The San Francisco call., 1896-08-02
Hnother
Real Sea Serpent
Three Hundred Feet
on the Atlantic
Coast

The sea serpent IS coming up from southern
waters, travelling slowly along the Atlantic
Coast, occasionally raising his head to correct
any deviation in his course or to make mental
note OF his advance toward cooler cline At
least such is the statement vouched for by
Captain Voss OF the Belgian steamer Sycamore
to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
'When we were off Cape Hatteras Monday
afternoon" said Captain Voss, ''the look
out saw floating object that looked like a
long, black line, far TO windward. Thinking
it might be a black-pa inted spar or other
wreckage leveled the glass the object and
at first sight was so astonished that the glass
nearly dropped from my hand. That it was no
mast or floating spar I became speedily con-
vinced, because, instead of being r1gidly
straight, it was full of curves, which seemed to
adapt themselves 10 the rolling motion of the
waves. Never having seen the so-ealled sea
serpent, and being skeptical OF the existence
OF such things, had my curiosity whetted to
learn more of this strange specimen, and con-
sequently had the course of the ship altered so
as to bear down upon It,
I'VE were going at good 11-knot gait, and
! as nearly as l could judge the serpent was
making between ten and eleven knots an hour
and heading almost in the same direction
as we were going. At the distance we were
apart ! calculated that night would shut in
before the Sycamore could overtake the mon
ster, and this calculation was made on the as
sumption that his snakeship was then swim
ming at about the top of his speed Word was
passed down TO the engineer not to spare the
coal, and inside of fifteen minutes we were
gaining rapidly upon him.
everybody on deck was straining his ewes
to see if we were gaining enough OH the mon
ster to enable US to get close view before
darkness set in.
"All the old opera and spy glasses that had
been idle for months were got out and the
supply, though limited, added TO the excite
ment For time, to the intense satisfaction
OF all, the serpent seemed to show signs of
fatigue, and instead of going straight ahead
began TO circle around, as if uncertain of his
bearings All sorts of plans were suggested
for his capture
ave were still about two miles to the lee
ward of the monster, but every movement was
shortening the distance. The serpent after
circling around several times. disappeared
from vlew only to rise again at point further
10 the eastward. Just then l discovered lot
of black-looking objects, which 1 took to be
porpoises, and concluded that the serpent had
suddenly run into q school of these fish and
mad stopped to feed upon them.
"Just then the sea-serpent reared its gigan-
tic head about ten feet above the surface and
displayed the most fierce and ugly-looking
features 1 ever beheld The creature, in thus
raising its head, gave US the frs: view of it's
actual size. which. as near as can judge, was
about as large as a flour barrel, with neck
tapering down TO about half that diameter. In
length it appeared 10 be about 800 feet.
"The serpent seemed to have an almost
human look, and its face closely resembled
that OF an ape. The great jaws were bearded
by heavy growth of what might have been
hair, but really looked like mass of seaweed
or black tangled ropes as thick as ones little
finger. The black beard or name must have
been over ten feet long, for it still hung in the
water as the strange creature swan twice
in a great circle about she place. No more
porpoises could be seen, aud, doubtless well
ted, if not tired, the serpent stretched himself
out and lay floating on the water, apparently
fast asleep"