The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-02
STORIES OF SEA SERPENTS
FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES.
For Centuries People Have Believed in the Ex-
istence Of Marine Monsters.


awe. Its vast extent and its resist
less force--before which the works
OF human hands seemed so weak
and fraxiie-made IL a type of the
infinite and the eternal. without beginning
or end Across its trackless wastes lay
unknown lands peopled by strange and
savage tribes. while In its waters lived
beings unlike those OF land or river: vast,
misshaped monsters. that had nothing In
common with things OF earth. but seemed
to belong 10 another world.
Long before the Christian era the Psalm
ist had voiced this feeling when he said;
They that go down to the sea In ships
that DO business IN great waters; these
see the works OF the Lord and His won
ders in the deep" And doubtless the won
ders lost nothing In their narrative by
those who saw them. The seafaring folk
magnifed the terrors OF their calling.
possibly 10 deter competitors as well as
through superstition and Ignorance, ana
the natural features OF the ocean became
personified by the poets until its gods ana
goddesses, mermaids and sirens, demons
and monsters were as familiar as me
tabled deities OF the land. When the
OIympian mythology was abandoned, and
nymphs and satyrs no longer haunted the
forest or stream, the sea remained home
for the powers Of darkness" that long
Influenced crcduious sailors. and probably
delayed the discovery Of America.
The vessels Of the middle ages made
voyages TO Britain and the Canary islands:
they crept along the coasts Of Africa ana
Asia. while the Norsemen skirted the Arc
tic ice sheet and reached the Western
continent, but In general these were the
exploits Of hardy adventures who found
few followers. Beyond the pillars OF
Hercules the ocean was still an unknown
region filled with terrors. forbidding
waste. accursed Of God on which It was
almost impious to trespass
The voyages NJ Columbus and his sue
cessors destroyed most Of these old-worli
notions, 30 that the most superstitious
old salt would laugh at them. ana yet
there are some Of these sailors tales that.
when d,vested " obvious absurdities. can
neither be accepted fully nor rejected tc-
tally in the present state OF knowledge.
There Is a sort of survival of the Mt
test" IN these stories, and the duty of
science Ii to Gull the true from the false
and to md the facts on which Ignorance
or careless observation may have erected
q marvellous structure. M
4 Geng-Livea Relief IN sea sespeats.
Among the stories that are still current
are those relating TO the sea serpents,
great monsters OF snake-like shape that
are said 10 have been seen In various
parts Of the world. Belief In the existence
OF such beings goes hack 10 the carly
Morse writer's. and In his History of this
Northern Races" published In Rome In
1855. the learned and picus CLAUS Magnus.
archbishop Of Upsala. devotes q chapter
10 them. According TO the worthy arch
bishop. one OF these serpents was 40 feet
long. twenty feet thick. and appeared like
a pillar" when II raised Its head in mid
air. This was truly q Formidable animal,
hut one that modern naturA1ists would
hav. been unable to identify--a disscuity
that Is shared by many others that have
been described since th8 days OF CLAUS.
The accounts Of strange sea monsters
that have been encountered from time to
time are usually no distorted and exagger-
ated A. 10 have invested the whole sub
1cct with an atmosphere Of doubt, and
sericus observers are unwilling to report
things that they may see. because OF the
ridicule that " apt 10 follow seeing the
sea serpent
so long as the only accounts Of the
wonderful creatures came from ignorant
sailors and crcduious landsmen. there
was good reason for rejecting them. The
effects OF light and shade on the hcaving
waters give rise TO optical decisions that
may deceive the most experienced and
there arc many things. animate and in
animate, that may resemble a vast SER
pentine shape when viewed from a dis
lance, These appearances. Joined TO q
prejudice In favor of the serpent that may
exist unconsciousIy In the mind Of the
spectator may produce false statements.
in spite az the most honest intentions. A
natural love OF publicity and notoriety
doubtless underlies many of these stories
and produces gross exaggerations. even
where tho whole account Is not fabricat.
ed. but numerous reports have been made
that cannot he dismissed In such light
fashion. Experienced seamen, such as
captains OF ocean liners and naval IN
GERS. men OF education. familiar with all
the changing aspects Of tho waters. have
made detailed statements that are as
worthy OF credence as would be official
reports on any other subject, and Il Is
unscientiHc IN the extreme TO refuse TO
believe them because they tell OF unfami-
lar things.
Authentic Cases OF Mnwtne Monsters.
In the London Times OF October 10. isss.
appears communication. dated ply
mouth, October 7. stating that the Daa-
daias. frigate. Capt Patrick McQuhar,
had juHt reached that port from the East
indies. The correspondent went on TO say
that while the vessel was between the
Cape % Good Hope and ST Helena the
captain and most ~ his officers saw a
great sea serpent that passed under the
quarter and remained Ia sight for tgcnty
minutes The animal held its head about
four feet eat ~ the water aud about sixty
feet u SIS length stretched ia a straight
tire on the surface, while portion es-
timSted 30 he thirty or forty feet long
wa Under water Its Jaws were fun OF
teeth and opened widely enough Tor a
man 10 stand crest between them Al the
time this WAS seen the ship was sailing
north AZ eight knots on the day foi.
ia~ink The publication Of this letter. the
admiralty called upon Capt McQuhar
for an efticial report Aad this formal
statement appeared IN the Times GA DC
tohef "a BY the report il seems that en-
August G. ISIS AZ y, IN, she paeaalus
gaH tn latitude "a degrees a minutes
south. and lenKitade , aoxrecs = min.
ufeS east. amen the ssrrent Vas seen ny
AIR Saytaris misishlpgnnn ami hy him
was reported 20 tAt0t. Edgar pramnond
ofiacsF % the watch. who VAS walking
on the deck ptih William Barrett. master
aud TAG captain The animal WAS scsa
by all % them and BY others on board
and the description VAS the ssma as that
stsen above. except that Il was said 10
Re ~ a brown eOlor. with ye.loeish white
about the throat. and 20 have reddish