, 1877-10-07
THAT MONSTER.
The St. Louis Globe Democrats
Riyer-Leyiathan.
An Effort by the Mississippi to Get
Ahead OF Lake Michigan.

| 81. Lozfs Globe Democrat 0ct. S.
Mr.. Robert Mathison. u well-knowu bushes
man of st. Louis, whose residence is at 233
Olive street, arrived ii the city last night b
rail, from Memphis, and at late hour called a
the G|obe-Democrat Office and gave to q reportc
q startling account Of the recent exploits OF +h
| river monster which nas created such an excite
mcnt during the last TWO weeks among th
dcnizens OF the Lower Mississippi. Mr.. Mathl
sons narratfye-and there seems to be no t1oub
OF its literal truthfulness-is substantially d
follows: Friday afternoon, at late hour,-th
sun being about ha!f-hour high, and the SIX.
and air unusually clear,-Capt. John Carraway
Of the to9boat Bee Wing, having in tow si'
heaylly-loadcd coal-bargcs OF the well-know1
Brown Barge s; TRANSFORMATION Company
| OF Pittsburg, was passing a point OF
| the river just above the village ol
| landing known as Bradley's. five miles belo"
DEVILS Elbow Cutoff, and about fifteen mile:
| above Memphis, when bis attention Was directed
| to loud, putting noise considerable distance
up the river. At first he thought ID was the
roaring Of 4 broken 'acaDe~pipe or the wheezng
OF lisordered engine; but, seeing no smoke,
and having reason to believe that there was nc
steam craft within herring distance, below OF
above, he very shortly came to the conclusion
that the sounds cmanated from another source,
Five minutes passed and the noise continued
| to be heard ut hricf intervals, and evidently
| getting closer. From tile deck OF the tow-boat
| i view could be had for 1000 yards up the
| river, gradual bend commencing at that dis
| lance. The sun was almost dipping bclo" the
| western horizon when, around this bend, there
| rosc to view the writhiug form Of
| A TERRIFIC MONSTER,
darting impetuonsly in mid-channcl down the
river. When first seen the lcviathan seemed
more like an immense uprooted tree, floating IN
scini-perpenuicular position along the mid
channel As it neared, however, its horrid nro-
portions became manifest. The hidcousness
Of this aquatic monstrosity is stated bv Capt.
Carraway to be beyond the power Ut description.
III length, the gigantic bulldog head, and the
mammoth, Shiny neck, uprcared high in air; the
vast tail lashing the waters into fury, and the
enormous fins, teu feet in length, seiding out
waves like the roll Of flying boat; the frequent
dipping Of tue nlonstrous bcak into the water,
and spouting huge streams forty feet high III
obIioue directions, aud the deep, cayernous
roars that came laundering along ut tue brief
est iuterval5-all these formed an internal pan
Drama that made the bloud OF the toWboat
Captain and his affr1ghted crew run cold, and
their very hairs to stand Oh eud- The monster
WAS in the exact wake vi the boat and bargcs,
but it Travelled With such tremendous velocity
that turning out Of the course was impossible.
twenty miles an hour, and Capt. Carraway at
once realized that it the pondcruus body, with
its irresistible momentum, should strike his
fragile vessel the boat would capsize in an in
stant or be shattered to splintcrs. Lie was
making eight miles al hour. On the monster
rushed, roaring with ueafcning effect, spoutng
from his hGrria bill two streams Of water that
shot forty feet into the air, and fell in torrents
into the river OIL either side.
TIE sEKPENTISE BODY
tn1 fHrt nj II
through the muddy waters, while the prodl@ious
forcparts OF the colossal reptile rose aud sunk,
aud swayed like i Stygian horror, threatening
to swallow aud leyour al that came within its
reach. When Within $50 or o00 yards. the hor-
rid reptile, if it had Just discovered an obsta-
Gle in its track, slaclsenct its precpitate pace,
and for an instant paused to contemplate The
nature Of the obstruction. With a tremendous
snort, so loud and deep, aud sonorous, that it
gave the boat a tEcnlul1us motion, the huge
creature canlc to 4 dead stop, and with
its monstrous bill, head, and neck reared
perpcndiculariy, seemed like i watery dc-
deep, Here Capt. Caravan, despite the ter
r.lr that had necessarily taken possession Ut
him, obtained good view Of the monster, ut
least the parts that were above water, and his
description Of THE horrible spectacle is sufficient
y minute and accurate 10 deserve reproduction. !
Carraw:ay alleges that there is no doubt the |
monster has pelcan-shapeL bill, but that its |
length, Which has heretofore been described as |
being tlve teet long, Will measure a. least ten !
1cct. It appeared more Ike IN immense norm |
than oeak. And III shape Was much ilkc the
pointed s"oru OF the spear-llsa, thou9h larger |
ana longer. AM decidedly more 1ormluabe US |
weapon ol offensive warfare. IL was from |
through Lhls Dill tnat tne monster spouteu /
near the head Capt. CarraWay, Who Is an Old |
Hhaler, stated that
TIE SCOUTING,
unlike that OF the whale, which throws its
stream upward IN straight column, was made
Ill oohque directions, and that the volume OF |
water spoutcd, 2nd the height reached, vas
t"ice as great as tIat thrown by the whale The |
mead Is ucscrloed 70 nave been lour OF I'VE leet
across: Black ara Shining, aud its shape btarng |
close resemblance to that OF t'lc bull-doE.
lapt- Carra"ay thinks tue animal bore on its |
head two short horns, but OF this he is not GER
lain, as the time for observation was very short.
There could be no ut'aot, however, as to the
canine shape OF the head, and Of the phcnon:e-
nal circumstance thai to this dogs head
was attached = bill or beak, fash
oned like that Of pcliean. The
acck appeared to bc ten Or twelve
icct III length: narrow and scrpentlne. and sway
Ing and Wrlthilg with motion like that o. Il
snake poised in water The sides anu under
portions of the neck were evidently coTercl |
y Ih FURNISHED scales Of cllanee2be hue, out
from the top OF the ncck tlserc grew what had
the appearance OF mane, resetnhling that Of !
horse, being thick and shiny, and ~ Il grccn;sh
tint. Ihls name TeaeheA from the base ol inc
head to the body anu depended lfom tue nces