Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-04-07
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WEDNESDAY, EVENING. APRIL : 1887.
THE SEA SERPENT ARRIVES.

THE SEA SERPEN L AhhAN 70.
The sea serpent has arrived earlier
than usual this spring. He arrived jus'
after sunrise yesterday morning. Cap
tain Adolphus Mcneil, keeper OF tbs
Bridgeport lighthouse, rowed ashore at
ten O'Clock and told the news. The
lighthouse is situated two miles of Se' :
side Park directly at the mouth OF the
barbor. Captain Mcneil lives in the
lighthouse. Az
The sun rose at 6:l5 and Keeper Nc
Mil mt ont the light at that hour. He
looked through mis- long eye up ahu
down the sound, to see ii, perchsMnace-
storm OF any kind was brewing. Oii TO
ward Long Island he espled piacA
sneck. 1t was disturbing the water
Mcneil glued his eye TO his telescope
and watched. This is what he SAID lie
saw: :.
II couldn't make out what it was. 1t
looked like porpoise, but then 1t was
fourteen miles Off, and no porpoise
could make such d fuss and be seen that
distance. The speck got bigger
and bigger. I could see foam;
spray and steam squirting I'll
around. l thought perhaps IL was
one of theme ere submarine TORPEDO
boats out on an experimental trip from
port jefferson, opposite us, On Long
Island: but the thing came along aboul
eighteen Knots an hour, and when OIL
Tordshin Farm Point, | could see it was
the sea serpent.
'sThe head was about eight feet oul
of the water. 1t was about the color OF
a new bronze and it had long green
whiskers on the back of the head and
along down the neck was row OF ar
row-shaped fins. These were black.
"When the serpent got nearer my
lighthouse, could see it better. Every
few seconds it ducked its head and
swan for few hundred feet under
water. Then it would raise its head
and look all around.
1.-The eyes were terrible. They had
a fshy stare and emitted phosphor-
escent flashes. The body was as big
around as locomotive boiler, and must
have been over 100 feet long. Every
little way along the body there were
black rings around, and in the middle
were a couple of revolving fins that
looked like twin screws.
The serpent made great splashlne;
but what surprised me most was that
it passed the lighthouse and started up
the harbor. BY this time it was GAO
o'clock. When | saw that sea serpent
heading for Bridgeport was scared.
remembered that every pleasant
morning Walter Nichols rowed across
the harbor from Seaside Park to
Pleasure Beach.
II turned my glass landward, and,
sure enough. there was Walter pad
ding across the harbor in his little
skiff. He had not seen the sea SER
pent, which was bearing down on him,
and which was between me and him.
Suddenly thought to warn Walter,
so | tolled the lighthouse fog bell.
The serpent raised his big head
nearly twenty feet out of the water
and looked back. Just then it was
Gas o'clock, and every factory whistle
in Bridgeport was set of. The big
steam eongs, the high and low pitched
whistles, the high and low pi ched
whistles, the sirens, and all the rest,
made an uuearthly din. 1t always
wakes mp everybody. The frightful
racket scared the serpent. He ducked
his head, turned tail and swan of to-
ward Stratford. Walter Nichols saw
it He stood up in his skitf and waved
his hat.
"If YOU don't believe me just ask
Walter. The last I saw of the serpent
ne was heading for New Haven and was
making fast time Them steam whistles
saved Walter Nichols life" Bridge
port Cor. Chicago Inter Ocean.