Part 20

“Ship Monongahela, at Sea, Feb. 6.--A small vessel has just been reported from my mast-head, and as she is apparently bound into some of the northern parts, I intend to speak her, purposely to acquaint, through your widely diffused journal, the people of the United States, of the fact of the existence and capture of the sea-serpent--a monster deemed fabulous by many--but the truth of whose existence is for ever settled, and, I trust I shall be excused in saying, by Yankee intrepidity. On the morning of January 13, when in lat. 3 deg. 10 min. south, and long. 131 deg. 50 min. west, the man on the look out, seated on the foretopmast cross-trees, sang out: “White Water” and in reply to my “Where away?” said “Two points on the lee bow”. Supposing it to be made by sperm whales, and being very anxious to obtain oil, I ordered my ship to be kept off, and immediately went aloft with my spyglass. I will observe that for several days we had been struggling along with very light and baffling winds, but at day-light of the morning of the 13th. the wind had drawn to the south-south-west, become steady, and threatened to blow a gale. I was aloft nearly half an hour before I observed anything like “white water” and then I presumed it to be made by a “school”, or rather schoal of porpoises; but wishing to be certain, I ordered the mate, as it was seven bells, to turn up all hands, square in the yards, and send out the port studding sails. It being my breakfast hour I urged the man to keep both eyes open, and came down; but before I reached the deck my attention was called to the sudden and vehement cry of Onnetu Vanjau, a Marquesan Islander, “Oh! look! look! Me see!--too much--too much!” All eyes were instantly directed to the savage to ascertain where he was looking, and then all eyes turned to the lee quarter. I had just time to see “black skin” when it disappeared. The native was excited, and in reply to my question said: “No whale--too much--too big--too long. Me no see all same dat fellar--me fraid”. Not being able to tell which way the animal or fish was bound, I luffed and came aback, ordering the lines into the boat and the crews to “stand by”. The horizon was scanned in every direction for nearly an hour, when giving up all hopes I braced forward and went below. The native continued to look with eagerness, pushed on by the observations of the crew, who asserted that he had seen nothing, but he proved the truth of his sight in a few minutes by uttering another cry, and with more vehemence than the first. I rushed on deck, and the first look, not a mile to leeward, rested on the strangest creature I had ever seen in the ocean. It was apparently still, but “shobbing” up and down, as we say of sperm whales. I knew it was not a whale. The head I could not see, but the body had a motion like the waving of a rope when shaken and held in the hand. Every eye in the ship regarded it attentively, and not a word was spoken or sound uttered. In a few minutes the whole length of the body rose and lay on the water; it was of an enormous length. Presently the extremity or tail moved or vibrated, agitating the water, and then the head rose entirely above the water, and moved sideways slowly, as if the monster was in agony or suffocating. “It is a sea-serpent” I exclaimed; “stand by the boats”. There was a hesitancy, and the mate said, “of what use is there lowering for him? We only lose time, and gain nothing besides”. I abruptly checked him, and ordered all hand to be called aft. When they had mustered I told them I wished to “try” that fellow. I urged them with all the eloquence I possessed, telling them there were but few who believed in the existence of a sea-serpent, and that a wish had been expressed that a whale ship might fall in with one of them--that if we did not attack him, and should tell of seeing him when we got home, we should be laughed at and derided--and the very first question would be: “Why didn’t you try him?” I told them our courage was at stake--our manhood, and even the credit of the whole American whalefishery, and concluded by appealing to their cupidity--holding out that we might possibly get him into some southern port. “I do not order one of you to go in the boats”, I said “but who will volunteer?” Let me say to their credit, every American in the ship stepped out at once, followed by all but one native and two Englishmen. I ordered the boat-steerers and officers to examine and see that every thing in and about the boats was in perfect order. I had already jumped into my boat when the serpent began to move very rapidly, and it was necessary to stand after him. The wind was piping up strongly, but as we gained I continued to carry all sail, hoping to be able to lower before the gale rendered it impossible. The serpent worked to windward, which compelled me to haul on the wind, and soon after I carried away my fore top-gallant mast; this was most unlucky for us, and, what was still worse, we lost sight of the monster. We repaired damages with all possible despatch, and still kept on the wind, hoping to see his snakeship. In less than an hour we saw him again, but some way to windward; soon ascertaining that he partly turned, and was headed baft for beam, I put the ship about on the other tack. The wind had increased so much, that I was obliged to put a single reef in the fore and mizen topsails. The serpent disappeared for a few minutes again, but when he rose he was a mile ahead of the ship, and going slowly to leeward, having made a complete circuit. I frankly admit my hopes were feeble of ever really capturing him, and the gale made me hesitate about lowering; but the time arrived, the serpent was still, and we nearly half a mile to windward. I came to with the head yards aback to have a better control of all the ship, and told the ship-keeper to keep close to us, and by no means to lose sight of us for an instant. We lowered, myself taking the lead, and in a few strokes--the wind and sea carrying us to leeward--I told the boat-steerer, James Wittemore, of Vermont, to “stand up”. With calm and cool intrepidity he laid hold of his iron (harpoon), and, when I beckoned with a movement of my hand, quick as thought both of his weapons were buried to the socket in the repulsive body before us. I shouted ’stern, but there was no visible motion of his snakeship. I shifted ends with the boat-steerer, and cleared away a lance as quickly as possible, beckoning them to pull up, that I might get a lance, when a movement of the body was visible, and the head and tail of the monster rushed as it were to “touch the wound”. The frightfulness of the head as it approached to boat, filled the crew with terror, and three of them jumped over board. I instinctively held out my lance, and its sharp point entered the eye. I was knocked over and felt a deep churning off the water around me. I rose to the surface and caught a glimpse of the writhing body, and was again struck and carried down. I partly lost my consciousness under water but recovered it; when I rose again in the bloody foam, the snake had disappeared, and I shouted, “pick up the line”. The third