The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-04-24
RECOGNITION OF i.
SEA SERPENTS
Many Are Whales, Lines Of Birds or
Patches of Seaweed.


The sea serpent, at least in many
modified forms, is an accepted sci
entific fact. 1t is coming to be gen.
orally believed that 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 or
opinion among conservative natural
lists that there is some gigantic ami
NAL in the deep sea yet unknown to
science which occasionally comes to
the surface, showing portions of its
form to the amazement of the mari
ner who may chance to he in the vicin-
ity. AS to the nature of those un-
known animals we have several sug-
gestions. Several eel-like sharks have
been taken, long serpentine-lilIe crea-
lures 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 mysterious realm conceals
strange and gigantic forms which only
rarely rise to the surface.
The eel-like sharks found are in
some instances luminous, emitting
strange light over the entire surface
| the light givers of the deep sea. Those
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 sluggish
| Cnes which lie in the deep ooze, but
the time will come when 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 there
are in the greater depths some gigantic
animal which is occasionally seen.
An interesting form of the sea SER
pent is the so-called ribbon fish, sew
eral specimen of which the writer
has seen on the shores Of Santa Cata-
lima Island. This creature is one of
the most beautiful of all fishes. 1t
resembles white or silver ribbon
slashed with black A long fin ex-
tends it's entire length and over the
head forms number of plumes or
pompons of vivid red that in long
specimens might easily be taken for
a name waving to and fro.
That this delicate ribbon fish at
tains very large size is generally be-
lieved, as good sized specimens have
been captured. Some years ago a
fisherman was hauling a net on the
coast of Scotland, when it was found
that some heavy weight was holding
the net back. Additional help was oD-
tained, and dozen men finally haul
ed in monster fish, which was esti-
mated to weight eight hundred pounds
1t was gigantic ribbon fish, thirty
feet or more in length, so long and
heavy that 1t required the efforts or
half a dozen men to carry it along
the deck.
1t was a veritable sea serpent, and
extending from its head were tall deep
4, red or scarlet plumes, like fins, which
formed sort of name, frequently de-
scribed os being seen on the typical
sea serpent. If these fishes attain a
length Of thirty feet there is no reason
WHY they may not exceed this, and 1t
is very possible that some of the sea
seTpents' which have been observed
at various times were gigantic rib
bon fishes, which came up from the
deep sea and moved along with undu-
Iating motion at the surface. One OF
the most remarkable as we'll as gigan-
tic animals of the deep sea is the giant
squid-a favorite tidbit of the sperm
whale.
The size to which these animals
grow, theiretrength and their hideous
appearance place them on a par with
many of the weird and grotesque crea-
lures Of past age. The sQuid un-
dcubtedly attains length of nearly,
f not over, one hundred feet.
| UNKNOWN WHITE RACES