The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1913-11-01
n.L cLo.ro,uaus SERPENT noRE Any
O1HrR cSssr~ -uvAw ~

A SERPENT noRE THAN Any
,RAre cAryRxAr
sketch accompanied the letter and ia
printed here.
But after all the cavil and false
hood pro and con regarding enormous
serpents of the ocean, a residue OF
truth remains in some of the tales of
the sea serpent's appearance that
cause the present day scientists to
shrug their shoulders. Some Of the
reports OF the monster are not easily
explained away, and in the early part
Of the nineteenth century SO many
reputable witnesses are said to have
beheld 1t that even the conservative
Encyclopedia Britannica admits that
some strange sea monster must have
existed and put in his appearance at
that time. So many times did the sea
serpent show itself OF the New Eng
land coast that it gained for itself the
name Of the American sea serpent"
and so many sturdy old Puritans tes-
titled to its general shape. size and
appearance that pretty good idea
has been gained OF the kind Of animal
that showed itself. According to most
descriptions, the sea serpent was
about 60 feet long. dark in color. but
lighter below, in the manner Of an eel,
with a fiat head and a neck about 16
inches in diameter.
An English naval officer. Captain
,ho1 ~ II n
serted in his official report to Admiral
Sir w. H. Gage in 1S45 the statement
that he had seen an animal Of this
description rapidly approaching his
ship In "a degrees A minutes south
latitude by 9 degrees % minutes east
longiture. He described 1t as an
enormous serpent" with it's head
raised about four feet above the water.
swimming along at an even and
speedy rate and at. least 60 feet in
length.
Captain McQuhars account encour-
aged other officers to tell Of similar
experiences, where previously they
had not dared for fear of ridicule. The
sea serpent has appeared too often
to mention in detail, but in 1905 it was
reported by Messrs. Meade-Waldo and
Nicall, two members Of the Royal 70
illogical society, who insist that they
saw the sea serpent 100 yards away
while cruising In the earl of Craw-
ford's yacht, the Valhalla, of the coast
OF Brazil. on December Z, 1905.
While standing together ON deck the
two biologists declare that suddenly
they saw great fin come out of the
water 100 yards from the ship. Field
glasses were brought to bear. and MIR.
Meade-Waldo beheld an enormous
head rise slowly, followed by a neck
that was about the thickness of a
mans body. The head, the biologists
say, was distinctly turtle-esque in It's
appearance, but. as the animal came
no nearer and shortly disappeared. its
exact size could not be ascertained
A long flock of birds skirnming the
waves once gave the effect OF q
nightly serpent swimming ut consid-
cradle speed. and trailing seaweed
has been approached and even har-
pooned In the belief that 1t was a SER
pent Giant squid. which are as fear
full and wonderful as the serpent it.
self, have been mistaken for the latter,
and 1t is probable that the serpent al
legged to have been seen by Claus
Egede was Of this variety.
In fact, in spite of all the ridicule
and all the hoaxes that have been
given forth in the name of this strange
animal, there is no reason after all to
deny that it may he living. Holder has
commented on the fact that the b.
valves OF the Mesozoic age have been
preserved to the present time. Why
then Is 1t not possible for Mother
Earth to have stored in her sea cav
erns some uncouth. cretaceous mon
ster that occasionally shows itself.
and each time ELECTS the well-known
and highly ridiculous cry: 1.-THE sea
serpent?"