The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-08-01
IN TLLusIoN pIsrELLED.


which was dragged ashore at
Blaokwell's Island last evening has
turned out to be nothing more than an
anaconda, a species of snake often to be
seen in museums and menageries,
This specimen will probably have his
day in menagerie. too, and be adver-
tised as the monster of the deep which
for weeks has been floating along the
shores of Long Island sound, frighten-
ing the wits out of yachtsmen, sailors
and Christian Endeavorers who thought
they had seen 1t.
She, for 1t Is a female anaconda, will
doubtless be described as a strange
monster, with horns and grinning teeth,
a tongue of ferocious size and redness,
fins like fish and tail like rattle
snake, strange scales covering its body,
the like of which was never before
seen.
AS matter Of fact, this strange rep
tile, says the Evening Sun, was born in
South America, had a good old ana
conda for its pa and another for its ma;
was captured; spent some years, may
be, in captivity; died, perhaps, of indi-
gestion, failing with the snake family,
and was dumped into the East river
and opportunity captured. Now it is
being stuffed. Most New Workers, how
ever will not be stuffed with the story
that it was sea serpent.
The snake was taken from Blackwell's
Island this morning, and for while
was on exhibition on the dock at the
footNof East Twenty-siXth street.
1t is twenty-three feet in length and
about twenty-four inches around the
thickest part Of the body. The skin was
removed from all but the head and tail.
This skin is of greenish black and Is
scaly.
The head is small for the size of the
body. sit is about a foot long and Is
fiat. At the muzzle Of the nose are two
nostrils close together.
The eyes at either side are very small,
and so fixed as to give. them wide
sweeping view. a popularity of the boa
family. The head is striped with yell
low.
The tail is long and black and yellow
striped. 1t, too, is covered with scales.
In every particular the reptile answers
| the description of an anaconda. The
! anaconda is snake which is found in
| South American waters and makes a
very good substitute for a sea serpent
when necessity, as in the present in
| stance, requires.
\ The snake has been dead about three
days. The river, Of course, was the
most convenient place to throw the
snake after death.
There was rope about the snake
neck when it came ashore. In this par
ticular alone it is unlike the reptiles of
the anaconda family
DR.. Stewart, chief Of the medical staff
of Blackwell's Island. was seen this
morning. He said THE snake, to my
| mind, is a water snake, and most prob
| ably an anaconda, a species Of boa. The
boa constructor in length rarely exceeds
20 feet, while the anaconda sometimes
attains length of so feet.
| "This is certainly water serpent, as
| it has scales. 1t is hardly probable
that it could have come from South
1 America of It's own volition, as they
stay very close to the fresh water riv-
ers''
4 1t was dusk last night when some OF
the Blackwells Island keepers who hap
Ipened to be along the northeastern
shore of the island spied what looked
like black log floating down the Eas
river on the ebb tide. AT first they
thought that 1t was a human body, bu
as it foaed inshore they were unde
ceived.
The long, black, scaly body and tn,
flat head were bobbing up and dowi
in the waves. The keepers all say tina
they did not run away. They watched
it cautiously for a while, and at length
were convinced that 1t was dead. Thei
they ran out boat and Keepers Buck
ley and Gilligan rowed out to tn
lsnake.
To make sure that it was not feign
ing death they put few bullets int
It, BY this time Dr. Stewart and sew
Ieral Of his assistants had been notified
and they hurried to the shore to see TIL
snake. The keepers got line unde
the body and then went ashore, blu
when they tried to pull the body in tn
line broke. Then they got a fireman
hook, and after some trouble succeeded
lin landing the reptile.
4 The doctors and keepers gazed at tn
thing in wonder. One ventured the re
mark that it was a boa constructor, blu
his voice was speedily hushed. 1t wa
a sea serpent: it could be nothing else
These doctors had never had to do witt
those whose business is to supply freak
to museums.
After the first excitement had wori
away the Illusion was dispelled. It wa
the plain old circus snake all over. |
would never have ventured a comba
with a sound steamboat. 1t must hav
died a natural death, and first com
in contact with the waters Of the SCUM
not far from where the body washe
ashore.
BUT NEW LONDON TAKES TIL
CAKE
New London, July 31.-The New Lon
don Day remarks: Is the sea serpen
| a myth or is there really such a crea
ture? From the latest report the crea
ture has been seen dangerously near us
in fact, right in New London. harbol
The following letter, signed by four sea
faring men, has been received by tn
Day and there is reason to believe tina
the story is not exaggerated:
| To the Editor of the Day.