The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-15
REAL SEA SERPENTS
MAY TURN ALONG THE SHORES
WHERE BEAUTY BATTLES.

rTOFt He FettSOuT0 DiSputCHs
AsBURY PARK, Aug. 6.-Thls is the
time Of year when the sea serpent may be
reasonably expected to make its appear
anoe Off the Atlantic coast, and keepers Of
the hotels that fringe the sandy strand OF
Jersey scan the ocean horizon hopefully for
a monster which may be turned into dollars
and cents as a seashore advertisement.
Increased faith in the existence Of en- IN
known marine reptile Of vast size is felt
since the recent announcement by Prof.
Holder of the discovery of the actual car
cass of such a creature In Florida. Accord
ing to his account, the Rev. DR.. Gordon OF
Milwaukee, president of the United States
Humane Society, was fishing IN New River
inlet when the tlukes Of his anchor caught
and pulled to the surface the dead body Of
a snake-like animal AZ feet long, though
lacking both head and tail It was partly
decomposed aud the belly was ripped open.
Two small fiippers were remarked. With
the intention of preserving its bones it was
dragged up on shore aud left to rot; but
most unfortunately hurricane came and
this Invaluable find vas swept away by the
waves and lost
SCIENCE RECOGNIZES A POSSIBILITY.
Nevertheless, the record of ii confirms
the attitude of science in the matter, which
has never denied the possible survival OF
certain gigantic reptilian types of past ages
which would correspond fairly well with
the numerous descriptions of the alleged
sea serpent. Although such a theory is
pooh>poohed by the ignorant, Agassiz be-
lie ved it, as do many eminent thinkers to-
day, bssing their opinions upon the affirm
alive testimony of eye witnesses. When 1t
is considered that two-thirds Of the earth's
I A. i
which, miles and miles beneath the waves,
has never been approached by human ex-
ploration, who can say what huge and
formless monsters may not lurk in the dark
ness Of an aqueous night never illumined
by a suns rayl
The description given by Rev. DIR. Gordon
of the carcass found by him in New River
inlet might apply very well to certain
gigantic reptiles of the cretaoeous epoch
exceedingly numerous in those days, which
are supposed TO have been the ancestors of
modern snakes aud lizards. One species
the cidastes, was of about the same size,
attaining a length of forty-lEe feet.
Another the mosasaurus maximus, was
nearly twice as big, measuring when full
grown not less than eighty feet.
THE GREATEST SEA SERPENT OF GEOLOGY.
Yet larger was the liodon, hugest Of all
the mighty saurisns of the vanished era,
have been used as a ram in fighting. These
enormous creatures, in general form resem-
bling cells, plowed the waters with four pad
dies and propellsr-like tail IN pursuit of
the fishes which were their food. Their
heads were large and fat aud they swal-
lowed their prey whole, being able to
take In animals of greater girth that
themselves, owing to the arrangement
of their jaws, which were provided midway
in their length with hinges When they
lived this continent was lower than 1t is
now. New Jersey and Delaware, as well
as most of tAe southern states. were under
water, and the Rocky mountains, in places
10000 feet less elevated than at present, APP
pesrsd as a range separated from che valley
OF the Mississippi by q broad expnnse of
salt water that was In fact an inland sea,
teemiug with animal life.
In those days real sea serpents not only
| existed but their numbers were almost in
oalculable, as is proved by their bones left
behind In the rocks of subsequent forma-
lions, and 10 many cases no perfectly pre-
| served that entire skeletons have been found
aud mounted in the museums. Prof. o G.
Marsh Of New Haven speaks Of having seen
as many as six of these fossil monsters in
view at the same time In one small valley
out west.
THOUSANDS OF SNAKES IN A sHOAL.
After all the ques lion is merely one of
| size, inasmuch as marine snakes are very
plentiful at present in some parts of the
world. They swarm in the Indian ocean
and naval officer was telling me the other
day that be had seen them in shoals of
thousands together in the Gulf of Siam. So
numerous were they that it was necessary
to thread the cables while at anchor through
barrels in order to prevent the reptiles from
climbing up the ropes and coming aboard
while the ship was at anchor. Nor was
such precnution by any means superflu-
Gus, owing to the fact that, as any one may
learn by turning to the STANDARD Natural
History, these serpents are most dangerously
poisonous
In the work referred to their habit of
travelling in great numbers together is
spoken of. The ssas from Madagascar to
Panama and from Japan to New Zealand
are thickly infested with them. DR.. Stei-
meyer, the rePtiliau expert OF the Smith
sonian Institution, tells me that they are
among the most poisonoui of all known SER
penis, their venom being not less deadly
than that of the cobra and rattlesnake
Furthermore, they are very fierce and
aggressive aud will commonly attack
human beings if they get a chance.
They do not frequent the shadows, un-
less possibly for breeding, but live In the
open ocean. When full grown they are
from six to eight feet long. Fishermen in
the waters where they are found are greatly
afraid of them. Their bodies are fiat and
the inside of them is almost wholly filed by
the lungs, which are large in order that
they may re enabled to stay beneath the
surface for long time without coming up
to breathe. They have eyes modified for
seeing in the water, 80 that when they are
taken out of their native element they seem
BLINDED and strike wildly. Their fangs.
like those OF the cobra, are always erect.
THE GIANT sQUID OF INDIAN SEAS.
Undoubtedly the giant squid, which has
only become familiarly known TO science
within a few years, has frequently been
mistaken for sea serpent. In all Qualities
which can render "A marine monster horrible,
this huge and frightful molIusk may be said
to compare very favorably with any creature
Of fact or fiction. When full grown, it
weighs 10000 pounds. having body fifty
feet long and two arms each 100 feet in
length, as well as eight smaller tentacles. A
model of a dimInutive individual mensur-
ing only forty-two feet from the end Of its
tail to either tentacular extremity, is on ex-
hibitior at the national museum In Wash
ington.
Specimens Of this kind are not infre-
quently encountered by fishermen In the
Indian ocean, where "the humble toiler Of
the sea must be prepared at any time to see
a monstrous creature with enormous Rog-
Cling eyes rise out Of the depths and fling
across his boat a gigantic tentacle armed
with RpOPRg of Rnrkara nj tk.e