The morning times., 1896-05-24
They Are Patroling Our Coasts
New Terrors of Our Waters
Sweep Along With Bodies Sinewy
and of Enormous Strength-A
Menace to Whatever TtcJ En-
counter.
downright. Is961

miil.oas more in lots OF sixty
millions each.
Eacn sNJy millions represents new war
siip. equipped and maintained uEtil really
TO go into commission year or two later
So eager iaTe they been 10 get tleee
war stIiVS butt and have item 81 cedy tnat
the Navy Department has Offered a re ward
to the Cramps and other builders OF so
many thoasaud dollars bounty Tor each knot
beyond a certain speed In the new Massa-
chusettS TIE Cramps won by THIS bounty
over q hundred Thousand collars, and what
they VIII win with tire other new ships
ordered one dares not predict.
But it is an in vain. All in vain the six
new torpedo boats, the five gut beats,
the under water torpedo boats and the
thirty-five Hew vessels and war ships;
for there has appeared in tie summer seas
a monster to whom war ships are toys and
torpedo boats mere bubbles ON the surface
of the water This new monster is a sea
serpent of at entirely new type. Where
il was propaeated, whence IL came, in
what sea IL lay growing all these years, aud
what tides brought il Eere none know
So nlrsterinrs is IL that tie UnC onsfortabse
theory has even been advanced u2t it was
the work OF an cnemy TO plant the sea ser
cent in our waters aud leave 1t here Ia
grow Wild theories have connected it
with the Cuban trouble.
MANY SERPENTS
This monster has appeared in -four places
off the coast. once in the great lakes, when
it Eobbed up Lake Superior and terrified
the n5rthcra coasts OF wisconsin and hicl.-
igan. Another of the same family sEo wed
itself of California, far out where some
oregonaa fishermen saw IL ana reported
il on land. Two miles further sCUth tie head
OF another o@e bObbcd up.
But it was ever in New jersey that tie
sea serpent caEie 10 land and materialized
in the shape of a great oUe tEousaDd-poHnd
monster
For many weeks the Jersey fiSherTen
who have bcen Supplying the entire East
with spring iiSd nOticei a disturbance in
the water. Il was far beneath the surface
and seemed to do its living down there;
it did not rise TO the top OF the water.
The idea OF y sCa-scrpent took possession
OF them. but as the serpent did not core
up, they abandoned il. Every few days
there woIlh be tie same disturbance Ur-
dec the water. bHt nothing more came OF
H..
0ae day, rot fifty feet away frmn
where a fishing skiff lay with its lines
or, thc-c appeared above the water an
ugly black head. 1t was the shape of a
horses head about ten feet lnug with
The expression OF its mouth was laugh
IaS Gre and inside there cleaned two
ross of deadly white teeth. Above the
Ueeta gliS:ened the long fishy eyes Pc
culiaT 10 a Iaan-shark.
Waffle they were looking at this awful
head. which VS. bobbing ont OF the
W. rs tAOa~I taking lis morning dip,
ulie entire body Of the monster gave a
coBvHisiVe Jhrs6 aud sprang ont of the
water. And a wonderful sight ii was.
From head to foot IL was covered with
what iOD&e Ike coat Of mail. Tire color
was the suDJncd glisten OF oSi1ized silver,
except the tail, which turned to gold.
F0T Hose this monster had only a black
rluZzle and two hidcuns holes. The eyes
aad mouth were positively vicious in ex-
preston.
The fishermen in the skilf recovered
themselves enough to bend 10 the oars.
But no sooner had they taken the first
stroke toward TIC animal when he sprang
toward them with awful leaps, sending
the spray right an left. The horn Groy-
ing in from or is nose stuck hriozU..tally
out ready t. strike. aS. with head thrown
back ana spOutirE water from his mouth,
he made straight for the little boat.
All haads secured axes. poles, oars. nd
whatever they could. and stood ready TO
make fight Within a few feet OF them
the monster dived under the water, but
not uutil he had received a singing blow
alongside the head from an oar. Up he
came directly under the boat. and fer a
minute il was lirte1 on his back ont of the
wate- With stout blows from clubs the
men. leaning over the boat, battled him.
while a harpoon that lay rusty under the
net was brought out.
And then IL was found how heavy was
tile coat of armor OF this serpent. Only
In Agnq f.!lnbl ~ IA fai ny
the sharpeSt instruments. II was a long
fight to subiDe him, but they did it after
awhile, ana now the sea is less for t:is
great thousana-pouud fellow. as long as
a sailing vessel and as broad as rowboat.
II was the s!nalles5 OF the serpents seen.
It is computed that this new species OF
sea serpent. for he certainly has been
something unseen up to this tire, pos
Sesscs q strength equal to ten times his
bulk. Under the oxidiZed arnor OF the
one Killed there was q thick coating OF
flesh, through which ran heavy muscles.
From head to tail there were great snews
standing olt through the mail that denote
power to ben and strike. The body could
double up without miurring itself, and
the tail when it, flew back should be able
to strike at least ten tho1s9ni pounds.
A mans hand, while it may weigh less
than five pounds. can give blow of over
fifty pounds, or ten times IT'S weight.
How much Trore can these monsters. en-
dowcd with mass of sinewy flesh, strike
when doubled up for an attack?
CARRIES A HARPOON
The horn growing from the nose is very
Sharp, and. when delivered with full
force, would pierce any but the sternest
armor- proof metal. And it is doubtful
if that could stand it 1t is weil known
that blow from heavy instrument, or
a bail from q rifle will fail to penetrate
where one sharp instrument delivered with
force easily enters.
In dealing with battleships, should these
monsters become numerous, the most seri-
Gus Consequences might he expected Were
they TO unite and press underneath the boat
they coGld do little damage beyond the
breaking of he keel, but by piercing the
external armoT with their horns, they could
seriously inj jure n ship, aud could certainly
impede its progress were il to Try 10 steer
ais course through them
The most serious thing about sea SER
pent is the fright which il gives to sailors.
They are more sureTstitious about it than
about a shark, for their legends tell them
ii means utter destruction to the ship.
Even United States seamen are Mortified
at ii and refuse to obey orders taking them
toward the monster.
There is but one ship that is a match for
this ocean terrifier and that is the subma-
rine torpedo boat which can fight it in
its own element. the sea. Even the torpedo
boat must resort TO dynamite when it faces
the sea serpent. But the great war vessels
of the navy arc powerless. unless they are
built 10 withstand a o .0oO-pound battcring
ram beating against them underneath the
water. where their arnlor naturally is the
tenderest.