The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-18
DEEP SEA BIG FISHES.
Monsters Caught Far Below Surface
20 of Ocean.

Monsters Caught Far Below Surface
of Ocean.
From the Boston Christian Register
The animals of the deep sea which
live habitually in water just above
the freezing point, in darkness that
is profound, are among the most gro
tesque and singular of living beings.
The fishes, so far as known, are of
small size, but this does not prove
that there are no large animals in the
deep sea. The method of taking deep
sea forms precludeS the capture of
any except the small and very slug
glsh ones which lie in the deep ooze,
but the time will come when a large
dredge will be invented in which the
monsters of the deep will be taken, as
there are few naturalists who have
given the subject any attention but
believe that there are in the greater
depths some gigantic animal which
is occasionally seen by those who go
down to the sea in ships The many
and oft-recurring stories of the sea
serpent cannot all be visions, pictures
of the fancy. Many of the supposed
sea serpents are whales, lines OF birds
or patches of seaweed, but it is the
consensus of opinion among conserV-
alive naturalists that there is some
gigantic animal in the deep sea yet
unknown to science which occasionally
comes to the surface, showing por-
lions of its form, to the amazement
of the mariner who may chance to be
in the vicinity.
AS to the nature of these unknown
animals we have several suggestions
Some years ago fisherman on the
Georges Banks, off the Maine coast,
or in that vicinity. brought up n. re-
markable FISH twenty feet in length
which was entirely new to him. Con-
sidering 1t q mere encumbrance, 1t was
thrown overheard, but the catch was
reported and aroused great interest
among naturalists, so much that a
large sum was offered to the fishermen
to fish it up again, which they tried
to do without success. The fish was
a veritable young sea serpent, and, IL
such a fish attained the length of fifty
feet, it would well compare with the
accounts of sea serpents which are re-
ported so aften. Since this occurrence
several eel-like sharks have been taken
long, serpentine-like creatures that,
when large. must be the sea serpents
of the deep sea, and have convinced
observers that the tales which have
aroused the credulity of people are not
without foundation, and that this mys-
terious realm conceals strange and gi-
gantic form which only rarely rise to
the surface.
The eel-like sharks found are in some
instances luminous, emitting a strange
light over the entire surface-the light
givers of the deep sea.
Another strange denizen of the deep
is the so-called ribbon fish, several
specimens of which the writer has seen
on the shores of Santa Catalina ISL
and. This creature is one of the most
beautiful Of all fishes. 1t resembles
a white or silver ribbon, slashed with
black. A long fin extends it's entire
length, and over the head forms
number of plumes or pompons of a
vivid red that in long specimens might
easily be taken for name waving to
and fro. That this delicate ribbon
fish attains a large size is generally
believed, as large specimens have been
captured. Some years ago a fisher
man was hauling a net on the coast
of Scotland. when it was found that
some heavy weight was holding the
net oack. Additional help was OBJ
tanned, ard a dozen men finally haul
ed in a monster fish, which was esti-
mated to weigh 800 pounds. 1t was
gigantic ribbon fish. thirty feet or
more In length, so long and heavy
that II required the efforts Of half a
dozen men 10 carry it along the deck
1t was a veritable sea serpent, and
extending from its head were tail deep
red or scarlet plume-like fins, which
form a sort of "mane." frequently de-
scribed as being seen on the typical
sed serpent If these fishes attain a
length of thirty feet, there is no rea-
son Why they may not exceed this.