mate Mr. Benson, caught a bight at my line near the end, and bent on his, which in an instant began to be taken out rapidly. The mate picked me up as soon as I rose to the surface, and in a few minutes all were picked up--one was severely bruised and another insensible, but he recovered and both are now well. The snake had taken my line, the third mate’s, and was taking the second mate’s, when I ordered the mate to bend on and give his line to the ship. The snake was sounding, and I cautioned the officers not to hold on too hard, for fear of drawing the irons. At first the line went out rapidly, but decreased gradually, nevertheless I was obliged to get up a spare-line out of the fore hold and bend on. For fear that the ship would by its weight on the line draw the irons, I put on several drags and gave the line to the mate, when it became stationary. There were now out four boats’ lines, 225 fathoms in a boat, and two-thirds of another line, 100 fathoms more--in all 1,000 fathoms, six feet in a fathom, 6,000 feet--better than one mile and an eighth, an enormous depth, and the pressure at that distance is inconceivable. It was now blowing furiously, and I scarcely dared to carry sail enough to keep the ship up, the boat was in peril, and I was obliged to take the line to the ship again, and run the risk of the irons drawing. I made the end of the line fast and took in all sail but enough to keep her steady, and waited in alarm the snake’s rising, the parting of the line, or the irons drawing. At 4 p. m. the wind began to shift, which favoured us a little; at 5 p. m. it, to our great joy, began to abate. At 8 p. m. a sudden lull; line taut. The night was beautiful, sky clear, wind scarcely a breath and sea rapidly falling, no eye was closed in the ship--we were speculating on our prey. It was evident he was on the bottom. He stayed down a long time; but on reflection I considered that was his forte--that he was at home there. At 4 a. m. of the 14th., 16 hours after he went down, the line began to slack, I had it taken to the windlass, when we got nearly two lines “hand over hand”, then there came a strain again. This strain continuing, I told every body to bear a hand and get breakfast, and just before we were through, the cook cried out, “Here he is”. In no time all were on deck, and sure enough he had risen; but all that was visible was a bunch, apparently the bight of the snake, where he had been fastened to. I lowered three boats, and we lanced the body repeatedly without eliciting any sign of life. While we were at work he gradually rose to the surface, and around him floated what I took to be pieces of his lungs which we cut with our lances. To make our work sure we continued to lance, eagerly seeking for his life, when he drew himself up and we pulled away, and then witnessed the terrific dying struggles of the monster. None of the crew who witnessed that terrible scene will ever forget it; the evolutions of the body were rapid as lightning, seeming like the revolving of a thousand enormous black wheels. The tail and head would occasionally appear in the surging bloody foam, and a sound was heard, so dead, unearthy, and expressive of acute agony, that a shrill of horror ran through our veins. The convulsive efforts lasted 10 or 15 minutes, when they suddenly stopped, the head was partially raised--it fell--the body partly turned, and lay still. I took off my hat, and nine terrific cheers broke simultaneously from our throats. Our prey was dead. Luckily he floated buoyantly, and we took him alongside, and while doing so he turned over, lying belly up. Every eye beamed with joy as we looked at him over the rail, and the crew again cheered vociferously, and I joined them. We now held a consultation as to what we should do, and I had requested all hands to offer their opinions. After a short talk, all of us felt convinced that it would be impossible to get him into port, and then we concluded to try and save his skin, head, and bones, if possible. In the first place I requested a Scotchman, who could draw tolerably, to take a sketch of him as he lay, and the mate to measure him. It was now quite calm, and we could work to advantage. As I am preparing a minute description of the serpent, I will merely give you a few general points. It was a male; the length 103 feet 7 inches; 19 feet 1 inch around the neck; 24 feet 6 inches around the shoulders; and the largest part of the body, which appeared somewhat distended, 49 feet 4 inches. The head was long and flat, with ridges; the bones of the lower jaw are seperate; the tongue had its end like the head of a heart. The tail ran nearly to a point, on the end of which was a flat firm cartilage. The back was black, turning brown on the sides; then yellow, and on the centre of the belly a narrow white streak two-thirds of its length; there were also scattered over the body dark spots. On examining the skin we found, to our surprise, that the body was covered with blubber, like that of a whale, but it was only four inches thick. The oil was clear as water, and burnt nearly as fast as spirits of turpentine. We cut the snake up, but found great difficulty, and had to “flense” him, the body would not roll, and the blubber was so very elastic, that when stretched 20 feet by the blocks, it would, when cut off, shrink to 5 or 6 feet. We took in the head, a frightful object, and are endeavouring to preserve it with salt. We have saved all the bones, which the men are not done clearing yet. In cutting open the serpent we found pieces of squid and a large blackfish, the flesh of which dropped from the bones. One of the serpent’s lungs was three feet longer than the other. I should have observed that there were 94 teeth in the jaws, very sharp, all pointing backward and as large as one’s thumb at the gum, but deeply and firmly set. We found it had two spoutholes or spiracles, so it must breathe like a whale; it also had four swimming paws, or imitations of paws, for they were like hard, loose flesh. The joints of the back were loose, and it seemed as if, when it was swimming that it moved two ribs and a joint at a time, almost like feet. The muscular movement of the serpent after it was dead made the body look as if it were encircled by longitudinal ridges. We were nearly three days in getting the bones in, but they are now nearly clean, and are very porous and dark coloured. The heart I was enabled to preserve in liquor, and one of the eyes, but the head, notwithstanding it is cool, begins to emit an offensive odour; but I am so near the coast now that I shall hold on to it as it is; unless it is likely to breed a distemper. Every man in the ship participates in my anxiety. 2 p. m. I have just spoken the vessel; she proves to be the brig Gipsy, Captain Sturges, eight days from Ponce, P. R., with oranges and merchandise, bound to Bridgeport. He has kindly offered to put these sheets in the post office when he arrives. As soon as I get in I shall be enabled to furnish you a more detailed account.--I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Charles Seabury, Master, Whale-ship Monongahela, of New Bedford.”

