The New York herald., 1877-10-08
THE RIVER MONSTER.

HE RlVER MONS1 1ENs
DESCRIPTION or TIE LEvIATHAN OF THE MIS-
sIssIPPr-HAs ANANIAs RISEN FROM THE
DEAD TO TEST OUR cRxDuLrrY ?--BArTI,
WITH COAL YLEET-rERRoR SPREADING
ALONG THE SHORE.
[From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat, Oct 81
Friday afternoon, at a late hour-the sun being about
half hour high and the sky and unusually clear
Captain John Carraway, Of the towboat Bee Wing
having In tow SIX neavly loaded coal barges OF ths
well known Brown Barge and Transportation Com.
pany OF Pittsburg. was passing point on tho river
Just above the village or landing known as Bradlcy's
nve miles below DEVILS Elbow cut-oR and about nf
lecn miles above Memphis when his attention was d.
rec,ed loud. pulling noisc considerable distance
up tho river Al nrst he thought It was the
roaring OF a broken escape ppo or the Wheeling
OF disordercd engine; but, secing no smoke.
and having reason to believe that there
was NO steam craft within hearing distance, below
above he very shortly came to the conclusion that
the sounds emanated from another source. Five min
utes passed and the noise continued TO be heard at
brief intervals, and evidently getting closer. From
tho deck OF tho towboat view could be had for 1000
yards up tho river, q gradual bend commencing al
that distance. The almost dipping below the
western horizon when this bond, there rose q
view the writhing form Of terrific monster, dartina
impe.uously In mid-channel down the river. Whes
first the lcvathan seemed moro liko an immense
uprootod troo, floating in semi -perpen dcular post
ton along the mid-channe AS II nearcd however is
horrid proportions became manifest The hideousncsa
OF tns aquatic monsrosity stated by Captain Cara
pelican bill from 1ve TO ten feet length the
gigantic bulldog hoad ana the mammoth. SHINY neck,
appeared high in air the vast ta lxshing the water
Into fury ana tho enormous ans ten feet IN length
sending out waves ike the roll OF lying boat; the
irsauen. dipping Of The monsr0us Dssx into "a:
ernous roars that camo laundering alona
ut the breiest ntervals-al these formed
Internal panorama that made the blood Of the Tow
boat captain and his affrighled run cold aud
their very hairs 10 STAND END. The monster was
In the exact OF boat barges but it .rav-
ecd with such tremendous velocity that turning out
Of the course was Impossible. 1t is believed tnat its
iocomotion was at least twenty miles an hour and
Captain Carraway a. once realized that II the ponder
Gus body, with Its irresistible momentum, should
strike his fragile vessel tho would capsize
instant be shattered to spltnters. He was making
eight miles an hour on the monster rushed. roaring
two streams oi water that shot orty feet the air
and fell in torrents INTO the RIVER on either SIDE
MONSTER DESCRIBED
Tho serpentine body swaycd torluously and with
frightiul rapidly through the muddy waters, Will,
the prodglous foreparts Of the colossal reptile
and sunk and swayed ike Stygan horror, threaten
ing 10 swallow and dev0ur all that came within ita
reach. When within $50 or 200 yards the horrid rep
tile, as II II had just discovered obstacle 10
It's track, slackened It's precip,tate pace and
Tor an instant paused to contemplate the nature Of
the obstruction. With o tremendous snort SO louu
and deep sonorous that IT gavo The boat trcmu
lous motion. Inc hugo creature came 10 dead STOP
aud with It's monstrous 6 head and neck reared per-
pendicuary, secmcd1lko watery demon rising from
the bosom OF the deep. Hero Captain Carraway. do.
spite the terror that had necessarily taken possess
sion Of him, obtained good view Of the monster at
least the parts that were above water and his descp
tion oil the horrihc spectacle sufficiently minute aud
accurate 10 deserve reproduction. Carraway alleges
that there IL no doubt the monster has pelican
shaped bl but that It's length, which has heretofore
been described as being tive feet long, will measure a.
