The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-08-07
Ocean snakes. !

For many generations the sea-farins ana
the 'shore-faring have been seeing marine
serpents. From the decks OF ocean steamers,
of fishiug-smac7ls, and OF pleasure-yachts,
various reports of the usrithing monster
have come, agreeing in the particulars 1ilat
the creature had heah like puncheon,
was very aolg, carried knobs On MS
back, and always succeeded in eHecting
his escape. Nobody, we believe, ever be;
held dead sea-serpent more than q dead
donkey. 1t used to be the fashion for
those wiro saw the creature to 60. tnfore
notary and make affidavit, but the monster
has now become too common 10 war
rant that expense. Plays have Been writ
ten in which the animal was dramatically
! pcrsonfNed. Comic songs have been sung
OF him. He has assisted in carsrature. he
has bothered scientists. He has been writ
| ten down fraud, and nothing but horse
nrwRerel. .Gnd'iately he has been seen NOT
merely by one mariner but by many, not
only from ConeyiIsland, but likewise from
Rockavay, and, moreover, from Newport.
It lis well known that he must he
| the -sea1serpent or q sea-serpent, BE-
cause of his head, which IS like hogs
head: Of his length, one hundred
feet; OF his color, which is green; OF his
ewes which are full-Or'sed; OF his NOUN,
which runs from one ear to the other-tor,
strange to say, he has 'eaTs both large ana
erect; and very much ne must have eeen
astonished when he heard the report OF a
anusket and found himself wounded.
Unaer he went, and UP again he die not
come, at that time Since then, now
ever, q sight of him has been vouchsaied TO
the eyes Of mortals in the neighborhcoa OF
Coney Island, when he appeared to pc IN
to!erable health, and quite capable of ta|ling
cAre not to be taken
Do we believe in the sea-serpent? FER
.senally we do, as weE as in the kraksf., the
plmniX, the salaman&er, the unicorn ana
the griffin. We be2aege in the sea-sapcnt
i,ia as we believe in the mermaid; we saw
one of these (stuGed) in the window OF a
country shop only last week, and mighty
tisagreeable looking virgin she was. " here
is the banner beaGing the counterfeit
uyesentment Of that lovely creature
Which once floates in front OF Bar
NUNS Museum, before the cruel fire
had reduced that charming temple OF Won
ders to ashes We see her now, hot seated
upon the rocks, for she was not built to sit,
but gracefully reclining, while the blta'st
kind of ocean contrasted with her 'sno%'y
bosom. People, beg.laed by the beauty
upon the banner, were rather disappointed
| Wllen4 upon SolnS io al Ihe e> W ~
shillingS, they were introduced to "a ugly,
black, shrivened, grinhing, and manufae-
tured snonster in giass.case. But 'tas ever
thus! BY and by the sea-serpent will he
caught and brought to SHORE, and it is sad to
think how small he viii ,be found. Rather
! let us hope that he will remain un-
caugllt-that lie will be spared to rock him
self in the cradle OF the deep, TO float pro-
digious upon the weltering billow, and to
be landed, tmetaphoricaliy Speaklng) oniF in
paragraphs and ~afiidavits. There were
monsters rs the northern seas centuries ago
better wo,ah looking at-hnmense, many
beaded an6 .many-tailed creatures, who
mrithed abea1t the doomed skip and pulled
| her down to the bottom! Cannot those who
:ane always seeing what nobody else sees
oblige us be seeing one OF these at sea?
Ntso York. Tralnne. ..-..