The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-07-31
The Inexplicable Sea Monster-"Part Beast
and Part Fish"

anu 1dTS ClSu.
In one of the Hqrpers' WeekHes appear
ed n detailed description, with an illustrative
engraving, of what we are compelled to call an
indescribable sea monster, " part beast and part
fish, - which had just been captured, under cir
cumstances of great excitement, near Passport,
Me. The size of the monster, its strange form,
and the peculiar way in which 1t was caught,
aroused the incredulity of a portion of the COM
munity to such an extent, for a time, the reputa-
ton of the Harpers-the greatest publishers on
the continent, and as noted for their integrity as
for their business sagacity-was shaken! We
give here the descriptive article from HdrPers
Weekly, taken from page CHS of the volume:
A WONDERFUL FISH.
This curiousity of natural history, caught
. down East near Eastport, Maine, a few
weeks ago, has attracted so much attention and
excited so much wonder, even among naturalists,
that we give a representation OF 1t In the accom-
p~anying illustration. The Bangor Daily Wig
gives the following detailed description of this
fish
Eastport, meagre reports of which had reached us,
arrived in this city a few days ago, and has been
on exhibition, during which 1t has been visited by
our citizens, all of whom have expressed their
wonder as well ut the remarkable size of the
monster as at its anomalous character. This
animal, part beast and part fish, is over thirty
feet in length, and girths twenty-one feet. 1t has
one enormous dorsal fin, two side belly fins, and
n broad shark-like tail. About one-third of its
length from it's taIl, in connection with small fins,
it has two huge legs, terminating in web feet.
It's mouth makes a line five or six feet in length,
the whole extent of which is set with innumerable
small teeth, very much resembling In size and
shape the kernel of a species of sharp pointed
popcorn. 1t has a series of gills which overlap
each other like the founces once the style in
ladies' dresses. Its immense body, which was
to have weighed when captured about
III tons, had no framework of bones, its most
solid portions consisting of cartilage, incapable of
preservation. Its skin is dark and tough, like
that of the elephant and rhinoceros.
There is no record of his species, and to none
is it a greater wonder than to naturalists, whose
attention is being drawn to it. Among others
who have had the opportunity of seeing it is
Professor Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution at
Washington, who is as yet unable to place it i'm
The known lists of the animal kingdom. 1t is
indeed a veritable wonder calculated to excite
popular curiosity, and to invite the researches of
he scientific.
CAT various times during the past fifteen years
strange monster, believed to be n huge serpent,
las been reported seen in Lake Utopia, in New
brunswick, just across the State line but as these
eports in each instance rested upon the testimo-
" of but one or two individuals, they were gen.
rally discredited. Latterly however, the reports
nd the number of witnesses had SO increased as
take the story out of the realm of fiction. On
unday, August 3, the monster was discovered
car the shore on the west side of PASSPORT Island, c
here Passamaquoddy Bay is connected with
Utopia by a marsh a quarter of a mile Q
attacked by musketry, it struck for 4,
ne marsh, and probably for the lake, which was
Undoubtedly its home, and before being rendered ii
lcapable of locomotion, it had worked its way
18th Its fins and legs a number of rods.-The re- p
ort of its presence at once spread to the town,
tracing a large number to the spot to aid i'm it's
sstruction. 1t received some seventy musket
ais, and although attacked in the forenoon, it !,
Inhibited signs of life the following day. IL
'Thus the northeastern point of our State, p
it'll the assistance of New Brunswick, has the :.
'nor of producing the nearest approach to Il .
:ritable sea-serpent, which is destined to make
popular sensation wherever exhibited. 1t is pl
be at Portland during the forthcoming State va
lir, and is thence bound for Boston, New York, til
I'd other principal cities" III
The discovery of n monster of such marvellous la
and unknown to science, at once at. all
acted the attention of scientific men-amonr
Professor Baird, of Washington Professor
lmlin, of Watervillc, and Professor Stanley, of
ties College. These gentlemen confess that the A AZ
'nster is too much for them-they do not know be-
nat 1T Is, where to classify it, or what name to
re it 1t is simply one of Natures biggest
AXIS. Perhaps it is the sea-serpent. OF course, OF
Down-Eastersh have been in a state o~fbewildcr- aGI
mt. That a monster SO long that it could not res
laid across Nassau street unless head and tail
mt into the shop-windows of such circumfer-
&c that, were the framework strong enough, it's 70
N could be used for a lifeboat, and with a ~
nth in which a few children could find
our Maine friends should have a 4.
| from such a stranger is reason enough for a a.
y
The article in the Bangor paper, which Har- :.
S Weekly copies, omits TO state that the mon 81,
r, whose hide had resisted 20 bullets, was at
I" brought to" by a broadside of spikes from
annon ,
{ the Messrs. Harpers or the eminent Professors
find the public incredulous, it may comfort In
to know that MIR. Wood has placed the ana ana
hster on exhibition iOr q short time IN his Muse pur
corner OF Broadway and Thirtieth street. mac