The sea serpent six ways, 1818
By summer 1818, the sea serpent seems to have become a fixture of the Atlantic coast, bunching along through the water and gobbling up small fish. Observers wove their descriptions around several tropes: the length of the serpent (100-120 feet); a comparison with various sizes of barrels; the extent to which the serpent’s head rose out of the water (5 feet); and the color of the summer visitor (dark brown).
These details may have inspired the connection of the sea serpent with another creature—and a splendid little tall tale.
“The ‘Anaconda’ of the Ocean, or The Sea Serpent, Again!” Daily National Intelligencer [Washington, District of Columbia] 18 July 1818 [Saturday]; p. 2.
Messrs. Gales and Seagon:
The following letter, addressed to me by a gentleman of respectability, throws some new light upon the nature of the wonderful animal which has excited so much of the public attention. I give the communication to you as I have received it; and although I do not vouch altogether for the fidelity of my friend’s narrative, the circumstances of its details are no impossible, and may, at least, serve to amuse your readers, in the present dearth of other news.
G.
—
Sag-Harbor, Long Island, N. Y.
July 10, 1818.
“My dear sir: I have made a great discovery! The Sea Serpent is the “Anaconda” of the Ocean.
Of the latter extraordinary land Serpent, we have had several accounts, bearing marks of authenticity.
The interesting narrative of some French writer, founded on the horrible strength and voraciousness of the Anaconda, has passed as a highly wrought Romance, until other and more recent discoveries proved that his relation was not the offspring of mere fiction. A late account from the East Indies, of the great “Boa” (the Anaconda) and his attacking and devouring a large Tyger, has appeared in the public papers, authenticated by names and circumstances, entitling it to considerable credibility.
The frigate which conveyed Lord Amherst, on his late embassy to China, or some vessel attached to the mission, had on board, on her return, a large Serpent, procured at one of the islands in the Indian seas, which was evidently of the same species. He was fed by live animals, and took in a whole goat at one swallow, or meal, which meal supported him for five days, during which time he laid in a kind of stupor (his body quietly distended by the luncheon he had taken) until the goat had been digested and disgorged, when a fresh supply to his voracious maw became necessary. This account was attested by the Surgeon of the ship, published in the British papers; and I have not seen it contradicted.
But, now, to my proofs, in regard to the great Sea Serpent being of a species in the ocean, analagous to what the Anaconda is on land. The affinity in innumerable instances, between the animals of the earth, and those which roam in the “vasty deep” is too well known to you to require any specification here: and be assured that the Sea Serpent has his great prototype in the Anaconda.
I arrived here a few days since, with some friends from New-York, with the purpose of seeking sport and healthy recreation, in snipe shooting. In addition to those inducements, my mind had been occupied with the idea that, from the late frequent appearance of the Serpent on the adjoining parts of our coast, there was a chance of his “cruizing” along this way, and affording me a sight of his huge figure. Under this impression (and it at length became irresistible) I always went out, provided with an excellent portable telescope, which I had brought with me from the city. Several days passed without my wishes being gratified; but, my expectations of ultimate success were unabated, and I persevered in daily taking, for a time, a station at my new observatory, on the neighboring heights which immediately overlook the ocean.
The weather on the morning of the 8th, was perfectly clear, with a light breeze from the westward. Upon carrying my view along the horizon, I at length discovered, at no great distance from the land, the object of my anxious curiosity. He lay extended at full length, resembling in appearance a narrow ledge, or reef of black rocks—but I saw that it moved. I instantly returned to the harbor and procured a small vessel, in which, with several other persons, I stood out to sea, in the direction in which I had observed the object of our search. He was soon discovered, but moving further from the land. The breeze was sufficient to give us a command of the vessel, and we approached him very fast, and at length so nearly as to have of him a very distinct view. His length could not be much short of ninety or one hundred feet, and his general appearance was such as has been frequently described. His head was raised a few feet above the surface of the water; his eyes large and piercing: but he seemed not to take any particular notice of our approach, and, at a slow rate continued upon the same course, eastward.
After we had proceeded, altogether about three leagues from the land, the Serpent twined himself, bringing his head to the northward and appearing to become stationary.
