The Sea Serpent again.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 183, 4 August 1891, Page 2

The Sea Serpent again.

Wellington, This Day. When the e.s. Rotomahana was off Portland Light, between Gisborne and Napier, on Saturday morning, what is supposed to be an immense sea monster was sighted. The chief officer was on the bridge at the time, and his attention was oalled to the animal by a quartermaster who was looking out of a door leading to the wheel room, A heavy sea wbb running at the time' and the quartermaster states that he first noticed a Jong dark looking object riaiDg slowly from the water about half a mile from the vessel, until it reached a height of thirty or forty feet, It then slowly disappeared, and when it next made its appearance it was muoh oloser to the ship, The quartermaster saw the serpent rise four or five times before he drew the ohief officer's attention to it, and they both saw it rise perpendicularly out of the water to a great height within a hundred yards of the vessel. After withdrawing into the water that time it was seen again. Both of the men who saw it state that it could not have baen less than a hundred feet long. Oa arriving here the ohief officer heard that an earthquake was felt in Napier on Saturday morning at 6-30, which was about the time they saw the serpent, and he now thinks it was Borne disturbance at the bottom of the sea which caused the animal to come to the surfaoe. The quartermaster states that the sea serpent had a good sized head, and showed two fins something like wings, eaoh ten feet long ; its baok was blaok, the color of the belly being pure white, and eaoh time it disappeared a distinot splash was noticeable.