The Washington times., 1906-09-09
SEA SERPENT WAS
CIGARETTE FIEND
Whipped a Whale That Fol-
lowed Him to Pick
Up Butts.
GREAT FIGHT SAYS SMOPER
And if You Doubt the Yarn He'll
Quote You Latitude and
Longitude.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Sept S-Since
the captain and cook and seventeen
supple. suuburned Scandinavian seamen
saw the thing IL must have been real
sea serpent Nothing 10 it, The fact
that the good ship Beacon was pro-
ceediug to this port with "a load OF
peaches az the time should not put "a
dent la the narrative. There are
peaches and peaches.
II anything further is needed to- verify
the story, take the latitude and long
tltude. 10 is impossible for sea serpenJs
10 exist where these imaginary lines are
not. That is a cinch. Therefore, ON
August 25. in latitude a255, longitude
75.5. In the Gulf Stream, the steamer
Beacon. bound mp from Jamaica. 1eu in
with the sea serpent
Right from the jump the reptile de-
veloped two unusual charact terisucs. He
was a cigarette flend and wanted TO lick
a whale that was hanging around to
pick up the butts. In fact it was the
serpent blowing the exhaust from a Gig
arctic through his nose that first at
tracted the notice of Captain Peterson
and his uubleached seameH.
AT the fashionable hour of high noon
the first puff Of smoke issued from
the sea two cable lengths from the
Beacon on the port bow just abafJ the
lee BOBBY hatch COaminEs. Soon the
serpent followed the Dun of smoke. He
was coming up 10 spit.
coil down the spauker halyards and
stand by 90 holystone the poop deck-'
yelled Captain Peterson. IF that mon
ster Of the deep apits on us Wen sink.'
AYE, aye, sir said the cook. turn
ing on his heel and walking aft The
exact position of the cook at the time
was not known, Gld they always walk
aft I'm these exciting episodes.
Meanwhile the smoking serpent let
of another pun and stuck his head out
of the sea. Being weakened by eNces-
siVe Indulgence i'm cigarettes. the demon
of the deep was unable 20 hoist his
head more than thirty feet above sea
level. And such a head, His eye
balls resembIed the Edam cheese
of commerce. being pink and high
lv Innamed and gTls-Cr0ssed with fine
lines like the memorial windows Ia
an avenue church.
Captain Peterson was az once alive
10 his danger.
"FurI and SLOW che Hyiug jibboom and
batter down the ash chutes!' he COM
Iuandel. iu low. tense accents
AS the sailors spraug 70 obey tlls or
der. the serpent pushed his head up a
few feet higher and cut down the dis
ranCe between himself and the ship 90
just one cable length. Smoke arose in
clouds While tle sailors stood rooted
t1 The grease spots on the deck. the rep
tile ducked his head and swaJted the
sea with sixty feet OF his body. that
formed triumphal arch alongside the
ship.
Swallowed the Cigarette.
The concussion listed the captains
quid 10 starboard and threw the cook
ON his beam ends. Up rose a fr0thy
column of water sufficient 60 swamp q
Sunday school excursion steamer. In
the smother Of foam the stiu blue body
of the serpent, six feet i'm diameter
writhed and twisted and zurgled
He had swallowed the cigarette.
When the tumult suDsIded and the
snip ceased reekius, the serpent hung
his Wlde-open face over the port tan
rail and looked az the sailors.
What do you reckon he wants uow2'
said Captain Peterson
"Nittles." said the cook. These var
mints Is always hungry"
Then why not appease him2' sug-
gested the skipper
I've got q pair OF d1uehuuts iu the
ealley-the kind mother used 10 make. "
said the cook.
The captain took another look at the
open countenauce hanging over the
rail-.
Try a ham," he said while Z figure
ont the exact latitude and longitude"
So the cook. assisted by the trembling
Seameu, appeused the monster. They
tossed thirteen hams into his face.
Luckily the hams were bull. at CiuCiu-
natl and not al Chicago. else the Bea-
con never would have reached this port.
After swallowing his ham, without the
And, the appeased and grateful serpent
turned on the whale and whaled him
plenty.
Guest at Luncheon.
Captain Peterson said the battle was
very exciting. hut he gave no details.
lie was too much taken up entertain
inE the serpent at luncheon The cap
tain would have offered his guest a lit
lie chinnaa beef from Lha huIMarks. but