The sun., 1896-09-13
ARVERNES SEA SERPENT.
A STARTLING SPECTACLE BRoUGHr
IN BYA HIGH TIDE.

The serpent HAD IsnrutnE Eyes ana Shihs
ting scale. and It Kissed ana Smoked -
the Water and Was Hundred Feet
Long nnd n. Big ne Bnrrei-A Tale
Warranted to Bs Absolutely Truc.
Hero is sea serpent story OF the kind an exc
rectant world has looked for forever and In
Vnin-untiI now. II Is not n story OF n serpent
inhabtinG distant foreign waters and reported
through various persons until from many
sources OF supply II lerRthens its illattestod'
form through newspaper column. THIS lie q
native sen serpent. observed by THE SUN re-
porter who writes this on the evening OF Tues-
day, the sth day Of this month. in tho waters oe
the ocean Mt Arvcrne- bv-the-Sea, which the
same is territory. Arvcrno is, to be included in
Greater New York. .'
This. then. is the story: Tuesday evening
there was unusually high tide along the
south shore of Long Island. great southerly
gale. u bit OF which swept over these parts
Saturday and Snn'lay started the waters OF the /
Atlantic flowing northward from some point
near the south pole. and the first intercepting
land, as everybody knows between WcStchestor
county and the 10 pole is Long island. That
caused the high tide, and was also the cause OF
the sea serpent. '.-.'
Now. at Arvcrnc the guests OF Avcry's cot
tnEes-the hotel is closed. so this Is not hotel
serpent story quiet sort, given to ie'surely
gossiping on the verandns. 10 coaching, AID to
wheeling: and to men, of whom THR SUN man
is one, an unusually high tide is ~ matter to DO
treated with respect and great considerations.
II is n break in the eminentiy respec table rou-
tine OF gossip. coach. and wheel. The reports,
therefore. brought up from the beach by tho
nurses and tn. children that the tide was rising
until the sacred board walk itself was
threatened with immersion. startled the sedate
cottagerS. To the Averyites The invasion OF the
board walk By anything but themselves was az
II Boston should l!car Of danger threatening
Fnneull Hall. They would go and SEQ about it.
But they ate their dinners first for they are
orderly. as well as leisurely and scdase. t-
That brought on darkness before the trip tn
the beach else this s;ory-but that is anticipat-
ing. /; was dark. nil except the faint light Of
the stars and the fainter CLEANS OF make-bo-
lieve light ;im.dly putting forth from the gaso.
line lamps along the board walk.
Through the darkness the twin lights Of the
Navasink shouc like cigars in the lips Of two
distant giants. and altogether II was an ideal
night for n well-conducted boardwalk firtR-
tion. or almost anything pertaining TO seaside
life. except seeing n sea serpent. The Sun
man stroled along the board walk. mnrvelling
at the audacity OF the waves which were
rolling across the broad stretch of beach,,
usually dry enough for n children's playground,
and sending impudent little wavelets up to and
in plac es actually over the board walk itself.
Others wander ed and wondered Bankers left
their cottages. went down to the walk. and said
Bless my SOUL" They even stopped talking
about the coinage. Their wives and their oung
left of their after-dinner veranda occupations
and went to the walk in crowds and said. Isn't
1t jolly 2" and Aren't you afraid ~
II was quite exciting. but nothing to what THE
SuS man experienced later He continued his
stroll to tho end Of the walk. where there 10
nothing beyond but the lfe-g boat and the
I t.. A.
he discovered what seemed at first TO be two
very live Goals OF fire. That was odd and when
he recalled that 1t would be more than odd for
two live Goals Of fire to exist in the water he
paused to consider and study. Naturally. the
first ex xplanaton suggested was that some bright
object rejecting some light. glance 40
the nearest gasoline lamp settled that. mir
ror at close range would not reflect that light.
The two lights seemed to be resting on the
high ridge OF sand little inside the break
ers a ridge which has been high and
dry all the season. and favorite site for
sand forts. Looking long and closely. and
accustoming his eyes to the darkness. THE SUN
| man made another discovery which caused o
slight nervous shock. The two red things.
which were cleaning balefuily. and blinking at
times. seemed to be located in a dark. ugly
looking head. An instant later two horns took
shape in the darkness. rising above the twilight
1t was probably just At that instan: that the
| first fanciful though. Of n sea serpent entered
! THE SrS mans mind, and Just at that instant.
only of sight but also that OF sound. OF q really
remarkable II not frgh,fu nature.
to make a statement of fact. AT his dinner. just
| before this adventure. the SrN man had druak
| his daiy custom for years bu, it is Only fair tn
| California TO lay that he never before saw sea
in the bottle TO tiscredt the reality Of The SER
| pent before him then.
| that the Goals might be eyes and the branching
| dark objects above the eyes horns. The SURF
sand and in that passageway there appeared a
| writing, plunginG form hundred feet long
! no dount about It. Even the starlight revealed
it, and, more. revealed IittterinG scales along
The worst dear readers. is to come. Suddenly
there issued from the head Of the serrent long
Yes. SMOKE and steam were coming from that
| awful kissing. horned head Now. II the re-
treated there. and thereafter provrd good
character for truth and s4brety. there would
serpent But .reportoriai raining makes q
strong habit OF persistent seeking after truth. 80
Of Oft the % board walk. which he WAS certain even
! sea serpent would not invade, ana iufther
When the undertow drained the channel
through the cut in the rtdG" the serpent; after .
When H' the waves Oiled the channel The sorrento
| struggles would he Resumed. ard when the
crcsts OF thc oreaNer- wouIu s'Tlke, liS neau
| then only would II MSS and spout breath or
steam and smoke
The tide and waves and wind cast up many
strange things on the west shore OF .ong Island.
! som. time ago there was cast up on the Arverno
beach Il curved rib OF a ship. and II was half
buried in that ridge ot sanh. its two ends ex-
pO.cd. The recent south wind hnS piled up on
ihe beach bar. of small d-ftwund. On Tuesday.
before the high tide. children set fire IN tho
driftwood. lne :ir" ,crept aonr nntil it canSht
that old oak r.b and set 1t sr!enly
agow. The first OF the high tide put
out all The fire, except thnt glowing
on the two horns OF the oaS rib. When the cnt
WA, mudc through the ridge the IN and ont WASH
! az the water drew the charred drift and other
hot-nIn through the channel in n compact bndy.
! Among the other drift were tin cans contrihn-
ted ly the street Cleaning Department OF New
York. They the shining scales. AS the
water crcpt M tine oak rib the deep-seated
| fire would smoke AMI send out shoots or steam.
That's one kind OF IA sea serpent anyway