Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-11-17
SAW A SEA SERPENT.
a FIRES H-WATER ADMIRAL AND
THE PRETTY GIRLS.
1ne remarkable Narn tie Told ihe"
As they sailed the Hudson 4 Monster
Nile Long That stretched From
side 10 side of the Great River.

There is only one fresh-water
admiral in America and his name Is
Lynch. Nearly every body Of note
in New York is acquainted with
James Lynch. says the Commercial
Advertiser, and those who do not
know him would do we'll to make
his acquaintance, especially II they
wish to learn something about the
Hudson river Nearly every sunday
fol. more than twenty-five years Mr..
Lynch has taken steamer load OF
men. women and babies up the
Hudson for Sunday sail the old
timers who used to sail with him
twenty-five years ago mistakenly
call him captain unconscious OF
the fact that by reason OF his long
and faithful service he has risen TO
the rank OF admiral o! the Hudson
river excursion fleet
1t is to the admiral that the pas
seugers turn for information regard
ing the river as the boat cleAves her
way through the water Occasion
ally he forgets tho dignity OF his
Office and becomes for the time q
histot ian and raconteur sitting on
the upper deck Of an excursion
steamer few days since was a
group OF bright young women who
thought they would have some fun
at the admiral's expense.
Admiral, said one Of them with
a wink at her friends, do you be
lieye there Is such a thing as a sea
serpent
"Why certainly" was the reply
II know there 5 such a thing T
have seen il
An incrcdutous laugh broke from
the group. but the admiral main
tanned his dignity as he continued
..You may laugh but I've seen the
sea serpent and rigut here Ia the
Hudson, too
How big was he asked one Of
the party
"Weu. ! didn't have my tape
measure tbs day | saw him. bit /
think he must have been nearly a
mile ia length.
"A mile Oh. admiral was tho
incredulous comment
Yes, continued the admiral
thoughttully. II think ID was Ia the
summer OF 1850, thirty-iour years
ago that the first sea serpent came
up the Hudson. You must under
stand that a sea serpent can only
live ia salt water Fresh water does
not agree with it. II II should swat
low a barrel OF fresh water il would
DO sure to swell up and burst. like
the mule that drank alkali water
Well, there is place ia the High.
lands where the tides meet the
fresh water coming down and the sal /
water going up. II was just az this
point. as we were speeding home
ward with 1000 passengers on board
that we saw a great fuss 10 the water
ahead The spray and foam were
flying in the air 100 feet high, and
the water was churned into huge
ridges, just as it Is In the famous
maelstrom. rang the bell
TO stop the boat Women tainted
and men turned pale. for there
within 800 feet Of Us about seventy.
FIVE feet OF the most hideous thing
you ever saw shot out OF the water
II was as big around as hOgshead.
Its red jaws, friuged with teeth and
hecked with foam. were stretched
wide open, ten feet across, ana when
ID rolled a great wave dashed IN
against the boat and wet everybody
with spray. II was the sea SERPENT
1t had started 70 explore tho fiud.
son, and when II struck the fresh
water 1t had an attack of the collie
We backed away, tor | knew that n
the serpent once got coil around
the boat II would crush the joincr
work and swallow half the passru.
gers. Well, what do you suppo.e
that ugly monster did them"
"Bit OIL the rudder?n said ono.
swallowed the paddle wheels
asked another
mo continued the admiral
gravely; lit just laid its head on the
west shore and its tail on the east
shore and yawned as II to say, "Now
lots see you get homer
What did you do them" asked
the prettiest girl 10 the group.
breathlessly.
why, We dropped anchor. We
couldn't do anything else. There
wasn't wink OF sleep on board that
night. and we could hear the ser.
pent roaring until morning. AZ
daybreak | went ashore al Cold
Spring, where they were maxine
PARROT guns at that time. me
gunners trained a ten.pound gun
on the serpent's head and dropped j
shell into his mouth when he yawned
That blew his head of and he died
instantly. But still his body Iav
like a huge chain OF hogsheads
across the river.
Hero the admiral stopped 10 nun
his cigar He was about TO walt
away when all the girls jumped ur
and barred his passage
$50 on, that's dear fellowr, tbey
cried. .Tell us how you rot over
that horrid creatures body
whats the use?" said the adni.
RAJ ttyoiI WON'T brIfo,., 49,