The evening times., 1896-09-01
GOLDENBERGS
026-928 7th.-zO6K St.

had never seen before. and never believed
any man could have seen. Not even Marco
Paio. Baron Munschausen nor George Francis
Train, in their widest flights of magma
tion. ever attempted describing such q
monster as we saw advancing with easy
uBdulations, toward the bloody spot OF
water
KING OF THE SEA sERPENTs.
"Without-doubt it was the ycritable sea
serpent, and serpent among serpents at
that. Every writer who has seen 1t gives a
different description of the sea serpent;
III fact, it seems to tie like Proteus the
marine god OF mythology, whose distin-
gushing characteristic was the faculty OF
Transforming himself into different shapes
The Greenland missionary Egede (and
who could doubt the veracity Of mission
ary), tells us In his journal that on July g.
1884, there appeared very large and
frightful sea monster, which raised itself
sohighout of the water tina its head reached
above our naintop- 1t had long, sharp
sDOut, very broad flappers and spOuted water
like whale. The body seemed to be COW
cred with scales. the skin was uneven and
wrinkled, and the lower part was formed
like a snake
According TO this estimabie man. this
particular snake must have been fully $50
feet long. mother writer saw it off the
Island of St Helena He describes it as
having u head like long nun buoy, and
in diameter about seven or eight feet in
the widest part nd about 200 feet long,
although the boatswain and several of the
crew who viewed it from the top gallant
forecastle, estimated it to be fully 500 feet
long.
1T had Kind of scroll or tuft OF loose
skin encircllng it about two feet from its
head. 1t was also seen in this same locality
by the crew of the British nIan-of-war
Daedalus. They gave very different
description OF the monster snake.
Capt. Cook. in one OF his many voyages,
saw .abunda nee Of watersnak kes one of which
attempted to board our ship, but the men
succeeded in beating it Off Capt. Cook
does not give this particular snakes dimen-
sions, but we assume that it was monster,
as we assume that the crew of the En-
deayour, Capt. Cooks ship. consisted OF
eighty-four persons besides the comma nder.
Now. we all know it would not have taken
eight y-four persons to heat off an or
dnary snake. But enough Of quoting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONSTER.
| i''Our snake was like any ordinary, every
day snake, except in size; its head was
shield shaped, and very little wider than
its body; its jaws were enormous and
armed with four immense fangs, placed
well in front They must have been fully
ten or twelve inches longer than the other
teeth, with which its jaws were thickly
studded.
''Its nostrils appeared to be placed some
what on top of the head, as every time It
raised its head above water it bowed or
spouted, as We see whales do, only with
much more vigoT than any whale we have
ever seen The tail was vertically flat
tened and compressed, and thus well adapt
ed for swimming. The diameter of its body
at the thickeSt part which was almost the
middle, must have been fully ten feet, taper
ing to about six feet in diameter at tie
N.-s.. -
our ship IL must have been fully 100 feet
long.
Its skin appeared to be covered with
large and very thick scales, or shields, and
from head to tail 1t was very prettily mark
ed with bands of pale yellow and very
dark green. These colors Were SO happily
blended on the underneath, or, a S one might
say, the belly part, that it looked as If
a line of pale, very pale, sea green was
the color from head to tail. Its eyes We're
placed well on the side of the head, and,
in color looked like two enormous rubieS.
"As this monster approached the scene
of the late conflict, its motion was rapidly
accelerated and its head kept about six
feet above water. The scales on the side
of its head appeared to stand we'll out, as
does a cobra's hood when il is very mu0h
alarmed.
SNAKES OF ALL SIZES.
THE small fish, small as compared with
this monster scattered right and left, the
only Iaggard being the huge shark, which
must have been wounded by the alligator
Thisunfortunate was seized in an Instantly
the snake, and, being lifted well out Of the
water, it was shaken, as IA terrier shakes d
rat, for fully one minute, when we 81 W the
head and tail of the poor shark drop into
the water. The middle section disappeared
down the snakes gullet.
THE breeze having gradually fresh
ened, we soon ran out OF the muddy water,
and when we last 81 " this huge snake it
wasfinishing its breakfastin very leisurely
menner. SO ends this little episode OF the
deep"
In regard to the smaller serpents, Mrs
Peabody said:
1.-The sea was filled with them. / don't
believe any OF them were less than five feet
long, and many wercmore than twenty feet
long. There wa S not a spot around the ship
during several hours sailing that was not
alive with animal life"
Capt. Peabody says that he has seen big
snakes OF brilliant hues off Borneo before,
and that he has captured some OF them In q
net fastened to n long bamboo pole Some
OF these snakes. made to look natural Dy Il
tn xidermist. are in museum in Boston