THE KERATOSAURUS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9302, 31 July 1908, Page 2

THE KERATOSAURUS.

DUCAL EFFORT TO CAPTURE AN

ARCTIC MONSTER

The Chicago "Sunday ReeordHerald " publishes a startling story from its Paris . correspondent concerning the antediluvian monster of the Arctic Circle, the keratosaurus.

The great beast has recently been seen alive, he says, by M. Georges Dupuy, a well-known Paris writer and explorer, by James Butler, a San Francisco banker, and by three other intrepid explorers. An expedition is being fitted out regardless of cost, the writer further declares, on behalf of the Duke of Westminster, for the capture of the creature. .The duke has, he asserts, given Dupuy a most liberal contract to fit out an expedition, that is to include the chartering of a 4000-ton steamer to take the live monster, weighing more than 50 tons, straight to London. The duke has, according to the " RecordHerald " correspondent, signified his intention of taking a hunting trip in ! the Rockies in the summer, but the trip will/ really extend away up the M'Questen River, in the Yukon, where a tribe of snow Indians will be waiting to accompany the explorers on their daring exploit. One or the men who states that he has seen the creature is Father Lavagneux, a Jesuit missionary at Armstrong Creek, Canadian post. In a letter to Dupuy he says: "I and ten of my Indians again saw the terrible monster. It passed like a hurricane over the frozen surface of the river, dashing into the air behind it enormous blocks of ice. All its hairy fur was covered with hoar-frost, and its terrible eyes flamed in the twilight. On another occasion Dupuy, accompanied by Father Lavagneux, Butler, and a miner, Leemore, started off at 5 a.m. to hunt the monster. " All the morning we hunted for new tracks," says Dupuy. "At noon we built a fire, and just as the tea was boiling down came crashing an avalanche of boulders amid thunderous roarings and rumblings. " The monster, blacky and gigantic lurched down the ravine beyond us, sweeping great rocks asirlo like pebbles. " We were petrified. For ten minutes we stared at the prehistoric thing. Its withers stood 26ft high. From its nose to its tail the Titanic monster measured 70ft, and as it crashed over the ground its head was held 40ft high in the air. "Then suddenly it raised its aead and roared like thunder .and weV romping down the ravine in vasb bounds at 40 miles an hour." The miner Denmore took three snapshots of the creature, prints of which are said to be in the possession of tha Duke of Westminster.