In the course of half an hour 2 grampusses,* were observed coming down from the northward, apparently in playful gambols; and our curiosity became strongly excited to see if any notice would be taken of them by our leviathan. They did not escape it. Before they came in line with him he became agitated; and suddenly put himself in rapid motion, standing “right athwart their bows,” (to use a nautical phrase) in order to intercept them. Their meeting was dreadful. The sea was immediately covered with foam, and the struggles so violent and quick, that we could not distinctly perceive the mode of attack or defence. If you have ever read M. Chateaubriand’s description of the combats of the alligators, in the rivers and swamps of the Floridas, you may form some idea of the scene we now witnessed. After a lapse of about ten minutes, we could perceive one of the whales on the surface, rolling over on his sides, as if in great agony and exhaustion; the other, and the serpent, had disappeared; and in a few minutes the second also sunk out of sight. Old “Ironsides” had, no doubt, captured and destroyed them both!
My mind having been impressed with the idea that the voraciousness of this monster would be found to be similar to that of the Anaconda, I was particularly desirous of his re-appearance after this encounter with the whales.
About 4 P. M. he was discovered to the eastward of us, going at a moderate rate toward the south. An alteration was also visible in his figure—his body being considerably distended, occasioning a protuberance about the middle, apparently the size of a hogshead. We made sail upon our barque, and stood upon the same course with the serpent, approaching him gradually. At half past five, the wind having increased, and a pretty rough sea running, a prodigious number of porpoises were observed, coming with the swell of the sea from the southward. They were of the small species, vulgarly called by seamen the “hedge-hog porpoise,” from their resemblance in their form or shape to that animal. They are frequently seen leaping out of the water by thousands, to the heighth [sic] of several yards, and precipitating themselves again perpendicularly, with great velocity.—The sea will often be covered for many miles by this moving host, and their appearance in such numbers is generally considered by sailors as indicative of an approaching storm.
A new scene now presented itself, & we carefully watched its effects upon the huge object of our curiosity. We soon observed that his head and neck were elevated considerably; not perpendicularly, but a slope, inclining to an angle of about 45 degrees; and directed toward the myriads of animals which were now approaching him. His jaws were opened to a frightful dimension, and many of those porpoises, as if irresistibly impelled by their careless and playful impetuosity, leaped directly into them, one after another, and which the monster seemed to receive as rapidly into his voracious maw. He caught them as I have seen a juggler catch on a pointed instrument balls and oranges, which he had thrown above him in quick succession, as they descended.
This flying repast continued until he was completely gorged. His bulk now evidently swelled to a greatly increased size, and he finally lay extended, dormant and immovable. Here then was a confirmation of my hypothesis. To ascertain this more fully we sailed round him several times, and within the distance of 50 or 60 yards. His head and neck were now extended flat upon the water; and he rolled his huge eyes about in listlessness, as to our approach. Emboldened by this appearance of sluggish inactivity, I discharged at his head a large musket, loaded with ball and buck shot, in the hope of hitting his eyes. It produced a very slight movement of his head, appearing to have had no material effect. I would have repeated the experiment; but, in the hurry of our departure from the harbour, we had neglected to provide for such an occurrence, and I had, besides, a timid set of associates about me, who had not been at sea as much as myself, nor encountered as many hazardous enterprizes.
We concluded, therefore, to return immediately into port, and go out better prepared for the expedition. I have found in the military store here two long swivels, which turn upon a pivot, which I am mounting on the bows of two vessels which we have engaged, for our second cruize and intend to charge with grape shot.—On the vessel, of which I mean to take the chief direction, I am also mounting a three pound cannon upon a pivot, to be loaded with round and grape; and the Devil himself will be in him, if, with all those means of assault, we cannot confound this monster, so as to get hold of him without grappling tackle, hawsers, cables, &c. so as to tow him into some harbor, (New York) and lay him up in one of the dry or wet docks at the navy yard. I have written to the commandant to be prepared for us.
Should our next cruize prove unsuccessful, we shall then publish a particular account of what we shall have been enabled to observe of this leviathan. One of our company is a very tolerable draftsman, and has sketched several views of him, taken under his different attitudes and appearances. We have labored incessantly since we came in, and shall depart in a few hours, in the hope that our Anaconda of the ocean will not have digested his last meal; and that we shall find him again in the same stupor in which we left him.
As ever, truly yours, *** ****.
To M. I. Esq. Washington.”
—
*An inferior species of whale, met with in every sea.
—
[The reader will scarcely need to be told, that the above is an effort of imagination on the part of the writer, intended to illustrate a particular theory, in regard to the Sea Serpent, or Mammoth Phoca, as some call it.]—Editors.
This little piece of hyperbole wasn’t reprinted, nor was the theory that the sea serpent was the “anaconda of the ocean.”
