Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1877-01-09
A FEARFUL FROG.


British steamship Nestor arrived at
SHANGHAI from the Straits of Malacca.
Shortly after the anchoring of the ves-
sci at Shanghai, John K. Webster, the
master, and James Anderson, the ships
surgeon, appeared before Mr.. Donold
Spence, acting law secretary in her
Britannia Majesty's supreme court,
and made affidavit to the following
marvellous statement of facts:
We, John Keller Webster, of Liv-
erpool, and James Anderson, geon,
of Liverpool, do solemnly and sincere
| ly declare as follows: And, first, J.,
the said John Keller Webster, in
command of the steamship Nestor,
do declare that on Monday, the 18th
day of September, at 1920 A. NJ, Ill
teen miles northwest of North sand
Hight house, in the Malacca straits, the
|
weather being fine and the sea smooth,
the air also perfectly clear, | saw a
little forward of the beam, on the star
board side about 200 yards distant
from the ship, an object first pointed
out to me by my third officer, who re-
marked, 'There is shoal." Surprised
at finding shoal in such well-known
track, watched the object and found
lit was in movement, keeping up the
same speed with the ship and retain
ling about the same distance as first
seen. The speed of the ship was nine
and three-quarters knots, and the OBJ
liect was moving parallel with us dur
ing six minutes. Just after observed
it the Chinese deck passengers dis
covered it, and raised a great outcry
and about the same moment 1t was
described by three saloon passengers
and the surgeon. The shape OF the
creature for that it was alive there Is
no doubt. would compare to that OF
gigantic frog. Referring to the heaC
and body, as far as they were appar
ent above the water, the head, OF
pale. yellowish color, was about l;
. feet in length, and six feet of tn
crown was above the water; occasion
allv the head subsided until only
= foot or a foot and half remainet
above the water. | tried in vain t
make out the eyes and the mouth; tn
: mouth, however, may have been beloV
water. The head was immediatel
y connected with the body, without an
indication of a neck The body wa
;. about forty-fve or fifty feet in length
. and of an oval shape, perfectly smooth
+ but there may have been a slight ridg
$. along the spine. The back rose som
five feet above the surface. An III
\. mense tail, fully $50 feet in length
. rose a few inches above the waite
This tail saw distinctly from II
4 junction with the body TO its extrem
81. tv; it seemed cylindrical, with yer
~ slight taper, and | estimated It's q
ameter at four feet. The body an
tail were marked with alternate banc
til til of stripes, black and pale yellow
ss ss color. The stripes were distinct
we we the very extremity Of the tail. | ca
na oa not saw whether the tail terminated
fin or not. examined it careful
at the above mentioned distance, b
. lcould not satisfy myself how the t.
a Terminated The creature possess
I no fins or paddles as far as we cou
4 nerceive, never having seen any pa
of its belly. | cannot say II 1t nj
LEGS. It is very possible that the Gre
tnre was much broader and more m;
.s;ve than the dimensions above give
for the greater part Of it was evide
" under water, and we never caug
a.l;.,,so of any Int the extreme |