Daily Kennebec journal., 1875-08-05
SwAMrsco1T, July 81, 1870.


On our way to Nahant to call on you yesterday,
wnmct with an adventure which caused Us to post
pone that pleasure, and which has created quite
an excitement in our usually quiet household.
Our party consisted OF my reverend BROTHER Miss
Mary F. L., and myself, with two sailors
We were sailing in my yacht about bali way be-
tween Swampscott and Egg Rock, the sea beng
quite rough, owing to the strong southeasterly
wind of the previous night, when We espied a
school of black fish or small whales, between Egg
Rock and little Nahant. While we were watch
ing their movement through our glasses, the head
of an immense fish or sea monster suddenly en-
erged from amongst them, renamed above water
for some seconds, and fell again, causing the wat
er to boil for distance around II, and this per-
formance it repeated at intervals of perhaps two
minutes
This being something none of us had ever seen
before, we at once headed the yacht for the crea-
ture. When first seen it was at distance OF
about two miles from US and heading toward us.
had on board small breech-loadng Ballard II
ne, caibre Al, conical ball. and as soon rs we
were within 800 yards, fired at it, but without
effect as the motion of the vessel was great that
it was almost impossible to get steady ann We
chased it about the bay for two hours, and during
that time fired at it about twenty times, at DIS
tances varying from 100 to 300 yards. Once we
distinctly heard the ball strike, but with per-
ceptible effect. Finally it started out to sea, and
when last seen ii was heading in southeasteriy
direction, some four OF five miles out. During all
this time it was accompanied by the back-tsh,
some fifteen or twenty in number, one OF winch
seemed to keep alongside OF IT.
Its description, nearly as can give to You,
is as follows The head reminded me Of a lizards
head, long, fiat on top, from two to two and half
feet across, with eyes large and prominent, set
well back ON the upper part large mouth, which
we could see open occasionally. This head 1t
raised about eight feet from the water. bringing
it up slowly, and keeping it up five to ten seconds,
when it would plunge back with a quick motion
like dive, and showing a small portion of the
back where we could see pointed fin about one
and half or two feet long, standing straight up,
and in front We could see the upper part Of what
looked like short legs, or the fppers of seal, but
it never raised the extremities from the water.
Its color was smooth, glossy black, except
the under part Of the lower jaw, and as much of
the breast as we could see which was white, with
a distinct line of demarcation between the two
colors / could see nothing that looked like scales
We could of course, tell nothing about the length
of his body, but there must have been an immense
power somewhere to enable il to raise such a head
and neck, slowly, such a distance above the sur
face and to hold it there so long time. 1t was
distinctly seen by of our fishermen, who passed
within a few hundred yards while we were chasing
it. No one in this neighborhood ever saw any
thing like it before and if it was not the original
sea serpent should like to know what it was.
Your, atfcctionately.