The sun., 1897-07-04
SAW A WHITE SEA SERPENT
THIS YEdR THE DEMON OF THB
DEEP COMES IN 4 NEW COLOR.
Hts Head IL Like That or n Horse and It HAS
Great Brown Eyca-sniiora ana Fiahermen
Frightened or Block IsInnd-Conc cidences
Pointed Out by sono OF the Obuerveru.

1tu Head II Iiko That or n Horse ana It Has
Great Brown Eycs-sniiora ana Fiahermen
Frightened or Block IsInnd-Coincidence
Pointed Out by Some OF the Observers.
BLOCK ISLAND, r. l., July 3.-From three
sources lately has come news of white seq
pcnt cruising off tho North Atlantic seaboard
this summer. On Juno z last letter re-
covied by one Of the island fishermen from one
of tho officers of the steel freight steamer
Gloucester then at baltimore, said that white
sea serpent about forty-tive feet long seen at
1880 A. NJ. on May 30 about three hours sail
from Gay Head Lighthouse, In Martha's Vine
yard. Tho serpent was OF dirty white color,
and about ono foot In thickness, and was wrig-
Cling like snake. 1t was seen by all the off,
GERS of the steamer Tho letter warned all good
Block Islanders to keep q lookout for the mon
ster, which was described as moving slowly
over the waves and heading in shore midway be-
tween Block Island and Montauk Point.
Two weeks later tho crew OF the fishing smack
Flash of New Bedford, whIle cruising on the
deep water codhShinG grounds of Coxswain's
Ledge, twenty miles east-southeast OF Block
Island, sighted light-c9lorcd object in shape
Ty feet & and as sSde found a fully
human body. II was floating idly on tho waves.
The skipper Of the Flash put his helm up and
was running down to make out what tho object
when the Gloncester's whit" sea serpent
story flashed into his mind, and he determined
"a
the Flash turned sharply on her heel the SER
pent. which was several rods away, pulled It,
self together and sCulled laZily in the opposite
direction, much to the relief of Capt. Tony Man.
icrre Of the Flash and his crew OF three.
This adventure set the fishermen to talking
about the white sea serpent harder than ever.
Last Thursday an off islander who had been fish
ing on the island steam yacht Ocean View,
declared that he made out the white serpent
from that yesscl's deck, although, for some rear
son which he doesn't explain, he made no mem
tion of his discovery to any one else at the time,
In the afternoon the Connecticut River shad
seining boat Hattie b., with Frederick Mer-
chant and Cyrus Allyn, two young fishermen
from East Haddam, Conn, on board, came rum
ming into the old harbor, Both men were In q
state Of excitement and declared that they had
an encounter with q cream-colored sea snake
while on their way to the island from Watch
Hill, and when midway between Point Judith
and Clay Head. They had heard nothing about
the Gloucester white sea serpent, and their
story accepted with interest by the fisher
men. Merchant said the Hattie b., which is o
small sloop, was bowling along with a rattling
beam wind when suddenly the head Of great
snake rose up out OF the water directly in front
Of the craft. So suddenly did 1t appear that
Merchant had not time to shift his helm, and
brown eyes g.arng at ihm from the light-col-
orcd head Of the monster. The head was as
large as a mans body, was shaped much like
that of horse, and was covered with long
hairs. Water was squirting from the nostrils.
Just before the boat reached the serpent it
divcd beneath the water and came up far astern,
its body making long. undulatons as 1t swan
rapidly, apparently after the manner of q
school of porpoiscs, toward Montauk Point.