Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-01-27
CHINA PAINTING.
office Mrs, Stewards china in Mitch.
President Jordan Discusses It in the Light
of Science.


President Jorion, Discusses It in the Light
OF Science.
San Francisco Examiner
The question OF the existence OF the
sea serpent Is solely one Of fact. There
is no priori reason why such reptiles could
not exist. and creatures to which such
name would apply dil exist In abundance IN
meeozoc times. Nevertheless although
there have been many reports OF tile dis.
cOvery Of the "sea-sprpentn there l. not at
present the slightest positive evidence to
prove thal such creature now inhnbiis the
sea. II Is not within the rcaim OF proha-
billy that any marine reptile OF largo size
other than sea.turiles now exist.
The sea has been as fully explored as the
land. The fishes OF the sea. from the SUR
face to the depth OF live niles are us well
known as the animals OF similar size on
any Of the continents except Europe The
larger animals which swim near the surface
In o. open oceln have been known ever
since oceanic navigation began Probably
not hulf dozen species OF murine animals
reaching length OF fifteen feet have been
discovered In our century. Most OF those
now known We're known to the anclenis
The sen-serpent stories may be classified
as follows;
/. purs inventions, forecasue yarns, etc
.. Alcnh0isms.
3. Stories With a foundation of fact, the
basis being seal, a fragment Of d wreck.
u iAAlA utiAIN az htNN OF nNlIlt NLutE NnIuNNl
object mistaken for a serpent
4. Practical jokes. as the india.rubber
seaSerprut seen on Silver Lake, New York
about 1893. This appeared usually In the
evening and In sight of the yerauda Of the
hotel
.. The great oarfsh or king of the her.
rings lRegMecus glesne This Is q long.
slender. rlbbun-shlpel hsh N the omen sen.
speed on the surface or the water. 1t
reaches length OF twenty feet or more
The dorset I'm on Its head forms a high
crest, Ike the name OF horse, AMI the iish
Is altogether q striking object II has been
but once taken IN American waters, a spec
linen having come ashore in Bermuda some
years ago This FISH Is remotely allied tC
the mackerel. According to Dr. GOole, al
the stories of sen-slrpeuts with ''uprelret
head and the name Of a horse can be refer
red to HaEaecus.
seem like serpent, Is occasionally taker
on our coast ana known rs king Of III,
salmon. tIrachyptcrus rexsalmOnoruml
The Chinook Indians believe that II thli
a similar noXlous Influence Is eXerted b,
the birth OF twins. Other swift-moying
ribhon-shnped surface fishes. as the threAd
eel, the cutlass fish, etc, have been reporte,
as young seaserpents.
6. The great frlll-shnrk CChlamydoselachu
anguneus has been reported as a sea-ser
pent IT was correctly drawn as such By
a AIalue fisherman before its occurrence Ii
the Atlantic ocean was known. This is
very rare shark, as slim and flexible as
snake, aud grows 10 be some fifteen feet o
more In length. II has the general structur
Of the shark. or rather Of the extinct shark
for one has to go back TO the carbOniferou
age 10 hnd any more like him. This shari,
with its gils about It's neck, Is one Of III
rarpst Of fishes, only about four existing 4
collections. II Is thought 70 be the oides
living vertebrate, for all other sharks o
similar structure have long since pas3e
away. II "a the ORIGINAL OF the seA-sprpen
th1t swlms low with its head under water
T. The great Killer or gladiator tOrcaorea
| This creature Is n water manned allied 4
! the porpoisc and dolphin. IT Is very swii
| and strong. and OF SO savage n dispuiuu
| that Il Is the terror Of whales. seals, shark.
swOriAshes and Of large fishes generally
| II reaches n length OF twenty 10 thirt
| feet. It Is ordinarily detested by fishermen
! but this summer ~ served them a good tur
| by grounding up" IN Monterey bay tn
shoals Of salmon from the neighborin
| ocean.
In its splteful atlncks on the whale-an
| 1t win kin even the biggest OF them-lt ha
| been taken for spn4serpent. Its sworc
| shaped dorsal iln some six feet high, help
| on the Illusion. All the sea-setpents whic
attack whales. choking them In thei
gigantic folds" are doubtless killers.
s. VenomOus little sea snakes exist I
the Indian ocean. These IRE we'll know
and are never taken for "sea-serpenis,"
The above record includes all the SCI
serpents Of which / have seen records u
DAVID STARR JORDAN.
Palo Alto, Cab January Q, 1891.