Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1877-01-03
Anoiner seq Monster.

In the month of October last the
British steamship Nestor arrived at
I Shanghai from the Starts of Malacca,
/ Shortly after the anchoring Of the
vessel at Shanghai, John *. Webster
( the master, and James Anderson,
the ships surgeon, appeared before
Mr.. Donald Spence, acting Law Sec
rotary in Her Britannia Majesty's
( Supreme Court, aud made afiidayits
to the following marvellous statement
Of facts: We, John Keller Webster,
| Of Liverpool, aud James Anderson,
surgeon Of Liverpool, do solemniy
and sincerely declare as follows:
And, first, I, the said John Keller
Webster, in command Of the steam
ship Nestor, do declare that, on
Monday, the nth day of September,
at 1920 a. M, fifteen miles north
west Of North Sand Lighthouse, in
the Malacca Straits, the weather be-
ing fine aud the sea smooth, the air
also perfectly clear, saw, a little for
ward Of the beam, on the starboafd
side, about 200 yards distant from
the ship, an object first pointed out
to me by my third officer, who re-
marked. "there is a shoal," Sur
prised at finding ashoaIiu such we'll
known track, | watched the object
and found that ii was in movement
keeping up the same speed with the
ship, and retaining about tho same
distance as first seen. The speed of
the ship was nine and three-quarter
knots, and the object was moving
parallel with us during six minutes.
Just after / observed it, the Chinese
deck passengers discovered il and
raised q great cutlery, and about the
same moment 1T was deserted by
three saloon passengers and the sur
ccon, The shape Of the creature
for that it was alive there Is no doubt
~ would compare to that Of a 81
gantic frog. Referring to the head
and body, as far az they were appar-
ent above the water the head, Of a
pale, yeIlowish color, was about
twelve feet in length, aud six feet OF
the crown was above the water; oc-
casionally the head subsidized until
only foot or q foot and a half re-
NAMED above the water. ! tried In
vain to make out the eyes and mouth
the mouth, however, might have
been below water. The head was
Immediately connected with the
BODY, without any indication Of a
neck. The body was about forty-iiye
or fifty feet in length, and Of an
oval shape, perfectly smooth, but
there may have been slight ridge
along the spine. The back rose some
five feet above the surface. An Inn
meuse tail, fully $50 feet in length,
rose few inches above the water.
This tail saw distinctly from its
junction with the body to its extrem-
it's: IT seemed cylindrical with a
very slight taper, and estimate It's
diameter at four feet. The body
aud tail were marked with alternate
bands Of stripes. black and pale yell
low III color. The stripes were dis
-tinct to the very extremity of the
tail. cannot gag whather the tail
terminated IN fin or not. ! exam-
ined IL carefully 1T the aboye-men-
toned distance, but could not salts
~ myself how the tail terminated.
the creature possessed no fms or
paddles az far as we could perceive,
never having zen any part Of its bel
ly. / cannot say lift had legs. X Is
very possible that the creature was
much broader and more massive
than the dimensions above given.
for the greater part oft was evident
IS under water, and we never caught
glimpse Of any bot the extreme
upper parts. 1t appeared to me to