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The Sea Serpent.Boston, August 23.Ths earliest account which the inhabitants of Gloucester received of their snake visiter was from the master of a coasting vessel. He went on shore and mentioned, I that a horrid monster was discovered by j him with his head round the bow. and ap-i pearing to be resting upon the cable—his | body extending along the sides and passing beyond the stern of the vessel, which meas-1 ured about 80 or 80 tons. So little belief ; was awarded to the story, that the master I was glad to seek refuge from derision, on I board his sloop.1 A subsequent account however, given by a credit-1 e person, who lives upon an extreme point of the harbour, excited the curiosity, though it was not calculated to remove the doubts of the inhabitants. He described the monster as elevating his head 8 feet from the surface of (he water—dashing it majestically about him, and moving thro’ it with astonishing and terrific rapidity.A few days afterwards doubt gave way ta certainty—“ what yesterday was fact to day is doctrine,” and the people, of Gloucester have seen the monster themselves. The following description from all the information which could be obtained at the plat*,; is as accurate as the circumstances would ! admit, and is not contradicted by any testi-1 mony of a less extraordinary character.He seldom swims with his head elevated, | hut it has been partially seen by some per-| sons and wholly by a few. It is a frightful : object. Its colour is a dark brown, mixed with some streaks of a lighter hue, and resembling from its hard and scaly appear-I ance “ a weather beaten rock.” It is broad and of the size of a Bingham bucket—the shape is round—in front, the conformation of the tipper jaw is something like a Spaniel’s, the under one like a Shark’s and both are armed with formidable teeth. The sideof his niouth is about nine inches long butit is well known the mouth of the serpent has great capacity of extension, on account of such stretching muscular skin which holds the joints together, that he can gorge a prey much thicker than his body.His hotly, upon comparing all accounts ot him is at least 9o feet long—perhaps too— and nearly of the size of a ilour barrel in his largest part, which is about ten or fif-j teen feet from his head. It is of a dark j biown, covered with large scales, which, when he is in motion, uppear rife with life, and are nt angles with the line of incurvation formed by his folds.His common motion is undulatory, making curves perpendicular to the surface of ! the water, w hich has given rise to the ac-j count of his proseutmg the appearance of a j succession of casks strung together. 'Ih» j ilextures of his budv aboVe, have alternate j spaccsof water between them which havecor-| responding depressed bends underneath. A.serpentine motion of the hand up and down ! will be an accurate indication of his movement. With amphibious snakes, the windings on earth are perpendicular and in the water are parallel to the surface; this animal has the vertical motion in the water.— lie makes verv short, sudden and rapid turns, so that in bringing his head and tail within a few feet of eaeli other, he resembles u pair of reins. He i* sometimes seen at rest with his back out of water; hut the celerity of his motion underneath the surface, is much greater than whcu any part of his body is exposed to view.Whether the people of Gloucester will ever be able to destroy him is very uncertain. They have Shark hooks attached to tight casks for buoys, baited with various kinds of food—boats arc placed upon tho watch and if he should gorge a hook of (his kind—we think he will be certainly taken —though not without mu h difficulty—1 hej will in that case be aware of the place of his situation, and profit by (he embarrassment of his motion: but at present they | have no clue to guide them to him; chance I only can give them an opportunity of seeing ' him—and they are not able with their best . boats to equal his rapidity.Salem, (Mass.) August 23.I Our Sea Serpent, as he is called, ia ! stfll near our shores. We have been told j that he has actually received herrings when | offered to him.—We have been promised I view of him as he appears when at his ease ; upon the water.— Whether he will be taken | remains doubtful.—The only hope seems to 1 be from some powerful wound in the head,| which he might received from u discharge of small shot, whether from musquetry or i cannon. If he were drawn into some cove,| and there exposed to a particular examinu-! tion, the article uuder which he appears, would be something besides a name with uncommon fear in it.POSTSCRIPT.The. Great Aquatic Serpent,It appears, has quit his station in Gloucester harbor, the small fish on which he subsisted, having probably become scarce, and has since appeared abcat Kettle Cove, several miles ibis side of Gloucester, whcra herrings and other small fish, are said to be found in great abundance. He was last seen at Gloucester on Monday afternoon— ,lt;nd on Wednesday afternoon, and yesterday m-Tuug, he was discovered near Kettle
Newspaper Details
Augusta Herald
Augusta, Georgia, US
Tue, Sep 09, 1817
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Rin K.
NA, 01 Dec 2024
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