The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1879-09-11
SUNK BY A SEA-SERPENT.

OF THE FRIGHTENED SAILORS IN
BOATS.
The steamship P. Calsnd, which ar
rived from Rotterdam Tuesday, had on
board Captain l.. g. Larsen and the en-
tire crew of Norwegian bark which
was lost In mid-Ocean under remarkable
Captain Lar,en's story,
which is fully corrobOrated by his men,
goes TO show that the accounts which
have been given 10 the public from time
10 time of dangerous sea monsters in
the ocean are not wholly false.
Either the original sed-serpent or some
powerful submarine creature of the race
run into the bark Columbia on Septem-
Der 4, in latitude At degrees 32 MINUTES,
and lOngitude AZ degrees 81 minutes, and
injured that vessel 80 tnat SHE sank
within short time after she had bsen
struck. The bark Columbia left Lon
don for Quebec, in ballast, on August 8,
and met with variable weather until the
morning of the 4th instant, when she
was sailing at the rate of from six To
seven miles an hour before a fair wind.
The captain was on deck at five bells in
the morning watch, when tremendous
shock, which shook The bark from stem
TO stern, was felt. The men who weie
a>le,p in their bunks were awakened,
aud, thi king that the foremast had been
carried away, sprang on deck. Captain
Larsen and three of his men ran to The
port side aud saw the water dihcolored
while the tail AID fins of huge monster
acre seen spiashing about IN the sea,
which had b. come violently agitated on
that side of the vessel. At this moment
one OF the crew cried out that leak had
b.en sprung, and Captain Larsen and
the carpenter hurried ,wninte the hold
to see IL the bark had suffered any in
juries. In the port bow, about 8 + ct be-
low water mark, they found that four
planks hal been crushed III for space
about four feet louc. A large hole had
been made, through which the daylight
above the water could be plainly seen.
Wafer was pnring rapidly into the YES
sci through this hoIe. Several attempts
we're made to stop it up, but the Ca ~ ain
soon found 1t would be useless to remain
below any 10 ger. In the meantime the
men OH deck had become terribly fright
ened. Some or ed bitterly, while others
had become SO frightened by their unex-
pected encounter with the sea monster
that hey were for the me being almost
helpless.
When Captain Larsen reached the
deck he directed his men to get the boats
in readiness to abandon the vessel. The
logic. *, Instruments, aud few clothes
with some provisions, were bundled in
TO two boats, which we're put over the
sides as soon as the excited sailors had
pla'.ed little fresh water in them. The
water c,sk, had been slowed in the hold
into which the sea was pouring so rapid
ly that not more than one days fresl
water could be saved. Fortu.. ately the
.ea was not rough, and when the boat.
had be III launched the entire crew aban
doned the bark. The larger boat wa
commanded by Captain Larsen, while
Mr.. III. Petersen, the mate, took charge
of the smaller one. At IL O'Clock, al
hour and half after the vessel had re-
ceived her death wound from the sea
monster, the boats rowed awav. Shot.
after o'clock the bark su X out sight
When abandoned the wafer III the hold
was within two or three feet of the deck
he ms.
The prospects of the crew seemed
We y doubtful then, as there was little gu
board the boats, and a gale might spi inu
up before night. An anxious lookout
was kept for passing vessels, and also
for the marine monster. Nothing wos
seen Of the latter, but between 2 and 8
o'clock the smoke from a st. amer which
was evidently app oaching them wa
observed. A pole to which a signal Of
distress was steued was hoisted by the
C plain, and the joyful intelligence was
soon passed from boat to boat that the
st amer Was rapidly appru aching. BY
O'Clock, the P. CaIand, Captain Deddes
bound from Il It .r,lam to this p 1T, hove
to near by, AID the entire crew of the
Columb a, twelve MN all, were taken
ON board. The two small boats BY
means of which the shipwrecked sea
men had ben preserved from wa'ery
grave were then cast adrift and the Ca
land proceeded on her voysg'.
When seen last evening on board The
steamship, Captain Larsen said that ht
was unable to give full description o.
the mons, er which had sunk his vessel
Its fins and tails aud ia could be seei
AZ they splashed the W ,ter. but he go
only slight glimpse of a portion Of tht
body. Que Of the sailors at first though
it might be a whale, but no whale ha,
ever been known to sink vessel. A
whale could not present an array of tai
aud fin reaching f,em the fore higgins
to the main rigging of q vessel OF 46i
tons regis er, but this monster did. wv ha
II tie was seen of It's back was much toe
round for that of whale. 1t would Gel
tainly require an animal of enormous
I, a r.At hea hal If
the Columbia. WHAT became of the
monster after 1t had run into the bark is
not known, az the c'ew lett the side az
soon as it " as discovered that the YES
sci was sinking. They then became tou
much o. cupied in getting things in reai-
mess to abandon the bark to observe
hat course their submarine enemy had
pursued. No traces Of 1t were observed
while they we're in the boats.
Capi. Larsen Is a very respectable
looking mariner, with white hair and
iIlnminates his face VIII IL be tells his u L.
precsdenie fish story would be oman '
sufficient proof of his veracity. Although b
regretting that he has los his vessel, he
ser ms happy in the reflection that nc
b lame can ossibly be attached to him
self. The c. lum ola was an old vessel
but was re uils a few years ago. She
was owned by persons residing at Txns
berg. Norway, aud was valued t abOu
$14 900. The Captain thinks tDat sht
was uninsured. He will take his crew
to the Norwegian Con~ul to-day. The
men will either he senr home by steamer
or berthy will be found for them on Nor.
wegian vessels.
THE PRESIDENT BUYS A YACHT,