El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-23
JUSTLIKE SEA SERpENTS.
Great Creatures of the Ocean That
Sometimes Deceived Mariners.

':This is the time when the seaside
resort gathers it's energies together
and often gives to the expectant world
q story about the sea SERPENT" re-
marked a man interested in science.
is there sea serpent? Why, GER
tainly think so. 1 believe that there is
some strange animal that comes up
from the deep occasionally. Perhaps
1t may interest you TO know how easily
things pass as sea SER
penis Upon one occasion, some
time ago, q vessel in the North Pacific
sighted singular animal, not 500 feet
away, which was pronounced sea SER
pent by the men. When first observed
there was what appeared to be long
neck rising out of the water, ten feet
into the air, mounted by head sharp
and pointed. Behind this on the sur
face were seen irregular undulations
or humps, supposed to be made by the
animal as it moved along. Its length
was estimated to be 100 feet, and some
of the men saw it so distinctly that
they went into particulars regarding
| it's eye, it's name and other features.
There was, however, minority report.
| A single observer of some scientific
knowledge recognized in the singular
animal a gigantic cuttlefsh that evil
IDENTIFY was fleeing from an enemy, aud
| in it's effects to escape forced it's body
out of water tail first, so that it re-
sem bled neck. The tail fin of the
giant squid resem bles an arrow, and at
slight distance could readily be taken
for head. The giant squid range up
to sixty or more feet in length, and the
ten undulating and sucker-like tenacles
following behind give the appearance
of the Jumps invariably reported in all
sea serpent discoveries. 1 have seen q
small squid Tapping along the surface
in this way to escape an enemy, its tail
out of the water, resembling perfectly
a large eel; and it is easily seen how a
large one could be confused with SCRIP
ept-like animal.
"That whales have added to sea SER
pent lore there is little doubt in my
mind. A supposed sea serpent was
sighted by q chip in the Atlantic, and
a most graphic description given of it's
enormous size. The tall neck and other
peculiarities that always go with tn e
typical sea serpent. The remarkable
feature of 1t was that the serpent NOV
ed along the surface for twenty mi
nutes, holding it's head sloft, suggest
ing that it must have been an air
breathing animal. This same creature |
WAS sighted by another vessel. this |
time whaler, and finally it was cap
tured and found to be large whale, |
which had been growing from its head |
an extraordinary protuberauce that |
eight feet in length and simple
growth the result of some injury to |
the head.
But there is another whale that in
its perfect form resembles a sea SER
pent and undoubtedly has been mis-
taken for one. 1t is called the AnOdOn.
1t is long, slender creature, first dis
covered near Havre. 1t is toothless,
but has long bills like some of the
dolphins, and more remarkable yet,
has decided neck, so that the head
appears to be more movable than in
other whales. 1t ia very rare, but no
Paris museum without being struck by
Its snake-like form. In its natural
element this graceful creature might
easily be mistaken for a sea serpent.
"Among the fishes are several that
might suggest the great unknown, par
ticularly the band of ribbon fish, spec
linens of which twenty-five feet long
are common, while others nearly one
hundred feet are known to exist. Such
, creature moving over the surface
with an undalatory movement might
be taken for monster sea serpent. |
Some naturslists believe the sea SER
Oent to be deep sea shark, which Oc-
rises to the surface to aston
sh the beholder. This is justified by
The discovery by Prof. Garman of a
hsrk In Japanese waters elk feet long
md but four inches in diameter. I'm
Igine such shark twenty or thirty
eet in length, and we have sea SER
,ent that would correspond with many
# the accounts given by seafarers.''-
Iew York Sun.