The Delta independent., 1905-12-08
SAVED BY A SHARK
NELs NELSON'S ENCOUNTER
WITH REAL SEA SERPENT.
Truthful Sailor Describes Adventure
with Ocean Monstsr-"Eatins Ts.
baeeo" Disagreed with His Snake
ship-HeIp Comes In Nick OF Time.

"You may think that this Is pretty
fair-sized sea serpent. but you ought
to have seen the one that got away-
he was the daddy OF them all" said
Nels Nelson. one Of the sailors In
charge Of the big consignment Of sea
specimens received at the aquarium
rs he slammed = writhing 5-foot spot
ted moray into the receiving tank In
the inner court of the city's famous
fisheries exhibit, says the New York
World.
You know that the moray family
spotty and green-are the originals OF
the sea serpent you hear 10 much
about and see 30 little Of" said Mr..
Nelson ~ he inhaled . handful Of eat
ing tobacco.
was q little ovsr-ye-es. believe It
Was = day or 70 over. to be exact
We were cruising Oh the coast Of Bar
muda looking for specimens for the
New York aquarium and We were
doing pretty well. Wed taken In q
lot Of butterfly ash and green parrot
nsh and . croaker-because Of tbs
Tammaay administration-and = lot ef
hog 0sh and grunts. Funny. amt It.
We always ind the grunts around the
hognsh!
But to return to that sea serpent
Wed been fishing around for some
time before We struck ON this school
Of morays-sort OF correspoodenes
school. where they could learn seassr'
pentinE in six easy lessons and thea
get good Jobs - press agents for sum
mer resorts. OF course. these were
just little boy sea serpents and could
only play the dinky circoits. but they'll
grow even In the quArium.
Me and another fellow was rowing
around in . small boat when noticed
the fellow who was rowing suddenly
dropped his oars and his eyes buigsd
right out Of Ais head. He vas looking
At something over my shoulder and !
naturally turned my head and looked
right into the face Of one OF these
green boys that looked about hve
times n big ~ these ordinary oasa.
and you know they look tad enough.
"Of course, that was only the Arss
glance. for on careful second conssd-
GRAFTON I wouldn't say that - vas
more than fifteen or eighteen fest txx
maybe eighteen-and big In prepor-
tion. He was resting his face % the
rudder and stern Of Tia ainky anA
looking me square in t. 90. Ais ANAs
standing up straight a1A ASs tdDeA-
lined mouth opeaiAg and sAutttnG me-
q steam shovel. That was . 1ns thing
to have suddenly flashed into your fAes
and l naturally jumped up, dropping
my plug Of eating tobacco and knock
ing over q few lobster pots to get 70
the other end OF the boat.
THE serpent leaned himself on the
stern and nibbled up that plug OF
chewing at one gulp. and in about less
than q minute he seemed to regret
having done It. for he commenced
thrashinK the water something fierce
with his tail-and that must have been
at least twenty feet away.
II thought you said 1t was hfteen!,
said the reporter, timidly.
We'll. maybe 1t was. Make 1t six
teen. anyway. But fierce!
II made a swipe at him with the oar
and hit him a glancing smear across
| the snoot. when-would you believe It!
he rig up out Of the sea until his
head lowered above the water about
six feet. waving back and forth-just
like you see them In pictures-when OF
| 4 sudden something seemed to trip
him up and he slapped face down with
a bang on the dinky's stern. and before
, We could do = thing he had been
whisked on the boat into the water.
A shark had bit him in two. just In
line, and was totinE him away to his
table d'hote."