The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-16

80
his appearance. His business avoca-
tons would appear to keep him en-
ployed throughout the rest of the year.
Only during the late spring and sum-
mer does he take a holiday, and come
TO the surface of old ocean for another
peep at the works and pomps of hu-
mainly. Scientist and general public
alike are confidently looking forward
TO an early temperance of this ia
nous denizen of the deep. The word
scientist is used advisediy. for in the
scientific world there is a very strong
opinion that the sea serpent actually
exists. that the annual reports of his
Visitations are not myths, but realities.
Herbert Spencer once said that every
long-standing belief or tradition, how
ever absurd or seemingly erroneous,
has d soul of truth. If this be true
and an assertion of the greatest phil
osopher of the century is not to be
taken lightly-then there must exist
somewhere in the oceans of the world
q, strange monster, such as no seaman
ever captured, nor any naturalist sub
jected to measurement and critical eX-
animation. For have not all genera
tons of men since the dawnings of his
tory believed in and told tales about
the Great Sea Serpent? If, as Eng
lands great philosopher asserts. the
aggregate human mind never builds its
traditions except upon a basis of fact,
this sea monster cannot be purely a
myth In some sort or other, the
great sea serpent is a real being.
1t does not follow. of course, that the
creature itself resembles closely the
accounts of it that have been given,
for Spencer by no means wishes to be
understood as saying that the soul of
truth beneath tradition is closely like
the body of the tradition itself Just
what sort of creature the real sea ser
pent may he we shall have occasion TO
inquire in a moment. Meantime 1t is
we'll to inquire what sort of a creature
it has been reported TO be. in the va
riOuS accounts that have been given of
it's alleged appearance.
One of the earliest of these accounts
that has come down to us is that which
the archbishop Of Upsala. CLAUS Mag
nus. published IL 1855. AS here por-
trayed, the seq serpent was a most
alarming Great ure. some 200 feet in
length and 20 feet in diameter. and he
is credited with the disagreeable habit
of swimming up alongside a vessel and
swapping off a sailor much as an ordi-
nary serpent might capture frog. The
haunt of this rapaciOus creature was
A few years later. in 1860. Konrad Won
Gesner the famous Swiss naturalist,
published another account of the sea
serpent and gave similar figure of the
creature. in his work on marine ami
mails. Then for a century or so the sea
monster was neglected. or kept himself
in hiding. if we are TO Judge from the
published records: though doubtless
verbal reports of his naneuvers may
have been common enough In 1874.
however, he made another bid for fame
by revealing himself to Hans Egede. a
missionary who was making a trip to
Greenland. The good missionary re-
Warded him by putting MIN in q book
AS here reported he was not built along
altogether orthodox serpent lines, be-
ing somewhat of a nondescript or com
promise between a reptile. fish and
traditional dragon. He was said to
have risen partly out of the water,
spouting vigorously somewhat after
the manner Of a whale, and waving a
pair of fin-like clippers. Unfortunately
the missionary was not provided with
a camera (the oversight is pardonable,
as the camera was not invented till
about a century later, but he made
amends so far as possible by getting
an artist named Bing to draw por
trait of the sea serpent after his de-
Scription. For about 100 years after
ward that portrait, variOusly modified.
did service as an authentic, accredited
likeness of the great and only original
sea serpent (as Mr.. Barnum would
have put it, and the original himself
kept altogether secluded.
Then perhaps rumors of the awful
caricature that was going the rounds
reached the ears of the sea seroent-if
ears it has-and the outraged creature
determined at once to come out of re-
II n
trust itself 10 the observation of voy-
ayers at sea, even though such voy-
ayers were missionaries but TO paddle
right un to the shore inha bited by the
most intelligent people to be found and
exhibit itself freely TO all corners. with
out charge. thus giving the lie in the
most emDhatic manner to the cartoons
that had libeled it. The coast selected
was, naturally enough that of Massa-
chusetts, the particular location being
Just off Gloucester.
No better selection could we'll have
been made, for nowhere do artists
more abound than along this coast.
But the serpent made one fatal error,
which came near spelling all his plans.
He chose a year preceding by several
decades the invention of the camera.
and long anterior to the time when
the artists found out the charms of the
Gloucester coast And SO when. on
Aug. 10, 1877. he sailed serenely into
the bay and approached the boat of
fisherman, his reward was to be fired
AT with A gun.
Disheartened at this reception, he be
took himself to a safe distance. end
never again ventured so near to a yes
sell though he hung about the harbor
for several days and revealed himself
repeatedly to the poDulace. No one
had the kindness to crafty him by
taking his picture. but the whole COM
munity was thrown into the widest
excitement, and the rumors of the
strange appearance went around the
country like wildfire The Linnean so
cietv of Boston appointed a committee
of its members to investigate the mat
ter. Judge Davis, Professor Jacob
Rigelow and Mr. Francis c. Gray com
posed the committee. They took affi-
davits of the persons who had seen the
sea serpent and reached the conclu-
sion that this was undoubtedly an
authentic appearance. But they pub
lshed no portrait of the monster.
The disgruntled serpent went again
into retirement, and when next he put
il his appearance before reliable wit
nesses, il was not for purposes of eX-
hibition, as he had his hand-or rather
his fipperS-fuil of other business. He
was located off the coast of Brazil, and
was engaged in free-for- all fight
with a sperm whale. The crew of the
bark Pauline watched the combat. but
like previous spectators. they had no
camera al hand, an omission no longer
excusable as the year 1875 had now
come, and the camera had been long
since invented. The captain of the
Pauline made such amends as ne could.
by publishing affidavits of what ne had
seen, and numerous pictures were