Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-22
LOOKED LIKE A SEA SERPENT
Monster Two Hundred Feet Long,
with the Beard of n Prophet,
MOcks a ships Crew.

Captain A. e. S. Hambleton OF the White
Star liner Celtic denied that he had
''limped into port'-the recognized shin,
news formua-under one propeller because
a sea serpent had bitten off the other while
he was nearing Fire Island, n. Y, in the
shadowy light of the dawn OF yesterday.
1t was true there had been report of
sea serpent appearing about that time. 1t
was dark brown like the taste in the
mouths of those who had sat up looking
for strange sea changes and serpents and
other geological things. The purser denied
the story, declaring that the Celtic had
not been chartered as seeing the-sea-
serpent yacht, but he admitted that there
had been an unusually large Sunday SCHOOL
Of whales noted off the starboard bow. or
inshore, toward Amagansett early yester-
day morning before anyone 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 holding
royal flushes made up of marine monstersf
before the lights in the smoking room wey3
extinguished
Robert Hlliard was among those who
went to bed He says that he had never
seen a sea serpent before. This one that
is under consideration was pointed out to
him as the first gray streaks OF dawn ap-l
peared far off on the oceans misty brim.
(These are Mr.. Hlliard's own words) He
was In his berth when he was aroused by
a pounding on the door. He had left word
to the steward to call him II anything I'M
usual occurred on shipboard or out in the
illimita Bile ocean tMr. IIilliard). He asked
sleepily, whats the mazzer?" and the
faithful steward answered. whales
schools of emf! Mr.. Hiliard 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., Hillard and all the persons who
had not gone to bed ran to the rail (star-
board. Mr. billiard, who has played I'm
the nautical drama. says and saw some
thing they say was different from anything
they ever had seen after any other cap
tain's dinner The monster was at least
200 feet long, judging from It's twenty
convolutions that showed above the sur
face and It had a beard that Mr. Hiliard
says reminded him of King Lear. 1t WAS
a white beard. Just asteTn OF the shoulder
blades, or the place where the shoulder
blades might have been II the serpent had
had any, were wings, and they seemed
to be at least 100 feet from tip to tip. The
amateur 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 10 do, gentle
men," said the amateur aviator. THAT
creature will not leave this ship until he
receives human sacrifice. ! propose in
the interest OF the innocent people aboard
to cast lots among us and the man losing
shall jump overheard TO sayc the ship"
Il would rather" Mr.. billiard said
play a round OF jackpOts and let the lose5
stow away in the sea serpent"
/ At this point there was tremendous
upheaval on the shore side OF the liner
\ fourmasted schooner flying the cnsiga
OF the Swiss navy the starboard side
was seen no more. II had pres umably
vanished In the awful hole created lay the
I hydroplane sea serpent when he dlved.
MIR. billiard and the men who had STAYED
up all night fled to the smoke room
which was reOpcned for them. and thel
were stll there when the ship news re
( porters boarded al quarantine in the after
noon. The smoking room steward said II
was just whales that had caused the com
! motion--New York sun.