New-York tribune., 1906-07-22
THE SEA SERPENT.
1t appears at Last Before Bona
Eide Scientists.

Verify the perversity Of mankind passeth all
understanding! And il there be any who would
challenge the justice Of this aDhorsIn let him
reflect for a moment on the fact that We talk
Of the phoenix as if it were real and Of the sea
serpent as though IL were purely mythical
beast! But the sea serpent is probably himself
= blame for this inasmuch as he is indiscTeet
enough 10 show himself from time TO time 70
those who go down 10 the sea in ships. Hence
as with O:her distinguished mortals. everybody
who has occasion to cross the ocean burns for
an opportunity to boast an acquaintance with
this DISTINGUISHED dwelIer in the deeps-
A vast amount has been written about the sea
serpent. but OF all the stories that have been
told it is sad to reflect that those OF the clergy-
men "surpass in wildness Of elaboration even
the yarns invented with intent to deceive Al
least. so SAYS Frank Bullen-and he ought TO
know.
one or two Of the more serious accounts are
worth repeating. No longer ago than 1871 one
Peter Nelson, a Quartermaster, and therefore,
'an honorable man." saw from the deck or tie
Rotomahana a beast with the head OF an eel
and fins ten feet long rise thirty feet out OF the
water. II dark above and white below ne
gave a long account Of this strange beast, yet'
so far. those whom he intended to convert only
reply that it was very like whale"-in short
that he saw nothing more than whale breach
ing"
Captain McOuhae Of H. NJ. S. DsRdalus and
his officers in 1S4S created a great sensation In
England by a sea serpent story which at the
time was discredited by the late Professor Sir
Richard Owen. But time brings its revengss,
for it may turn out that the professor was
wrong. Briefly. they reported having seen an
enormous serpent with head and shoulders some
four feet out Of the water and some sixty Isst
of its body the surface. 1t passed rapidly so
same distance could easily have been distin-
guished. 1t had no fins. but something ike sea-
weed washed about its back.
Now within the last few days the honor OF the
captain and his officers rather. their credit as
Observers has been SingulaFlY Vindicated. Tor az
the last meeting of the geological Society e
B. Meade Waldo and NJ. j. Nicon described
a creature seen by them from the deck OF the
Earl Of CrawfOrd's yacht the Valhalla. which
bears a remarkable resemblance 70 that seen
from the Dsedalus. These two men accom-
panied Lord Crawford naturalists during
his usual winter cruise. Both are we'll known
naturalists, and one Is a member OF the Couhcii
of the Geological Society. The story they un-
folded to a breathlessly excited assembly OF the
Fellows Is briefly this: When of Para on De-
cember Z. 1905 al 1O a. they were standing
on the deck Of the yacht when their attention
was caught by a curious satl-like object or
some four feet long and two feet high waving
from side 10 side in the water. NO sooner had
they turned their glasses on this strange object
than there appeared huge eeI-Ike neck some
six feet long and as thick as a man 8 thigh'
and this neck was surmoUnted by a great turtle
like head with large eyes. now borne high above
the sea, which quite calm- 1t was dark
colored above and siIvery white below After
a few moments the head and neck were slowly
lowered, and when level with the water were
violently lashed from side to side. churning up
the sea into great sheet Of foam. and then it
vanished
Adverse winds caused the ship to beat about
so that at midnight they only twenty
miles from the scene Of the morning.
This is noteworthy because when Mr. NicOll
came on deck after breakfast one Of the officers
a strange commOtion In the water. At first
he though il was a rock 'aWash," but a more
careful examination showed that IT was & beast
OF some kind, travelling faster than the ship.
which was then making only about S1z knots.
The officer hailed the deck and the lookout
man. and thus got witnesses 10 this weird pre-
nOmenOn. Though the sea was calm. and there
was a bright moon. nothing satisfactory could
be made out owing 10 the wash" which the