The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-25
A WONDERFUL STORY OF THE DEEP.
An Immense Sea-mOnster Captures and SMal
lows y Sperm Whale.


lows y Sperm Whale.
British sea captains are becoming fa-
nous by reason of their discoveries of
sea.monsters. Some weeks ago the
World published an amazinl story Of a
monster marine-trOg seen by the officers
and crew OF an English steamer in the
Straits Of MalaCca, and now Captain
Drewan of the bark Pauline, of Lo ndou,
who has just arrivedat Cork from long
voyage, favors the pubic with the iol-
10 wing account of an ocean marvel:
Park Pauline, July 8, 1875, latitude 5
deg, 10 min. porGn, longitude 30 deg. west,
Cape San Rogue, northeast coast OF
Brazil, distance twenty miles, at II A.
NJ, the weather fine and clear, wind and
sea moderate, observed some black spots
on the water, and whitish pillar some
thirty feet high above them. At the first
sighSI took all to be breakers, as the sea
was splasning up tountain-.ike about
them, and the pillar a pinnacle rock
Dleached with the sun, but The pillar iell
with Il splash and IA similar one arose.
They rose and fell alternately in quick
succession, and good glasses showed
me IL was a monster sea-serpent coiled
twice round large sperm whale. The
head and tail parCs. eacn about thirty
..
twisting iLseil and its victim round with
great velocity. They sunk out of sight
every two minutes, coming to the sur
lace still revolving; and the struggle of
the whale and Two other whales that
were near, frantic with excitement,
made the sea in their vicinity like boil
ing caulQrOn; and LOUD confused noise
was distinctly heard.
This stragge occurrence las ted some
fifteen minutes, and finished with the
tai portion Of the whale being elevated
straight in the air, then waving back
wards and forwards and lasAing tue
water turiously in the last death sIrug-
gle, when the whole body Disappeared
from our view, going down head lore
most TO the bottom, where, no doubt, IT
was gOrged at the serpenps leisure; and
that monster OF monsters may have been
many months in state OF coma, digest
ing The huge mOuthiul.
Then, Two of the largest sperm whales
that L have ever seen moved slowly
thence towards the vessel, their bodies
more than usually elevated out of the
water and not spouting or making the
least noise, but seem. ns quite paraiyZed
with fear; indeed cod Shiyer WeuJ
through my own frame on benOlding the
last agonizing struggle of the poor whale
that had seemed as helpless in the coils
OF the vicious monster as a bird in the
talons OF a hawk.
Allowing for two coils round the
whale, l think the serpent was about
one hundred and sixty or one hundred
and seventy teet long, and seven or
eight leet in girth. 1t was in color much
like congerseel; aud the head, from the
mouth being always open, appeared the
largest part of its body. IL is curious
that the whale, that lives on the small
est food OF any tisn in the ocean, should
itself be but a meal tor another monster;
for think it as feas BILE tnat the serpent
swallowed the whale as that boa-con-
strictor can consume q whole bullock.
| am aware tnaG few believe in tue ex-
istence OF the great sea serpent. Peu-
pie think that as SO many vessels are
constantly Oh the ocean it would be
seen oftener. But the northeast coasJ
of Brazil, noted for its mouster reptiles,
is peculiarly adapted for the growth oi
sea monsters. Ine temperature of The
air and water is seldom below 81 deg ,
the shore for Thousand miles Is Dor.
dered by coral wall or reet,an numel-
Gus banks and reefs extend for con-
siderable distance from The land, while
there are strong and various currents
and no ports; SO that ships, tor bus =
ness or pleasure, seldom 20 near 1T. /
was unexpected circumstances led me
TO the home of the sea serpent, and
think it may be allowed that the SER
pent retains some portion Of that Gun
ulnS mentioned in Scripture.
AT least 1t has wit enough not to leave
a good feeding ground aud secure home
to go wandering about the ocean like a
fish, ana be tortured and captured tor
mans pleasure or profit. think Cape
san Rogue is a landmark for whales leay-
ing the South Tor the North Atlantic.
The warm water is also good for it's
breedtng; and if the Crystal Palace
company, or some enterprIsing Barnum,
offered Il suitable reward for the SER
pents capture, 1 am sure steam
whaler, with suitable hooks baited with
some animal and steel wire lines, would
effect Its capture while folI0wing d
profitable whaling business. '"'f
wrote thus lar little thinking would
lever see the serpent again; but at z A.
NJ, duly. Ii, In the same latitude and
some eighty miles east OF San Roque,
was astonished TO see the same or a
similar monster. 1t was throwing its
head and about forty feet of its body in
"a horizontal position out OF the water as
it passed Onwards by the stern OF our
vessel. l began musing why we were
so much favored with such strange
visitor, and concluded that the band or
white paint, two feet wide above the
copper, might nave looked like fellow
serpent to 1t, and no doubt attracted its
attention. rt.
1t was put on to keep the vessels side
clear and Tree from barnacles, which it
does remarkably well; and if the agita-
tors about the deep road line gain their
wssb, it would be both useful and prac-
tical to mark the vessel thus, in place
OF disfguring ii with plague spots that
would be constantly rubbed off. II the
with Two competent sur
Veyors, SO decided, much misery, un-
certainty and perpetual lawsuits Would
be AVOIDED. While thus thinking, 1 was
startled by the cry OF "lhere it. is
againp' and a short distance to
leeward, elevated some 81 xty
feet in the air, WAS the great leyia-
than, grimly looking towards the vessel.
AS was not sure it was only our tree
board it was viewing, we had all our
axes ready, and were fully determined,
should the brute embrace the Pauline.
70 chop away for its backbone with ali