The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-12
SEA SERPENT
IN SALT lAKE!!
Los Angeles Paper Discovers
Weird and Mysterious AMI
NAL Off Murray Shore.
SAURlAN is CAPTURED
TALE OF EXCITING STRUGGLE is
TOLD.

Thank heavens the bathing season has
come to an endi n ''fish-alligator, thir-
ty-three feet long. 1900 years old. with
the head of an alligator the voice of a
human, the tail-but for further harrow
ing details read the tale. following The
thousands who have enjoyed a dip in the
briny deep surrounding the Saltair pavil-
ION Will shudder when they read this and
repeat. THANK heavens the bathing sea-
son is at an endl"
The startling discovery, the thrilling
capture and the money made by enter
prising show men as told in the following
account clipped from the Los Angeles
Herald reads like synopsis of the Press
club show and was undoubtedly per
petrated by some one with a vivid mag
ination and a terrific appetite If not
thank heavens the bathing season is overt
1t may be that space was loose and a
bright reporter locked himself in his
little den next to the city editors room
and thumped out the following special
from Murray. Or maybe the Murray
correspondent of the paper found his
landlady troublesome and as nothing more
than the Durand case was doing decided
TO make s. by fair means or foul. He
chose the latter and residents of the City
OF Saints were innocent victims. If they
read the story and believed it no doubt
they thought of the innocent children
who have dabbled their little (and other
wise) feet lin the lake, and the mothers
and the beautiful girls and the strong
men who plunged i'm its waters. And as
tear rolled down their cheeks they muir
INJURED the prayer OF thankfulness,
THANK heavens the bathing season is at
an endi''
Here's the BIood-CurdIer.
Read of the monster: let your blood
grow chilled at the account of its cap
ture; picture, if you can, Bingham juno
ton scientist; imagine a Murrayite own
O In I'D
wealth resulting for it all and then thank
heavens that the bathing season is over!
This is the tale:
Murray Utah Sept. S.-James Fran
son of this village recently made one of
the most remarkable discoveries of the
century-one which will keep the learned
men busy for months to come in explain
Ing what they have always declared was
an impossibility, namely, that no living
thing could exist in the salty waters of
the inland sea--Creat Salt lake.
Until a week ago Mr.. FranSon was of
the same opinion as the professors who
have written so much about the briny
waters OF the lake, but today you couldn't
make him believe that an animal resem-
bling cross between a monster fish and
an alligator does not thrive where moth
ing else can sustain life.
Mr.. Franson's discovery came about in
this way: While camped on Antelope
island one day last week Franson. his
wife and two sons were sitting on the
ing out across the water toward Salt Lake
City the father beheld animal SWIM
ming laZily on the surface of the lake
and not more than 100 feet from shore.
Without taking his eyes from the spot
he called to his wife and sons to look
where he was pointing.
AS they did so the queer looking OBJ
ject raised itself from the water and
sent forth q Shrek that was the nearest
approach to the wall of a human being
that could be imagined. As the terrifying
sound ceased the animal dropped back
into the water and continued its journey
toward the shore.
Almost instantly the Fransons were
again startled TO see several smaller MEM
bers of the same family swimming ten
or fifteen feet behind the great Salt lake
monster.
Captures Strange Saurian.
For a few seconds the Murrayites
kept their eyes on the strange appearing
group of animals Tor whatever YOU are
pleased to call them). but as the import
ance of the discovery revealed itself tC
the elder FransOn he jumped TO his feet
and set about to effect a capture.
I'm his early days, as everyone here
about knows. Mr.. Franson was one of the
best steer punchers that Montana boosted
and quick as a flash he ran to the tent
and returned with a rope some fifty feet
in length and prepared to take a try al
lassOing the strange animal.
by this time it had approached tC
within twenty feet of the shore, closely
followed by the smaller members OF lis
family. Ciroling the rope above his head
Franson made swift and accurate throw
and caught the wr1ggling monster about
| two feet below its head Then, like a
! flash, he made q half hitch of the Other
end of the rope around a limb of tree
| and the capture was complete.
For fully an hour the monster wrig
] gled and twisted, straining so hard a
/ times that Franson feared the half-incf
! rope would be snapped, but slowly the ami
/ strength eventually
hauled ashore.
"By actual measurement the monster
! was thirty-three feet long. Its head re
| sembled that of an alligator, but the tai
and body were of a slate colored hue, anC
/ IL looked more like a man-eating sharl
/ than anything else.
other ropes and making sure that /
could not escape, Franson got into hi
/ launch and made hasty trip to Saltai
/ and thence TO Salt Lake City. where sew
/ eral we'll known men who knew Fransol
| would not concoct such a story for tn
| purpose of playing a joke on them wer'
port the monster to Salt Lake.
Taken to SaItar.
"The trip was naturally dangerous one
| for the instant that the monster recoY
cred It's strength il dashed the water int
/ a white foam and more than once sue
! ceeded in taking the launch a mile o
more out OF its course.
-
! eventually the strange monster wa
| landed in the Salt Palace, where specia
! aquarium was erected for its home.
1.-THE palace has been crowd with Wis
itors every day since the doors wer
thrown open to the public, more than 1000
| people having already paid % cents eac
! to behold the only animal of its kind eve
| captured, and, so far as known. the onl
one with the exception of the other mem
Der of the same family, which promptl
| disappeared when Franson lassoed tn
| mother) that has ever been seen.
CAS- the waters of Salt lake are NOR
than one-third salt, 1T seems Impossible
that anything could 1--we in 1t, but the eyi
dence furnished by Mr.. Franson is indis
putable.
What seems all the more remarkabl
| concerning the monster is that IL come
nearer initiating the human voice than
/ parrot Many who have watched the e
gantic fish-alligator' declare that il a
but talks. and the attendant who neve
leaves the Salt Palace goes further an
declares IL does talk.
Il don't care how much fun you max
of me. he said the other day, that thin
can talk as plainly as man can, for
have heard il say things when there wa
no one but myself anywhere near III
building. Why, just last night, shortl
! AZ hod 1nP1rQ1 and