The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-07-21

is a true fish, with all the well-known
characteristics of a fish, including the
.gills, which are four feet long and by
means OF which it breathes. Yet 1t
does not resemble any species of fish
known to scientific authorities.
You may think it is a shark, but
It is not a shark. No shark ever grow
to such a size as this; besides, the tell
tale characteristics of all sharks, the
slit-like mouth underneath the head,
making the animal turn on its side or
back in order to seize its prey, are
missing.
Huge Fish Only a Baby.
On the contrary, the mouth of the
Deep Sea Mystery is an enormous cav
ity, 30 inches wide and 81 inches deep,
situated right at the end of the snout,
and resembles that of a monstrous cat
fish more than anything else. Inside
the mouth is a tongue 40 inches long,
and u gullet large enough to swallow u
giant octopus Weighing 400 pounds.
The Deep Sea Mystery captured by
Captain thompson exhibits other char
acteristics of a true fish that are as a
B. c. to the scientific investigator.
There are no ribs and in place OF a
backbone it's spinal column consisted
of cartilagenous vertebrate, some OF
which were 1877 inches wide, and
showing signs of Justification. This
was proof beyond doubt that the crea-
ture was still undeveioped-it was a
baby in fact.
Naturalists say that a full grown
specimen of the kind would not be less
than two and a half times as large as
the baby captured by Captain Thomp-
ton. Had this creature lived out its
allotted span. then it must have at
tanned the stupendous proportions OF
lis feet in length and 20 to 20 feet
broad.
Baby though It was it had assuredly
cut its teeth, for the Jaws were lined
, with innumerable tiny teeth that no.
body has taken the trouble TO count
They are set with an inward slant, SO
as to revent the escape of any prey
seized by the creature in looking fol
food, and Jonah would have had small
chance to escape had he fallen in its
way.
The huge mouth of such "a monster
as the Deep Sea Mystery would not an,
pear to invite repose, but as a matter
of fact two men did actually sit side
by side in the creatures mouth with
out crowding each other.
The tail of the Deep Sea Mystery
measures ten feet from tip to tip; the
pectoral fin is five feet long and three
feet wide, while the dorsal fin is three
feet Ion gand two feet nine inches
wide. With this huge muscular tail
as motive power, the creature was
able to hurl itself through the water
for hours with almost the speed of an
express train, and dragging Captain
Thompson's boat behind it, and no;
even the swiftest motor boat could
have kept pace with it..
Came from Great Depth.
Capt. Thompson drove as many as
five harpoons in the creature and how
he and his companions were towed in
a small life boat for two days and {
night over tho trackless main is an
other story and will be related in a
subsequent article in the captains own
words.
1t was undoubtedly the most thrill
ing adventure that ever befell mariner
Ior sportsman outside the pages OF fic-
tion, an done must read Victor Hugo's
1.-The Toilers of :k5 sea-" which is a
great story, purely imaginary romance,
to find anything approXimating the
captains nerve-racking experience.
! The eyes of the Deep Sea Mystery
are unusually small for so huge an ami.
NAL as this, and with other character
istics dislayed by the creatures Wis
cera indicate that 1t inhabited the
abysmal depth of the ocean where little
II any sunlight penetrates and ayes are
of little use.
This must be true, for were 1t a sur.
face dweller undoubtedly some mature
specimens must long since have been
discovered disporting themselves in
these waters by some Of the Thousands
OF mariners who have constantly ira,
versed these seas during the past 400
years.
Since no one has aver made any
such momentous discovery, the ques-
ton naturally arises, how came this
creature to be swimming in the shall
low water where Captain Thompson,
by the merest chance, discovered 1t?
Science answers that 1t must have
been thrown to the surface by some
unusual submarine disturbance, such
as a volcano eruption might bring
about. Relieved of the enormous pres
sure exerted by the water at the grea.
depth which 1t inhabited, its body be-
came distended with air and gases, its
diving apparatus was ruptured, and the
animal was unable to dive. During the
many hours of its frantic struggle to
escape its pursuer, It never once at,
tempted to dive, but kept to the sur
face until 1t became exhausted and
was finally slain.
Thousands View Monster.
The skin is three inches thick, scale
less, and so tough that the many bull
lets fired at it hardly penetrated IT at
all. The liver alone weighed 1,700
pounds, and 10 barrels of formaldehyde
and other ~disinfectants were required
to preserve the skin, while a wood and
lSteel framework was constructed along