Mr. NEWMAN, the Editor of the Zoologist, adds:

“Very well like a hoax, but well drawn up.”

Mr. ROBERT FRORIEP, the Editor of the Tagsberichte über die Fortschritte der Natur- und Heilkunde, (Abtheilung Zoologie und Palaeontologie n^o. 486, 1852, March), says:

“The picturesque description of the adventure is lively and reads pleasantly, yet it makes the impression, as if the whole is one of the stories, so often occurring in American newspapers. Nothing can be concluded with any certainty from the description of the animal of 104 feet length and 16 feet thickness, with two spout-holes and a skin like that of whales. The intrepid captor of the monster says that he has preserved the bones, the skin, the skull with its flesh adhering to it, an eye and the heart, and as he must come back ashore, a naturalist will at last have opportunity to examine and determine these remains, and we shall learn then, whether the fable of the Sea-Serpent is founded, and what the Sea-Serpent may probably be. As soon as possible we will mention more accurate reports.”

Some time afterwards Mr. ROBERT FRORIEP wrote, (same journal n^o. 491):

“As it was supposed, we learn from a communication of the Philadelphia Bulletin that the story of the capture of the Sea-Serpent is a fiction. The crew that was said by the New York Tribune to have met with the ship of Captain SEABURY in the open sea and to have taken home the report, has declared, that it has nowhere met with a ship Monongahela, Captain SEABURY.”