least ten feet. " appeared moro like an Immense
horn than Deak, aud IN shape was much like the
pointed sword OF the spear hsn, though larger and
longer, and decidedly more formidable as weapon OF
offensive warfare. 1t from through this bill that
the monster spouted wator, the water being thrown
from u point near the head. Captain Cara
way, who Is an old whaler, stated that the
sp0utng, unlike that OF the whale, which throws ita
stream upward In straight column, was made In
oblique directions, and that the volume OF water
spoued and the height reached were twlcc great
that thrown by The whale. The head is described TO
have been four or i've eet across black and shining
and ITS shape bearing close resemblance TO that OF
the bulldog Captain Carraway thinks the animal bore
It's head two short horns. but OF this he Is not
tain. as the timo for observation was very short.
There could be doubt, however, as to the canine
shape OF tho head. and Of the phenomenal circum-
that this dogs head was attached bill
beaK, fashioned like that OF pelican. rhe neck ap-
pcared to DO ten or twelve icet in barrow and
serpentne, and swaying and writing With motion
liko that Of snake poised In water The sides and
under portions OF the neck were evidently covered
with scales chanpcable nue. but from ths
top Of tue neck there grew had the appearances
o q manc resembling that Of horse, being tnicK and
shiny and OF . greenish tint This name reached
from the base OF the head the body and depended
from tho neck IN long strands These were the only
parts Of the body that were visible except the fms.
On the back there appeared 10 be aorsal I'm hItecn
or twenty feet In iengln, measuring along the back,
and perhaps three or iour feet in height
not be % seen. and CAPTAIN carraway SAYS he NAV be
mistaken as 10 this dorsal FIN, and only describes u
as II appeared 70 him during the momentary oppor.
tunty he had Tor observation The side fns were of
monstrous proportions, extending fifteen feet
either sde aud whito the monster paused they
and dipped back into the water rapidly, throwing i'm
nense waves in a forward direction, lhe monster by
this means posing and steadying himself in the
rent
THE yLEEr ATTACKED.
This attitude was main tained not longer than threo
four minutes, and tho distance being nearly or
necessarily imperfect, but Ia tho MAN, u Is undoubt
eddy accurate, as agrees almost exactly with the
monster by persons who have him wading
shallow water or outstretched sandDars. ST
denly the immense head aud neck disappeared UNI
the water with ashing sound tnat could have b.
heard half mile down the river. For a lew n
men,s nothing Of the monster, but II was
Course co ior Inc sowsoas and Darsss Ills tr wss
indicated by rolling, pointed wave that came rush
ing forward like wafer impelled by great sub.
marine uphcava. There was great excitement on
board, and The captain and hands wore all Oh deck,
looking, with terror, upon the extraordinary spec
tacle. young German named Henry Decker, was
the coal barge ashed TO the right OF the towboa and
II unde. this barge that the monster pougned hs
the barge thrown with tremendous force above
the OF the water and almost carecned the
end being hosted twenty feet into the air, half the
cargo of coal being hurled into the river, ami along
with IL tho man Henry Decker. The lashngs by whcn
the barge secorea TO the towboat were snapped.
and the shock sudden ana strong that the tow
boat itsoli was almost lifted clear OF the water. In
moment the monster rcappcared front oil the fleet,
and turning his body 10 lace the barge " had
passed under, again reared It's body, suddenly dived
into the watcr and made Ior the boats II was foriu-
nate that the barge had become
iho ,hant In bc
OF aversion to Tho lcviathan, for he attacked II with
fury that terrible TO behold FIRST ho drove into
tho sides with his huge beak lifting almost entirely
out Of the water anu sending II nfty icet away.
Then no lashed IT with his tall tho blows rcsound-
ing with deaiening effect, while, IN the means,ne,
thc air made hdeous with successive roara
aud harsh, loud bellows. A second time he made an
assault with his bcak, striking fairly In tho gun
waes,and sending IL scuddlng 100 cct down tho river.
This last attack seemed ~ satisfy the monster, lor
with a howl he suddenly sunk beneath the surface
ana shot down the channel going ut n speed whcn
Captain Carraway aHirfns must have reached torty