The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-01
ODD FISH.
Tho Krnken and tho Sea ScrPont-Au-
thontic Details I'm Regard to their
Appearance mnd Stzo.

deep on shore at Carteja in order to feed
on salt meat. The people tried in vain to
caught him one morning as he tried To
make his way back to the sea. He was
soon surrounded by q host of mon, but at q
distance, for The hideOusness Of the monster,
all covered with brine, his enormous size, and
the horrible Odor hs dlffused, nearly petrified
the poor fishermen. After fighting the dogs
bravely with his two larger arms, and beating
them with his whip-like JeDIaces, the Usher
men summoned courage, and with their tri-
dents despatched the kraken. The head and
arms OF the monster were taken 70 lucullus
and measured. The head was the si.:o OF q
large cask, while the arms were thirty feet
long and SO large that q man could hardly
span them. Whether Lucullus had the remain
ing fesh-which still weighed over seven hun
dred pounds-cooked for his table is not
stated; but we know that the Romans we're as
fond Of the flesh Of these hiieous creatures as
the fishermen Of the coasts Of Normandy are
in our day.
Numberless other tales are told of the mons
ter. In the seventeenth century it was bellev-
ed that but few existed, but that they we're inn
mortal-which belief was not ever shaken,
when in 1880 the carcass Of one was for the
first time discovered in the Cult Of Newangen,
In the Parish of Astabougb. His arms had
become entangled in the numerous cliffs and
rocks which characterize the dangerous coast
Of that neighborhood, and the animal had
putrefaction commenced in the enormous
mass, the odor became so offensive for miles
that pestilence was feared; but the waves
finally washed it away, piece by piece. A
banks toward the close Of the last GENTRY.
The most remarkable story is that Of Dan
ish sailor, Captain John Magnus Dens. He
was once becalmed off the coast of Africa and
kraken rose from the sea, threw one Of Its arms
around two men, and sank out Of sight.
Another feeler, however. appeared, and tried to
grasp sailor who was asc ending mast. The
crew came to his assistance and succeeded in
cutting OFF the feeler. but the man died from
fright. They threw five harpoons into the
monster, but were unable to hold him. The
severed feeler measured at the base as many
inches as their ml2zen-mast, was still twenty
five feet long, and at the pointed end provided
with number OF suckers, each as large as O
spoon. Its full size must have been far great
er. as only part of it had been cut of, the ami
NAL never even raising it's head above the sur
face.
During one century the facts have been
stripped of all exaggeration and the existence
OF such monsters placed beyond all controver-
sy. A kind Of mollusk called cephalopodes,
was found in various seas, the peculiar forma-
tlon and strange appearance OF which suthci-
emily explained the marvels told Of the kraken.
An elongated sack in the form Of an egg, or
cylinder, from which protrudes at one end q
thick round head, with pair of enormous fat
eyes; on his head at the summit kind of hard
and around the beak a Gro wn OF eight or ten
powerful long arms-this is the polypus, which
passed Of old for kraken. Its arms are some
times fifty or sixty, feet long. Steenstrup. q
on the coast Of Gothiand, where it had been
caught by fishermen. It required several
carts to carry. the body Off
The twin brother OF the kraken-the sea
serpent-is clearly referred to in the Old Tes-
lament, both by Isaiah and Job, and in the
Psalms. Nicolaus Gramlus, minister Of the
Gospel, at London, tells US that curing de-
structive inuNdation in Norway, an immense
serpent was seen to make it's way towards the
ocean, overthrowing everything in it's path,
animals, trees and h ouses, and uttering fearful
Hebrews and Of the Northern nations. there
exists serpent. living IN the sea, of gigant ic
proportions, swimming by vertical movements,
IN which it is aided by fDs, which b ing down
it's eyes are large and brilliant. and the
head is shaped somewhat like that
Of horse. It is only seen in mid-midsum-
mer and during fine weather, for the want of
stability in it's long and flexible body disables
1t from resis ting tho effect OF high winds. The
first reliable account of the serpent in modern
times came from ship captain, Laurent de
Ferry, Of Bergen, who saw one in May, 1746.
The only other repor is that Of Rev. Mr..
Mclean, written from the Helvides, who saw
one from seventy to eighty feet long off the
coast OF Con, June, 1908. The same year the
body OF one was washed ashore at Strousa, one
OF the Orkneys. 1t was over fifty feet long and
nine feet in circumference. It had kind Of
name running from behind the head nearly to
to the tail, which was brilliantly phosphores-
cent at night: It's gills, nearly five feet long,
were not unlike the pluoksd wings Of goose.
The question has never been finally decided
whether the sea serpent belongs to the realms
OF fancy, or is really one Of the deep. That
there must be in existence animals of serpen
like form and Of gigantic proportions seems to
be well established by the concurrent testimo-
ny of American, English and Norwegian eye
Witnesses; and the mere fact that no specimen
exists in the museums and that no such MONS
tVr nY,nn nvprkor oroIl loor =,
any means disprove the experience Of so many
ages.