The Opelousas courier., 1904-03-26
in Air or Sea.

Salt Lake, Utah.-A terrible, name
less, unclassified creature of the AMI
NAL world is exciting the curiosity
wonder and fear Of occasional visitor
to Stansbury Island, in the southern
portion of Great Salt Lake.
This monster, SO strange and mnat
ural in appearance, has lately, it i
said, been seen by several persons, bu
the best account Of its Characteristic
and movement is gleen by Martin Gil
bert aad John Barry, two hunters wh'
this week returned from an expedition
over the island, in the course of which
they studied the habits of this hitherto
unheard Of creature for three days.
The monster, which appears to b.
almost equally at home in the air, OF
the beach, or submerged in the briny
waters Of Salt Lake, is probably thu
sole survivor Of a prehistoric species
1t is doubtless the last representative
of a family whose other members, dea(
ages since, ehaye left the testimony O.
their existence in the primevaI rocks
Of the mountains.
Arranging in concise form the de
scription of this incredible relic Of thu
animal world, from the accounts giveI
by those who have observed it at close
range, it seems in plain, unscientift
language. a combination Of fish, ali
gator, and bat.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BEAST.
In size it is simply tremendous. Gil.
bert places tits length at sixty feet
while Barry, who is an amateur scien,
fist, says that an examination Of its
tracks demonstrates that the monster
must be siXty-five feet from head to
tail.
The head is like that Of an alligator,
tAe eyes fiercely glowing, the jaws,
capable Of opening to a distance of ten
feet from the top of the upper to the
lower, are provided with a fearful ar
ray Of sharp saw-edged teeth; the
body, so far as observation goes, is en-
rased with heavy horny scales. AS to
this Gilbert and Barry are not positive,
as the constant diving of the beast. if
such it may be called, into the strong
brine Of the lake has incrusted it with
a thick coating of salt, which, save
near the wings, completely hides the
body.
According to their account they first
sighted 1t at q distance of between
one and a half and two miles. The day
was clear, the sun intensely bright.
Gtlbert's OWL words of the discovery
ere:
We were walking westward from the
east shore Of the island about 8 o'clock
IN the morning, when suddenly to the
northwest there sppeare- a Thing, I
don't know what to call it; it looked to
me like a brilliant rainbow folded into
a compact mass, moving rapidly
through the air.
Il was so astounded that for a few
moments I doubted the evidence of nv
" senses. The object came nearer.
but the colors were so dazzling that it
was some time before it assumed def
mite form. No one who has not wit
messed the sight can conceive it's
s~trangeness. The mass Of color was
glowing, flaming, radiant. I spoke to
Barry, saying:
"'For Gods sake, man can YOU see
thatF and he was no less astonished
than myself.
In three or four minutes the mon
ster's position was such chat it no
longer reflected the sunlight directly
toward us, and we could then discarnJ
the outline of the form. Its.tEe
were batlike, stretching sa-A~@ al
great expanse, I should say at least
one hundred feet from tip to tip. The
tail was proportionately short and re-
sembled that of a huge fish. We were
not close enough at this time to tell
about the head, only we saw that
the jaws were very long. In shape the
was like that of crocodile"
Gilbert gave a long account of how
be and Barry watched the monster.
which supported it's enormous wings.
swung round and round in immense
circles through the air, gradually de-
scend1ng and approaching nearer to
them. He declares that it was not
more than 300 yards above their heads.
when, now convinced that the awful
creature was about to attack them. he
tired at the monster with his rifle, a
f4-calibre gun loaded with a steel
,ased bullet.
The missile, he believes, struck fair.
)ut inflicted no apparent wound. The
monster gave u%tterance to a strange,
,ear-inspiring cry, half snort, half
oar. and, rising rapidly in the air.
Feered quickly to the west, and after
1hree miles Of flight settled down and
disappeared beyond the crest of the
BULLET HAD NO EFFECT.
A few seconds after the shot was
lred, while the hunters were watching
he flight Of the dragon-like beast.
ONE small Jumps of salt fell almost at
heir feet. They were more than ever
nystiied by this, but not until the
text day were they able to ascertain
is source
Determined to learn more of the
aonster, Gilbert and Barry fastened
q the direction of its fight, and after
urmounting the range of hills to the
Festward, found with little trouble the
racks the beast had left in the soil
fter ceasing its flight. These led the
tunters to an immense cave, near the
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