The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-01
ODD FISH.
The Kraken and the Sea Eerpent-au-
tnentic Details in Regard to their
Appearance and Size.

From an interesting article on this subject
in the April nuIa her Of Putnams Magazine, T5
CLEAN the following
The existence of the Kraken (which Webster
defines es a fabled sea animal of INDUSTRIOUS
size) has ever been. q subject OF lncredulity,
though tenaciousy maintaining its hold on the
wonder of man. Trcbius tells us q story thaI
q polypus came every night from the srea1S
deep on shore at Carteja in order to- Ieed
on salt meat. The people tried IN VAIN 10
discover the robber, but finally the dogs
caught him one morning as he trled 10
make his way back to the sea. he was
soon surrounded by host OF men, but at
distance, for The hldeousness OF the monster;
all covered with brine, his enormous size, ana
the horrible odor b., dtfused, nearly petrlhed
the poor fishermen. After fighting the dogs
bravely with his two larger arms, and beating
them with his whip-like teotacies, the Usher
men summoned courage, and with their trl-
dents despatched the kraken. The head and
arms OF the monster were taken to Lucullus
and measured. The head was the size OF
large cask, while the arms were thirty feet
long and so large that man could hardly
span them. Whether Lucullus had the remain
ing fcsh-which Still weighed over seven hun
dred pounds cooked for his table Is not
stated: but we know that the Romans were as
fond OF the flesh Of these hideous 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 beleV-
ed that but few existed. but that they were in
mortal-which belief was not ever shaken,
when in 1880 the carcass OF one was for the
first time discovered i'll the Cult OF NewangeD,
IN the Parish of Astabough. His arms had
become entaugled in the numerous cliffs and
rocks which characterize the dangerous coast
4l,ok hnr
died there, unable to extricate itself. When
putrefactioD commenced in the enormous
mass. the odor became 30 offensive for miles
that q pestilence was feared; but the waves
finally washed 1t away, piece by piece: A
similar case occurred on the Newfoundland
banks toward the close of the last cent-ry.
The most remarkable story is that OF Dan
lsh sailor, Captain John Magnus Dens. He
was once becalmed off the coast of Africa and
set the crew to cleaning ship. All at once
kraken rose from the sea. threw one OF ITS arms
around two men, and sank out Of sight.
Another feeler, however. appeared, ami trie0 10
grasp sailor who was asc nding mast; me
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 h1m. Iho
severed feeler measured at the base as many
inches as their mlZzen-mast, was still twenty.
five ieet long, and at tho pointed oud provided
with number Of suckers, each us large as o
spoon. Its full size must have baen 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 moliusk called cephalopodes,
was found in various seas, the peculiar forma-
ton AMI strange appearance or wmch soino-
&l,,.-, nod
An elongated sack in the form OF an egg or
cylinder, from which protrudes at one end
thick round bead, with pair OF enormous nat
eyes: on his head at the summit kind OF hard
Drown beak, after the manner or parrots Dill,
and around the beak Gro 8n OF eight OF ten
powerful long arms-this is the polypus, which
passed OF old for kraken: Its arms are some
times fifty or SIXTY feet long. SteenS.1dp ~ 1e;s
Copenhagen naturalist, examined one IN iooo'
on the coast of Gothland. where it had been
caught by fishermen. 1t required several
carIs to carry. the body OF.
The twin brother Of the krakcn-thc sea
serpent-is clearly referred to in the Old les
lament, both by Isaiah and Job, and IN the
Psalms. Nicoluu. Gramlus, minister OF the
Gospel. at London tells us that curing de-
struc,ive iuundation in Norway, an Immense
serpent was seen to make its way towards the
ocean. nverthrowinS everything in its path.
animals, trees and ,uSes, and utter1ng teartui
roarlngs Ii We believe the testimony OF the
Hebrews and OF the Northern nations. the c
exists serpent living 10 the sea, OF Gigan ic
proportions. swimming by vertical movements,
in which it is aide by fiDs, which nS down
from bshind its neck. 1t has shaggy name.
its eyes largo and brilliant. ana tne
head is shaped somewhat like that
of O. horse. It ls only Seen IN mld-m dsum-
mer and during fue weather, for the want OF
stability in it's long and flexible body disa6les
it from resis ting the effect OF high winds. Ihe
first reliable account OF the serpent IN modern
times came from ship captain, Laurent de
Ferry, OF Bergen, who saw one IN May, LAO.
TIE only otuer repor is that of Rev. MIR.
Mclean, written from the Helvides, who saw
one from seventy to eighty teet long off the
coast of Coll, June. 1908. The same year the
BODY of one was washed ashore at Strousa, one
of the Orkueys. II was over fifty feet long and
nine feet in circumference. 1t had KIND or
name running from behind tho head nearly to
to the tail, which was brilliantly phosphores-
sent at night. It's gills, noarly i've feeS long,
were not unlike the plucked wings OF goose.
The question has nevor 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 we'll es .ablished by the concurrent testlmo-
ny OF American, English and Norwegian eye
witnesses; and the mere TACT that no specimen
exists in the museums and that no such mons
ter has been recently encountered does not Dy
any means disprove the experience OF 80 many
ages.