The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-07-13


do not believe there exist such 'ninse
ono sernents. and l must confess
that did not believe there were SUCH
animals until personally look ooSer'
wo,ior of one of these monstrous Great
nres greab,many years ago, says Cap
tain lack lJohn P. Twomey), accord
ing to q special dispatch from Bruins
wick TO the Atlanta Journal. up TO
that time 4 was very skeptical and re-
garded all stories about them as myth
ical, and very much on the order OF
the mermaid fable.
NV doubts, however, were forever
dispelled on the day in May, 1877, when
we saw a sea serpent off the coast OF
Sicily. 1T was late in the afternoon
and YVES on.a ship bound up through
.ho Mediterranean. The sea was ex-
ceptioDallv smooth, and we all had our
sea glasses with US. The monster hao
a smooth skin, devoid of scales a oui-
let.sheDe6 head and face like an ALL
gator Tt was of immense length ana
along the back was a ridge OF fms ABOUT
fifteen feetin length and six feet apart
II WAS about fifteen to twenty feet
broad ut the shoulders, with hippers
or fms that seemed to have semi
revolving motion.
FROM the top of the head to the part
of the back where it became Immersed
I should consider was about 0O feet'
and that seemed about third OF the
whole length. All this part was
smooth resembling seal. 1t was
frightfpl spectacle to behold and gave
us a scare which we were not soon to
get over,
A short while afterwards think
about two yeaFs-while of Cape Rogue
in z whaling ship, the Kate Hughes L
witnessed a most unusual spectacle
which shell linger in my memory as
long as live. 1t was battle between
a sea serpent and whale. We mad
been hard driven by a storm in that
region of trade winds and equatorial
currents, and were just getting every
thing straight again. We were sail
ing along nndar-a light breeze and the
sailors were watching several sperm
whales that were playing around the
vessel, when suddenly they beheld
SIGHT which -stgaCk terror to everyone
on board.
Starting straight from the bosom OF
the deep gigantic serpent rose and
wound itself twice in two mighty coils
around the largest of the whales,
which it proceeded 10 crush to death.
In vain did the unfortunate whale
struggse, lash the water into foam,
and even below, bat all of his efforts
were as nothing against the supernat
ural powers of its adversary; whose
streugth may be further imagined
from the fact that the ribs of the ILL
fated fish were distinctly heard crack
inc one after another with the reporI
like that of a small caznOn. The other
whales were quick to disappear, an
so was the serpent with his prey, for
the wind had by this separated US by d
good distance.
l have friend who once had. a sim
liar experience as that related in my
first narrative. j never could doubt
the story, for the captain vas an hon
orable man and had the confidence OF
everybody. So tar from being doubt
ful it has been accepted by sIoany stu
dents of geological science, sndis be-
ing accepted by mang as establishing
bevoud a doubt the existence OF sea
serpents. His first report was made
to the British admirably from the logs
kept by him.
The serpent was encovutered In Iatl-
tude "a degrees and 40 aaiautes south,
and longitude degrees and 20 minntes
east. in the South Atlantic ocean near
the Tropic of Capricorn, and not VeF1
far from the coast of Africa.
"The animal was swimming rapidly,
and with his head and back above
water. He described it as 20 enor-
nous serpent, with head and shoulders