The Sea Serpent.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6143, 15 August 1891, Page 2

The Sea Serpent.

» MR KERR .INTERVIEWED. Further details regarding the monster " sea-serpent," alleged to have been seen on the East Coast last week by the chief officer and quartermaster of the s.s. Roto* mahana, are to hand from the South. When interviewed at Lyfctelton the chief officer, Mr Alexander Lindsay Kerr, said, *' On August Ist, about 6.30 o'clock, we ware off Portland light, when I saw the object, whatever it. was, rise out of the water to the height of about 30 feefe. Its shape was for all the world like a huge conger eel, with the exception that it had two large fins that appeared to be about ten feet long. The creature was not more than 100 yards away at the outside, and I should estimate its girth ab between 10 and 12 feet, I could not see * its back, as it was coming straight towards the steamer, but its belly and fins were pure white. The creature's head did not appear to be particularly definite, the neck running right up to the head the same as that of a large eel. It was broad daylight at the time, and the sun was shining clearly. When it went beneath the ware* it did not fall forward like a fish that is jumping, but drew itself back as if with a contortion. I only saw it the once, which was the last time it rose. I looked out for it, thinking it might pass undor the ship and reappear on the other sido, but I did not see it again. HrJ the weather not been so rough, the steamer might have gone alongside and ascertained its-dimensions. One of the quartermasters, Peter Nolson, was watching the thing, and it so startled him fchati he took upon himself to rush on to the bridge and. ask me if I had seen ife, a thing a seaman never does unless something very excep* tional occurs. A landsman may do so, bat a sianan never, unl«ss under exceptional circumstances aueh as these. I hare been to sea for fcwenty-seven years, and have bsen engaged in nearly every known trade from whaling in Greenland to the slave trade, and have been in almost every part of fcke world, bub I never saw any object at saa like this one. lam too much asoustomed to the sea to have made any mistake."

Tales of the sea serpent are still to the front. From an English contemporary we learn thab the monster was recently seen by Captain Oled Knowlton, of the schooner Trader, at Advocate Harbor, while on his way home from Boston. The ship's crew sighted what was supposed to be a waterlogged wreck, and at once bore down to it. To their astonishment they diseovored it to be the dead carcase of a gigantic s.ea monster unlike anything they had ever seen before. They were within twelve feet of it, and it seemed to be about eighty feet long. Ib wore a shell on its back, and tapered off at'eaoh end. It was striped like a zebra, and the shell was broken in as if by the shock of a vessel.

Something like a pitched battle was foujjhta few weeks ago near Simon-Torny*, in Hungary, between the gendarmes aad a band of 50 Tsignnes, who were beprgara by day and thieves and assftSßins by nighfc. Every one of them was captured, and the oounfcry rejoices in the peace arid security thus secured to ib. The most; remarkable incident connected with the brigands is that their veivode, oi 1 captain, is the author of a dictionary of the Tsigane language, to which the Archduke Joseph, who is much addicted to etomologic.il and philological studies, actually contributed a preface. As the lexicographer will most likely:-: be imprisoned for life, he will have plenty of/ [eisurp for Jifcer*ry pwuit* :