Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-06-09
VOL. TX.
Il SHnMER eF SNAKES.

Serpents by the JiIIiou The Prairie
An the Neigh bOrhO0d Of TayIOrviIIe,
III, literally alive with Rsptiles.-
The Greatest Snake Story On Record
From the Illinois state Register, June ].
The great storm Of last Friday night
will be long remembered in this state. In
addition to the details heretofore given, we
have Information from reliable citizen of
great damage at Tsyloryille. The storm
burst in its full fury at that place about
dark, and the rain fell in torrents. The
! electric storm presented the same general
features as here. The wind however, was
much more violent, and with intermissions
| blew in great strength from every diree-
| tion. Several buildings were damaged, and
| young hickory trees actually twisted off
| by the wind. The growing crops
| were prostrated by the wind
and beaten into the ground by the rain and
| hail. But the most singular phenomenon,
and one which was not voucbsafed to any
other community, was a shower Of snakes.
| We have heretofore read of showers of
| sand of fish, and sometimes of flesh, but
never before of a shower of snakes; and
yet we are well assured that the phenom-
enon which occurred on last Friday night
| can be described in NO more fitting terms.
On Saturday and Sunday last, every
of Taylorsville was alive with nOndescript
creatures, which have been described to us
as being from one and Il half feet long to
two teet long, and of from three-fourths of
an inch to an inch in diameyer. This di-
ameter is very slightly lessened at the head
and tail The tail is flat like that of an eel,
| but has no caudal fin; indeed there is
no fin at ALL The head is, in shape, that of
an eel, but the mouth is that Of q sucker
| The eyes are small and the ears are simply
orifces Immediately behind the head, on
| each side, is fiipper, like that of a turtle,
say three-fourths of an inch to an inch in
| length, including the limb which has per
| fectly developed joint. In color these
snakes, or whatever they are, are a dark
/ hue.
! The number of these creatures is beyond
/ all estimate. They swim in every branch
and puddle of water. Their mode of pro-
gression, in addition to the undulatory
motion of u snake in the water. is by the
use of the fipper described above, and
! they swim entirely under the water or with
the head and few inches of the body
above the surface, thus indit ting that the
/ Gippers are not absolutely essential to mo-
ton. They are perfectly harmless. Boys
and men take them from the pools by
hundreds, and they are brought to town
for inspection.
| We are willing to admit that our knowl-
edge of iehthyology is not sufficient to de-
| teFmine what they are. Eels have teeth,
are carniverous, and some species are very
voraeiors and belligC rent These creatures
are of the genius cyclopterus, or suckers,
| having no teeth, and are evidently unpre-
Pared for attack and except by fight are
defenseless. Furthermore they have nc
fins, and their fiippers are only adiuncts,
and not their principal means of progress
sion. They are not serpents, as they want
fangs, either hooded or naked, which in
variably distinguish the order of ophidians.
We viii not worry our readers with any
speculation on a subject collfessedIy be
yond our knowledge. We are promised
some specimens, which will be submitted
to naturalists of acknowledged ability,
whose opinion we shall hay before the
public.
1t is the universal testimony of all the
people of the country that no creature
anything like these was ever before seen
| by them. The size renders it certain that
they have not been developed there, as it
is practically impossible that they could
have grown to that size without having
been seen. 1t Is quite certain they were
never there before the storm, aud it is al
most equally certain the storm brought
them there. This storm, which passed
over SO large an extent of country, and
was so violent, undoubtedly gathered, as
do most of such storms, in the vast
plains of the northwest. 1t was tornado,
and, in passing through the country.
disturbed the usual atmospheric and cleo
trical conditions, go as to produce, IN addi-
ton to the central tornado, high wind,
heavy rain, and an electric storm. The
most plausible theory which occurs to us
us accounting for the presence of these
fishes, is that the tornado in passing over
some lake or river in the immense rnlxnow Il
region of the northwest, drew up water
and with it these animals, which are evi
IDENTIFY amphibious. The tornado theI
sped on its mission of destruction, passing
perhaps, miles above the earth, and occa
sionally, as at Shipman, striking the earth
Near TayloTyille the central body of thl
storm was dissipated, as is shown by the
fact that tine wind blew III gusts from al
directions, and these creatures fell t1 the
earth to astonish The people and perpley
the scientific.