THE SEA SERPENT ONCE MORE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 1643, 27 December 1879, Page 3

THE SEA SERPENT ONCE MORE.

Another apparently well-authenticated observation of a sea-creature looking like a serpent, but probably not serpentine m reality, is reported m The Times. Captain Cox, master of the Britiah ship Privateer, aays : — " On the sth August, 100 miles west of Brest, France, -weather fine and clear, at 5 p.m., as I was walking the quarter-deck, looking to windward, I saw something black riso out of the water about 20ft, m shape like an immense snake about 3ft m diameter. It was about 300 yards from the ship, coming towards j us. Tt turned its head partly from us, and went down with a groat .splash after staying up about five seconds, but rose again three times, at intervals of ten seconds, until it had turned completely from us, and was going from us with great speed, making the wator boil all round it. . I could see its eye? and Bhape perfectly. It^was like a great eel or snake, but as black as coal tar, and appeared to be making great exertions lo get away from the ship. I have seen many kinds of fish m the different ocoans, but was nevor favored with a Bight of' the great sea snake before." The account describes an animal differing m some respects from the creature seen by Captain M'Quhro, of the Dsedalus ; but the difference of color is rather m favor of Captain Cox's story than otherwise, for if he had merely invented an encounter with tho sea serpent he would have been careful to make hia account fit m m all respects with that which other observers have given. It is noteworthy that since Gosse, Wilson, Leo, and other naturalists have expressed their opinion that some creature as yet unclassed—perhaps snake-like, but more probably alongnecked., paddling creature of tho enaliosaurian kind — exists m the seas, and has been at times soen as the far-famed and much-ridiculed sea-serpent, seamen have no longer been deterred by the fear of ridicule from relating their experience of such encounter. A sea captain of my acquaintance said to me not many years ago : — " If I saw a soa-serpent ten yards from my ship, and 4 had ten hours_ m which to observe every feature of him, I would never say that I had seen him. I should bo called a spinner of yarns, or by some worse name." Curiously enough, almost ac the Bamo time that Captain Cox's account arrived, a telegram to the following effect was received at Lloyd's :— " The Plealand (Dutch steamer), Captain Deedeß, arrived at New York on September 9th, from Rotterdam. The captain reports : — On September 4th, at about 3 p.m., saw two boats with twelve men m them ; shaped our courso for them ; took, them on board, and set the boats adrift. The men proved to be the whole shipwrecked crew of the Norwegian barque Columbia, from London for Quebec. Captain Larson- and crew made the following statement : — On their way from London they met with variable winds and weather until September 4th, when, sailing with all sails set, m a light north-east wind, about 11 turn., they felt a sudden shock, and, looking overboard, they found the sea discolored with blood, and either a fish or some other sea-monster making away from the ship as fast as it could. At the same time Captain Larsen heard Borne of his men crying out that the ship was leaking badly, and filling very fast. Went down into the hold to see if anything could be done to stop the leak, but soon found that nothing could be done to aavo the ship. When he came on deck again they had barely time to get tho boat 3 overboard, and a few things with them. Half an hour after they left the Columbia went down." Tt seems to bo taken for granted by many that the creature which caused the loss of the Columbia was the same, or of the same species, as that seen by Captain Cox, but it would bo unsafe to assume that this was the case, albeit no known species of fish or cetacean (for whales and their kin are not fish) could have caused a leak largo enough to sink a barque m so short a time. The swordfish has been known to cause the loss of a ship, though usually he has to lcavo his pointed snout m the hole he has made, and it serves perfectly the part of a plug. But even when he succeeds m withdrawing it tho leak is but a small one. whereas m the case of the Columbia the leak was large. It will be interesting to learn if the' Columbia was insured, and, if. so, what the underwriters think of tho case.