The sea serpent is and isn’t, 1734, 1746, & 1817

“Sea Serpent.” Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 19 August 1817 [Tuesday]; pp. 2-3.

For some days past there has been seen in the harbour of Gloucester an uncommon sea animal, which, from the accounts given of it, seems to be of the serpent kind. It has sometimes been seen with its head several feet out of water, represented to be as large as a horse’s head; its body round, and variously estimated to be in length from 50 to 100 feet, and of quick motions. In this situation no very accurate description can be supposed to be obtained; the following account was received in a letter on Friday last: “It appears in joints, like the wooden buoys on a net rope, almost as large as a barrel. Two muskets were fired at it, and appeared to hit it on the head, but without effect: it immediately disappeared, and in a short time was seen a little below, but in the dark we lost sight of it. It appears like a string of gallon kegs, 100 feet long.”—In the Boston Intelligencer are the following particulars, communicated by persons from Gloucester:—“The head appeared mixed with black and white, and to resemble that of a large dog—the back of the body is black, and the opinions both as to its length and thickness vary considerably. Those persons who have approached the nearest to it, or within 10 or 15 yards, consider the length to be from 60 to 70 feet, and the size of a barrel in thickness: Its motions serpentine, various, and of extreme rapidity—sometimes forming nearly a complete circle in turning quickly round—and sometimes with its head out of water, darting forward at the rate of a mile in three minutes, leaving a wake behind of half a mile in length.”

Since collecting the above, we are informed that on Saturday this creature was not to be seen, but that on Sunday he was playing sometimes within 15 or 20 feet of the shore, affording a better opportunity to observe him than had before occurred. Gentlemen from Gloucester state that he appeared to them of even greater magnitude than had before been represented, and should judge from their own observation that he was as much as 150 feet in length and as big round as a barrel. They saw him open an enormous mouth; and are of opinion that he is cased in shell. The Boston Daily Advertiser says, “It is conjectured that he has resorted to Gloucester harbour for the purpose of preying upon a very numerous shoal of herrings

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p. 3

which have lately appeared there; and if instrumental in driving them in has rendered an essential service to the town.”—The chance for taking or killing this creature seems to be small: it requires not merely the club of a Hercules, but the cunning contrivance of a Vulcan. We understand, however, that it is proposed to make a number of strong nets, in the hope of entangling and embarrassing him, so as to be able to get him into a situation to kill him; in which we rather wish than expect they may prove successful.

This kind of animal must either be very few in number, or their haunts chiefly beyond the view of man, as they are seldom seen. Now and then, at great distances of time, report is made of some such monster of the deep, which however gains but little credit, and is given up as fabulous, or finally forgotten. The northern seas about Greenland, the coast of Norway, &c. have generally been given as their places of habitation. The Encyclopedia, under the title of Sea Serpent, quotes a marvellous account of this monster, as given by Guthrie; who states, “that in 1756 one of them was shot by a master of a ship: its head resembled that of a horse; the mouth was large and black, as were the eyes, a white mane hanging from its neck; it floated on the surface of the water, and held its head at least two feet out of the sea; between the head and neck were 7 or 8 folds, which were very thick; and the length of this snake was more than 100 yards, some say fathoms.” Guthrie gives some other particularities of this animal, which he says would be incredible, were they not attested upon oath; and then adds, that “Egede, a very reputable author, says, that on the 6th July, 1734, a large and frightful sea monster raised itself so high out of the water, that its head reached above the main-top mast of the ship; had a long sharp snout, broad paws, and spouted water like a whale; the body seemed to be covered with scales; the skin was uneven and wrinled, and the lower part was formed like a snake. The body of this monster is said to be thick as a hogshead, his skin variegated like a tortoise shell, and his excrement corrosive.” The Encyclopediasts however doubt the existence of the Sea Serpent: they consider its reported bulk to be so disproportionate to all the known animals of our globe, as to require more than ordinary evidence to render it credible; and the evidence in the two cases cited, so feeble and unsatisfactory, that no man of sound judgment would think it sufficient to establish the truth of an extraordinary fact.—In the present case, however, there are hundreds who can testify to the existence of a creature of a very wondrous and marvellous bulk and form, and such as was never before seen upon our coast.