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Another reported capture of a sea-serpent was published in the Buffalo Daily Republic, of the 13th. of August, 1855, partly inserted in the Illustrated London News of the 15th. of September, of that year, and in toto in the Zoologist of that year, p. 4896, and in the Times of October, 1, 1855:

“The “Buffalo Daily Republic” of the 13th. of August, announces the capture of the great American water-snake on that day in the Silver Lake, near Perry village, New York. On Sunday, the 12th. the snake came to the surface, displaying 30 feet length of his body. On Monday morning all were on the alert. At nine o’clock the snake appeared between the whaleman’s boat and the shore: he lay quiescent on the surface, and the whaleman’s boat moved slowly towards him, Mr. Smith, of Covington, pointing his patent harpoon. On reaching within ten feet of the snake, the iron whistled in the air, and he darted off towards the upper part of the lake, almost dragging the boat under water by his movement. Line was given him, and in half an hour his strength seemed much exhausted. The whaleman then went ashore and gradually hauled the line in. When within fifty feet of the shore, the snake showed renewed life, and with one dart nearly carried off the whole line; but he was dragged slowly ashore amid excitement unexampled in the district. Four or five ladies fainted on seeing the snake, who, although ashore, lashed his body into tremendous folds, and then straightened himself out in agony with a noise that made the earth tremble. The harpoon had penetrated a thick muscular part, eight feet from his head. He is 59 feet 8 inches in length, and has a most disgusting look. A slime a quarter of an inch thick covers his body, and if removed is instantly replaced by exudation. The body is variable in size. The head is the size of a full grown calf. Within eight feet from the head the neck gradually swells to the thickness of a foot in diameter; it then tapers down, and again gradually swells to a diameter of two feet in the centre, giving about six feet girth; it then tapers off towards the tail, and ends in a fin, which can expand in fan-shape three feet across, or close in a sheath. Double rows of fins are alternately placed along the belly. The head is most singular. The eyes are large, staring and terrific, with a transparent membrane attached to the lids, protecting the eye without impeding the vision. No gills appear. The mouth is like that of the fish called a sucker; it can stretch so as to swallow a body a foot and a half in diameter: there are no teeth; a bony substance, extending in two parallel lines, covers the upper and lower part of the head. The sides and back are dusky brown; the belly is dirty white. Although sinuous like a snake, there are hard knot-like substances along the back. The harpoon is still in him. He lies in the water, confined with ropes, which keep his body in a curve, so that he cannot get away. He can use his head and tail, with which he stirs the water all around. When he rears his head (which he generally keeps under water) he presents a fearful aspect. In expanding his mouth he exhibits a blood-red cavity, horribly to look at, and the air rushes forth with a heavy short puff.”

The well known Mr. SPENCER F. BAIRD, the late zealous Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, U. S. on reading this in the Zoologist, sent to the Editor the following letter (Zoologist, 1856, p. 4998):

“In the November number of the “Zoologist” (Zool. 4896) I notice an extract from an American paper, respecting the capture of the “Great American Snake”. You have probably since learned that the account is an unmitigated hoax, manufactured by a newspaper-editor, while on a summer vacation, for the purpose of furnishing material for his editorial correspondence.--SPENCER F. BAIRD, Smithsonian Institution Washington, U. S. December 28, 1855.”

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The following splendid trick is of Captain TAYLOR, who is even called “a respectable and trustworthy gentleman”, nay, who, when the truth of it was inquired into, even “confirmed the statement”!

In the Zoologist of 1860, p. 6985, we read:

“The following extract from the log of the “British Banner”, which arrived at Liverpool on Sunday, 18 March, last, appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post of March 20. “On the 25th. April in lat. 12° 7′ east, and longitude 93° 52′ south, felt a strong sensation as if the ship were trembling. Sent second mate to see what was up; the latter called out to me to go up the fore rigging and look over the bows. I did so, and saw an enormous serpent shaking the bowsprit with his mouth. There was about thirty feet of the serpent out of the water, and I could see in the water abaft of our stern; must have been at least three hundred feet long; was about the circumference of a very wide crinoline petticoat, with black back, shaggy mane, horn on his forehead, and large glaring eyes, placed rather near the nose, and jaws about eight feet long; he did not observe me, and continued to shake the bowsprit and to throw the sea alongside into a foam, until the former came clear away of the ship. The serpent was powerful enough, although the ship was carrying all sail, and going at about six knots at the time, he attacked us, to stop her way completely. When the bowsprit with the jibboom sails and rigging went by the board, the monster swallowed the foretopmast staysail and flying jib, with the greatest apparent ease; he also snapped the thickest of the rigging asunder like thread. He sheered off a little after this, and returned apparently to scratch himself against the side of the ship, making a most extraordinary noise, resembling that on board a steamer when the boilers are blowing off. A whale breached within a mile of the ship at this time, and the serpent darted off after it like a flash of lightning, striking the vessel with his tail, and staving in all the starboard quarter gaily. Saw no more of it, but caught a young one in the afternoon, and brought it on to Melbourne.--William Taylor, Master, “British Banner”.”

