The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-09-15
The Sea-Serpent.

1t is reported that last Sunday the sea-
serpent was again seen off Gloucester
on the Massachusetts coast, or near
where the monster was observed few
weeks ago. AS on the previous occa-
sion, the witnesses were intelligent and
highly reputable men, whose declara-
tions are entitled to serious considera-
ton. They describe the serpent as
having been only three hundred feet
away, so that they could estimate its
length at nearly one hundred feet and
see the two glittering eyes in its huge
head. This testimony as to the exist
ence of an enormous marine animal,
popularity known as the sea-serpent, is
corroborated by that of many intelligent
observers during the last century and
more and is, besides. sustained by the
reports of innumerable sailors, who
commonly have been discredited be-
cause of their proneness to supersti-
ton. The monster has generally been
encountered in the northern seas, more
especially about the coasts of Norway
and New England, and the accounts of
its appearance do not differ very widely
There is also much ancient evidence,
but we will pass that by. Neither shall
we pay heed to the stories about the
serpent to be found in the old books of
travel and natural history. In the last
century the Rev. Paul Egede, mis-
sionary to Greenland, wrote a journal
of his mission, in which he described
with minute accuracy the human in
habitants and the birds, beasts and
fishes of that country, accompanying
the descriptions with drawings of great
scientific value. On the 9th of July,
1874, Egede records having seen " a
very large and frightful sea-monster,"
with a I" long, sharp snout," and body
covered with scales.' "The skin was
uneven and wrinkled, and the lower
part was formed like snake. After
some time" he continues, " the crea-
ture plunged backward into the water
and then turned its tail up above the
surface" This description corresponds
with those which were given of the
monster reported as seen off Gloucester
several weeks ago, that creature, too,
going down tail foremost. Shortly after
the appearance of Egede's Journal"
Bishop Pontoppidan of Bergen, a men,
Der of the Copenhagen Academy of
Sciences, published a L" Natural History
of Norway" in which he collected the
evidence then obtainable as to the sea-
serpent, belief in whose existence he
found to be universal among the sailors
and fishermen. Captain Laurence de
Ferry, at that time commander of
Bergen, made, under oath, the state
ment that in August, TAG, while on
voyage from Trundtheim, he and
his ships company saw a huge
sea-serpent, which was of a gray
ish color, and had a head, held
two feet above the water, resembling
that of horse. I" Besides the head and
neck" swears the captain, " we saw
seven or eight folds or coils of this
snake, which were very thick and, as
far as we could guess, there was about
fathom distance between each fold"
Bishop Pontoppidan gives much other
testimony on the subject, and comes to
the conclusion that " this creature does
gradually to point, but the body, which
looks to be as big as two hogsheads,
grows remarkably small at once, just
where the tail begins" He also de-
scribes it as having very large eyes,
g like couple of bright pewter plates"
In 1917 the reports of the appearance
of sea-serpent off Gloucester, Massa-
chusetts, were so frequent that the Lin
mean Society of New England made
careful investigation of the subject,
and reported that it considered the tes-
timony obtained " sufficient to place
the existence of the animal beyond
doubt" Captain Peter Mcquhae, in
command of the D@dalus of the British
navy, reported to the admiralty that on
the 9th of August, 1913, on passage
from the East Indies, in latitude 200 A
south and longitude 90 % east, he en-
countered a sea-serpent, about sixty
feet of whose body was visible. We
might give much more testimony of
the same sort and of equal value, but
what we have summarized is enough
to show that belief in the existence of
the sea-serpent has not been confined
to the ignorant and superstitious. The
subject, in fact, is one with regard to
which there is much serious scientific
discussion and speculation. In his " Ro-
nance of Natural History " Mr.. Philip
Henry Gosse, the English zo-ologist,
presents the evidence and comes to
the conclusion a" that there exists some
oceanic animal of immense proportions,
which has not yet been received into
the category of scientific zoology"
This animal, according to his " strong
opinion" possesses close aflinities
with the fossil enaiosauria of the las. I"
The enaliosauria are great reptiles
classed as extinct, and belonging to a
past geological period, the word mean
ing sea saurians, or a species of rep
tiles having paddles instead of feet.
Mr.. Gosse's position is strengthened
by the remark of the renowned Agas-
siz that it would be in precise cou-
formity with analogy that such an ami
NAL should exist in the American seas
as he had found numerous instances in
which the fossil forms of the Old
World were represented by living types
in the New. "-NeW York San.