The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-06-07
|SH|P S|GHTSEERS
| SEE SEA SERPENT
At Least They Imagined
They Did-Captain Said
School of Whales.

New York. June Capt A. E. S.
Hambleton of the White Star liner
Celtic denied that he had "limped into
port"-the recognized ship news for
mula-under one propeller because a
sea serpant had bitten off the other
while he was nearing Fire Island in
the shadowy light of dawn Monday.
1t was true there had been a report
of sea serpant appearing about that
time. II was dark brown like the
taste of those who had sat up look
ing for strange sea changes and ser
penis and other geological things. The
purser denied the story, declaring that
the Celtic had not been chartered as
seeing-the-sea-serpant yacht, but he
admitted that there had been an unus-
ually large Sunday-school of whales
noted off the starboard bow, or in
shore. twoard Amagnsett early in the
morning before any who had gone to
bed was up. He could not account for
the visions of those who had not gone
to bed and who might have been hold
ing royal flushes made up of marine
monsters before the lights in the
smoking room were extinguished.
Robert Hilliard was among those
who went to bed. He says that he had
never seen sea serpant before. This
one that is under consideration was
pointed out to him as the first gray
streaks Of dawn appeared far off on
the oceans misty brim. (These are
Mr.. billiards. own words) He was in
his berth when he was aroused by
pounding on his door. He had left
word to the steward to call him if any
thing unusual occurred on shipboard
or out in the illimitable ocean (Mr.
Hilliard) He asked sleepily, Whats
the mazeer?" and the faithful steward
answered. Whales, schools of EN-"
Mr.. billiard drew on his pajamas and
went out on deck. There he met the
purser and asked where the whales
were. "Whales?" said the purser
You mean sea serpents!"
Mr.. Hilliard and all the persons
who had not gone to bed ran to the
rail (starboard, Mr.. Hilliard, who has
played in the nautical drama, says)
and saw something they say was diff
ferent from anything they ever had
seen after any other captains dinner
The monster was at least 200 feet
long. judging from it's twenty convolu.
tons that showed above the surface,
and it had beard that Mr.. Hilliard
says reminded him of King Lear 1t
was a white beard. Just astern of the
shoulder blades. or the place where
the shoulder blades might have been
if the serpent had had any, were
wings, and they seemed to be at least
100 feet from tip to tip. The anna
teur aviator who had stayed up all
night remarked that he believed that
the serpent was of the new hydroplane
species.
There is but one thing to do, gen.
Element" said the amateur aviator
THAT creature will not leave this
ship until he receives a human sacri-
flee. l propose in the interests Of the
innocent people aboard to cast lots
among us and the man losing shall
jump overheard to save the ship"
Il would rather" Mr.. billiard said,
play round of jackpots and let the
loser stow away in the sea serpent"
At this point there was a tremen-
dous upheaval on the shore side of
the liner. A four masted schooner fly
ing the ensign of the Swiss navy on
the starboard side was seen no more
She had presumably vanished in the
awful hole created by the hydroplane
sea serpant when he dived. Mr.. Hill
lard and the men who had stayed up
all night fled to the smoke room,
which was reopened for them, and
they were still there when the ship
news reporters boarded at Quarantine
in the afternoon. The smoking room
steward said it was just whales that
had caused the commotion.
This much is true: Mr. Hilliard
won two pools in the Derby aggregat-
ing $3.50.