New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-22
THE BEAR LAKE MONSTER
WHAT WAS IT? OR WHAT IS IT? AND Is
IT THERE NOW?
Phil Robinson in The Pail Mall Gazette.

Phil Robinson in The Pail Mall Gazette
I'm the Great North Sea lies dead seacat"
have always remembered this II IS the commence
ment Of one OF Grmms stories, ana stands OUT IT.
n rock above the flood OF things forgotten l"
the Great North Sea lies dead seacat" -
should not wonder II the curious survival or
this absur,ty In my memory were, IN soinc SUD
watermonstcrs have at all times ana IN every cpuh-
try exercised over the minds OF human beings. for
upon which men walk themselves have never at
tract"l their Imagination with such force - those
and Of the heavens" above never surpassed In
ancient beliefs those Of the incomprehcnsible sea
In modern times our greatest establishments come
from the water for hereunder lies our greatest
ignorance as yet unfathomably deep Thus comes
II about that every body of water. salt or frcsh
has associated with it legends Of some unknown
n ssi hns g6t f rado GrF Of mose ard
scarcely any river. Even small pools In our own
tenants. and little rIvulets nat VIII scarcely house
a trout arc haunted But science has dredgei these
bewitched waters to some purpose. and the kelpy
pools have been banishei 10y Intelligent fok TO
ros-marine." There remain. however. besides the
ocean itsslt many wile-spreading sheets Of water
fresh and bracksh, which have not yet yielded up
searchers. Professor owen himself always
admitted that within surable distance
Of tho limits Of size. once only. as he said 10 the
writer. had he made the mistake OF assuming the
ultimate, and the result was that, having called
Nstlnct bird "MaxImus." he had later on to find
three s1Jeeuves 70 describe as many birds OF The
same family. each u which was larger than Max
mus Especially ga no expect great things from rom
Africn then discovering to us.
In The mean tine f. Utah Territory lar, am not
lakes OF great size which. II contemporary testi-
mony IL Of any value. contain animals Of great
bulk which have never been captured and are
lutte likely 10 b new to science.
not admit IN" exsiSner Of any anmal nnt some
portion Of # has been discovered This was Pro-
sea serpent we have never" said he seen
bit OF IT," And no other reason was needed At the
tons Of IL has bee PRECEDED bY peroGs Of tds
mony as 10 its existencc-Professor owens own
side OF science for years before they acknowl-
edged TO be- known By science and At present the
scientific period Of unsklcd "testimony." They
arc only waiting for the day when private
the sacred pale Of facts As to their being there
have myself no manner Of doubt whatever
word would ACCEPT confidently upon any snbjcct-
pos,Ions by the pnbt knowlcre Or tReir upright
pursued ana fred at the amphbious monsters Of the
and. talking over trip We had made together, he
repeated HIS description OF the beast In nv Office
In almost the same words ne he had first described
n 70 me IN our wagon I'm the SEWER Valley: Dry
ing along the shore Of the Bear Lake one day. the
party surprised an animal baskns on the land
before they could reach It It fed to the water.
'erIng IT with great splash They ran into me
shadows after H. on" II the party. who happened ~
have revolver firing at II repeatedly a. y swan
iran on the weeds was carefully examined. and the
evidence of the whole party placed on record the
same evening From th"r description have no
doubt that th"y saw seal or monster and. con.
silorinG that no such animal is At present known
10 science existing IN an miami it'Si W"t'r Hkt,
tho incident Is distinctly interesting. For II means
ihn days When itah Was joined to the Pacac by
water. Which Is not merely Interestingly is PRO
bcfor~ leaving salt Lake city collected all The
Information | could about tn" beast nn' IN IN,
lost stolen or strayod. Two letters however.
have survived These were both written To- me
- the local Mormonl papers In July. lS"' anu APP
pears something as ioil9ws ~ n..,, ,.. ,,s,
cached this CITY from Rich County. While tray,
~ an Haven ON he evening ~ last Tuesday week.
yi,h Thomas son Of Elder g. Rich. their attention
vas attracted hy IN unusual commouon IN ne
v,afcrs Of the lake. and thov presently saw the
~.nJ and portion OF the body of creature larger
round than Inc body Of ! man. tn" head resembling
so,m~whnt the pictures of he walrus. minus Us
uaks. The portion Of the body "lt ., nr VIZ" grd
~ hwt missed the creature II swan away n
The direction OF IN" east side Of tho lake, IT'S rach
bad View of this den!zen of the deep for about
afiecn mlnuirs brother Pratt informs us ,4it
~ attached stout hook well baied tied round "a
stout tree. thot We shall no do!0, n';' '''o'
-Four years elapsed without any further LON,
ciar rccoenion OF tn" animal ana men ali~''''
NV the courtesy Of President brigham l 3uhs
we are enabled 10 print the iollown,g ie.' s,,Isnt
from the known v"racty OF It's writer's Is ,he
10 extnguish all doubts rs 10 IN" 'NlSt'nc' W H.
monster which has 80 long been SUPPOSED ~
| habit the waters OF Bear Lake Ken 'v"niS. 80
Friday morning. May IL. on our return Ir"n , ,"
| farenc. .'iiliam Broomhcad. Mr. Pratt ana my
| self civilian IIudseJ were in a llght WAGON va,
| Cling north ward 10y III" lake shore Wheii our ~
| ,cnton was attracted by an object III thr Wa.
| about n hundred yards ahead "t us ana "non.
twentv-fvc Yards from the shore. as we GOT mr.
we saw that il was an animal. the head and a pDi-
ton OF the back about foot from me h'lI' pt,s
| vieibo the invisible part between IN" Two p,"S,
| no doubt. the neck. When We were Wltiiln H"uu'
| aeventv wards the animal Owed ana from TINS a,-
| ton judged it was not more than I'VE or FIX
fert long still we dlI not It's length IL came
| nm again in perhaps about q minute little pehiil
| us and probably not more thsn thitty-nvr S" liz
| from US. It's face and part OF ltS h"hu VIZ -
| tinctly seem covered with fur or snort hair OF Il
| iIeht snuff color The face OF the animal was, hP-
n,ssrcntIv nat very wide between the eyes. ana Ia
herring the nose. with very full large ey'S nl' .
prominent cars resembling those OF II i"iSr' u'.
| scarcely long The whole race IN snap W
| like that Of a fox but large that me space pc
tween the equilled that between 'h' 'N'S ~ :.
COW II aid not look ferOcous. ana was IN no hurry
| to 90 but Kept moving slowly. then. divinH again
up and moved or into inc ~" ''S .n., =,
| man could walk We had an eNceIl,nt oppvI .uil,y
10 what above water ana tns i,hr WI" Nv,
perfectly still. As there ma. p,th ~ I
! submit a description of what we nave SEEN 'hi"h-
| ing II might be acceptable To you - ~, ALMA,
Such Tr- the letters written ny NJ, ~ r,,"u.'.-
| in the Mormon Church to their president, Brisham
Young man with whom u W., ".i.ll'I' ~ ~, !,
| Joke, and to whom no Mormon In ms senses would
| ;hInk or even dream of sending deliberate lie
| What then ala they see? IL - uhp"NSlnir 10 siy
But this much Is certain. that Mnite'er IL wa, ~
| animal unknown To sclehcr, anu ~ sun
distinctly worth investigation Ten years after the
date OF The second letter was in Utah. and during
my stay there the beast was, as ! INV say 49,
] pursued and shot AT with revolver anu us TRAIL