Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-09-27


sketch accompanied the letter and Is
printed here.
But after all the Cavil and false
hood pro and con regarding enormous
serpents of the ocean, residue OF
truth remains In some Of the tales OF
the sea serpents appearance that
cause the present day scientists to
shrug their shoulders. Some OF the
reDorts OF the monster are not easily .
explained away. and in the early part /
of the nineteenth century so many .
/ reputable witnesses are said TO nave /
/ beheld it that even the conservative /
Encyclopedia Britannica admits that
some strange sea monster must nave
/ existed and put in his appearance at
/ that time. So many times did the sea
serpent show itself off the New Eng
land coast that it gained for itself the
name of the American sea serpent,
and so many sturdy old Puritans tes-
tilted to it's 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 so feet long. dark in color, but
lighter below, in the manner Of an eel.
with a fat head and a neck about 10
inches in diameter.
An English naval officer Captain
McOuhal, OF H. NJ. S. Daedalus. in
serted in his official report to Admiral
Sir w. H Gage in 1915 the statement
that he had seen an animal OF this
description rapidly approaching his
) shin in "a degrees A minutes south
latitude by degrees 90 minutes east
longiture He described it as an
enormous serpent" with its head
r raised about four feet above the water.
swimming along at an even and
speedy rate and at least 60 feet IN
length.
! Captain McQuhal's account encour-
: aged other officers to tell of similar
: experiences, where previously they
+ had not dared for fear of ridicule. The
o sea serpent has appeared too often
S to mention in detail, but in 1906 it was
y reported by Messrs. Meade-WaldO and
g Nicall two members Of the Royal To-
h illogical society who insist that they
saw the sea serpent 100 yards away
r while cruising in the earl Of Craw'
= ford's yacht. the Valhalla, off the coast
y of Brazil. on December I, 1905.
s While standing together on deck the
It two biologists declare that suddenly
d they saw a great fin come out of the
e water 100 yards from the ship. Field
E. glasses we're brought to bear. and Mr.
Meade-Waldo beheld an enormous
t. head rise slowly, followed by neck
e that was about the thickness OF a
mans body The head, the biologists
ID say, was distinctly turtle-esque in its
r appearance, but, as the animal came
lie no nearer and shortly disappeared, Its
r. exact size could not be ascertained
Is A long flock Of birds skimming the
waves once gave the effect of {
s. nightly serpent swimming at consid
As cradle speed. and trailing seaweeC
e has been approached and even har
ye pooned in the belief that it was ser
D. pent. Giant squid which are as fear
of full and wonderful as the serpent il
Of self. have been mistaken for the latter
in and it IS probable that the serpent al
IS legged TO have been seen by Clau
ID, Egede was of this variety.
nd In fact. in spite of all the ridicul
nd and all the hoaxes that have bee
I'd given forth in the name of this strang
X animal, there is no reason after all I
lis deny that K may be living Holder ha
OF commented on the fact that the b
en- valves OF the Mesozoic age have bee
tn preserved to the present time. VIII
ed then is it not possible for Mothe
We Earth to have stored IN her sea ca
ce ems some uncouth. cretaceous moi
. ster that occasionally shows itsel
ur- and each time elicits the well-know
his and highly ridiculous cry: The Sc
A serpent"