“[The British Banner arrived here on Sunday, and is now in the Albert Dock. Captain Taylor declares that the above statement is perfectly correct.--Editor Daily Post.]”

Mr. EDWARD NEWMAN, the Editor of the Zoologist, adds hereto:

“It is impossible for any story to read more like a hoax than this, but I had ready means of procuring, through a friend at Lloyd’s, the information that there is such a ship as the “British Banner”, that she is commanded by Mr. William Taylor, a respectable and trustworthy gentleman, and that she did arrive at Liverpool on Sunday, 18 March, last past, and is now in the Albert Dock. Armed with this information I wrote to Capt. Taylor, who has replied in the most courteous manner; he confirms the above statement, adding that he sent it to the Daily Post himself, and adding also that the young one reported to have been caught was presented to the Museum at Melbourne, where it was thoroughly inspected and pronounced to be a veritable sea-serpent.”--

It is not quite clear whether Mr. NEWMAN was a second time the dupe of a trick, or not, but I think he really was!

Mr. GEORGE GUYON, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, on the contrary, wrote the following poem (see Zoologist, p. 7051, 1860):

“I’ve a story to tell--I don’t say that it’s true-- But just as I heard it I tell it to you. A ship there was sailing upon the blue sea With her canvas all set, when the captain, said he “I feel that the vessel is all of a tremble, A sort of sea earthquake it seems to resemble; Send forward the mate to see what is the matter.” When lo! what he saw would have made your teeth shatter, An enormous big snake rising out of the sea, Some three hundred feet long it might possibly be, And in bulk it might equal a “wide crinoline” (At least seven yards round that description must mean). With jaws eight feet long, and with eyes fiercely glaring, A horn and a mane; he looked horribly daring, While the bowsprit he shook in his terrible mouth. ’T was in Latitude east and in Longitude south, This is somewhat obscure, but I think on the whole It occurred th’ other side of the Antarctic pole, The ship making six knots--leaving foam in her wake, Yet she stopped at the touch of this wonderful snake; And the jibboom and bowsprit were snapped like a straw; But his strength was outdone by his marvellous maw; For he swallowed the stay-sail and also the jib, Like a boy gulping oysters--they went down to glib. With his stay to his stomac he turned him about, And gave with his tail such a vigorous flout, That some timbers to atoms were crushed by the blow, And what more might have happened we none of us know, When an object appeared for the which he set sail, And both object and story were much like a whale.”

Afterwards, (Zoologist, p. 7278, of the same year) we find the following about the young sea-serpent of Captain TAYLOR:

“Captain Taylor’s Sea-Serpent.--A friend, who has the opportunity of communicating with Melbourne on the subject of the young sea-serpent which Captain Taylor says (Zool. 6985) he presented to the Museum at Melbourne, has ascertained through Mr. Coates, of that town, that Captain Taylor is so far correct, that he did at the time specified present a specimen of Pelamys bicolor to the Museum in question, and Professor M’Coy exhibited the same to Mr. Coates. Of course there is no rational ground for concluding that this small sea snake is the young of any such gigantic creature as Captain Taylor has described.--Edward Newman.”

But of a great Sea-Serpent of Captain TAYLOR we don’t find any more statements!

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We have read the various hoaxes which appeared in the Cork Constitution of 1850; the Skibbereen Eagle too is not averse to publishing a similar hoax (See Zoologist, 1861, p. 7354):

“As Samuel Townsend, Esq., J. P., of Whitehall, was sailing in Whitehall Harbour, he saw, following his wake, what appeared to him (from the many descriptions he had read of the monster) to be a sea-serpent about twenty five or thirty feet in length; and being in a small boat he endeavoured to keep as respectful a distance as possible. There was, however, another boat in the harbour at the time, in which was Mr. Samuel Kingston, his brother, Mr. John Kingston (of Trinity College, Dublin), and a party of ladies. These parties also saw the huge monster; and upon raising its neck about six feet above the surface the females became greatly alarmed, when Mr. John Kingston, who is a remarkably good shot, fired at it, upon which it immediately disappeared. Mr. Townsend informed us the serpent presented a beautiful appearance, having large, brilliant scales of a yellow hue, and is of opinion it was struck by the shot fired by Mr. Kingston. It was likewise distinctly seen from the windows of Whitehall-House. Mr. Robert Atkins told us he saw it the day before of Barlogue.”--