
Mr.. Andrews acknowledges himself
to have been scared almost to DEATH at
the sight, and about come to the con-
clusiOn, so he says, that he was to be
eaten alive. Indeed, his presence of
mind SO far forsook him that he drop
both oars and had some difficulty in
recovering them. Having secured
them, however, by means of a small
paddle which fortunately remained in
the bottom of the boat, he undertook
to row across the bay, but he had pro-
ceeded but q short distance when a
terrible splashing from behind caused
him to turn around, and there, as he
sOlemnly asserts, within dozen yards
of him, was the head of the monster
high above the surface; and, to add all
the more to his terror, it opened its
hideOus jaws and darteu a fOrked tongue
directly at him. TO employ the Ian
guage used by Andrews himself, the
next thing he knew, he didn't know
anything'-meaning thereby that his
terror was so great he apparently lost
consciousness. This was the last he
saw of the sea serpent (which he most
assuredly believes to have been, and
which certainly tallies with the descrip.
ton already given; and he informs us
that Immediately thereafter he probably
did some of the 'tallest rowing: that has
ever been witnessed i'm Newark Bay.
Such is Mr.. Andrews account of the
transaction, and we give it only for
what it is worth. fit be false, that is
his own business, not ours; but we see
no reason for doubling his word. He
was known to have been perfectly sober
at the time-in fact, as we have already
is not drinking man. The
people as Saltersville do not question |
his statements i'm the least.