The sea serpent also did a little traveling, visiting the coast of Maine.
A couple notes: “Visiter” was an early spelling of “visitor”; a “congee” is a formal bow.
“Distinguished Visiter.” The Portland Gazette [Portland, Maine] 14 July 1818 [Tuesday]; p. 2.
Distinguished Visiter.
Through the kind interference of the big Serpent or some of his associates, are we again relieved from the disagreeable necessity of issuing a paper void of that qualification which constitutes the very name of newspaper:—On Sabbath evening, his Snakeship, apparently dissatisfied with the observations made in his late survey of our harbour, came up about 8 o’clock, within 80 rods of Weeks’ Wharf, where he remained in full view of a number of gentlemen several minutes, with the middle of his body under water and his fore and hinder parts out, when by a sudden exertion of his tail he propelled himself 8 or 10 rods against the tide, towards the end of the wharf, where he laid some-time extended upon the water. During this time he was examined by the spectators on the bank, who say they could distinctly perceive the protuberances upon his back. After satisfying himself that one harbour did not furnish a retreat for the herring, which is said to be his favourite food, he gradually sunk into his native element, and was not afterwards seen. It is somewhat remarkable that during the stay of this distinguished visiter, he never relinquished the object of his pursuit long enough to look up and make his congee to the people assembled on the bank.
As the summer wore on and the critter was pursued, the Columbian Centinel tracked sightings in the Atlantic. The Great Serpent was, it seems, fondest of summering in Massachusetts, with many sightings there. Mr. Sargent’s encounter occurred on 23 July; Captain Beach’s rendition of the beast appeared in an issue as yet unseen:
“Sea Serpent Again, and Brood.” Columbian Centinel [Boston, Massachusetts] 25 July 1818 [Saturday]; p. 2.
We yesterday received a letter from a correspondent at Gloucester, dated on Thursday, which says:
“The Great Serpent has again appeared in our harbor. She is accompanied by three young ones, and they make great destruction among the bait. The fish exhibit the utmost terror at their approach; and as the Serpents pass along, seizing and devouring their food, the fish spring above the water to escape their enemies, but in vain, for the Serpents rapidly pass and repass, devouring as they go.—A Mr. Sargent, of this place, had a fair view of one this day. She passed under his boat, and he says, the head and protuberances on her back resemble the drawing and engraving of Capt. Beach. Capt. B. Webber, who saw the large Serpent, and the three smaller ones, yesterday, from the shore, judged the large one to be 100 feet in length, and the smaller ones to be about fifty feet.”
The Columbia Centinel seemed just fascinated by all things sea serpent. When the Great Serpent feasting on fish off the coast of Massachusetts failed to deliver inches of print, the Centinel found a sighting off a different shore.
“Another Sea Serpent.” Columbian Centinel [Boston, Massachusetts] 12 August 1818 [Wednesday]; p. 1.
Capt. Arnold, of British brig Cora, arrived at Norfolk from Jamaica, states, that on the 31st of July, off the Capes of Virginia, and five miles to the southward of the False Cape, Capt. A. being below shaving himself, the mate called out to him from aloft, saying there was a rock ahead. Capt. A. answered that it was impossible; he however went on deck and saw about half a mile a head [sic] an object having very much the appearance of a point of rock projecting about four feet beyond the surface of the water, being of a dark brown color. Capt. A. was entirely at a loss to account for this strange apparition, not having the most distant idea of a Sea Serpent at the time, and being ignorant of the appearance of those monsters on our coast. It remained perfectly still for about five minutes, and then moved with great rapidity towards the shore, to the great astonishment of those who saw it.—‘I think,” said Captain A. to his mate, “your rock must have a steam engine in it; see how swiftly it moves!” In a few minutes after it darted under the water, and they saw no more of it. Capt. A. judges its length, for he had a view of the whole of it while the creature was moving on the surface of the water, to be equal to that of his vessel, say about 100 feet. On mentioning the occurrence to the pilot who came on board soon after, he observed that it was no doubt a Sea Serpent, as one was reported to have been seen not long since near the same place by a Northern sloop.
Timothy Hodgkins described a closer encounter, with the critter then basking off the coast of Massachusetts; his vivid description (glossy! head like a seal!) includes the sounds of the swimming serpent as it passed his small fishing boat.
“A New Interview with the Sea Serpent; A Very Particular and Interesting Account.” Columbian Centinel [Boston, Massachusetts] 19 August 1818 [Wednesday]; p. 2.
Gloucester, Aug. 15.
Mr. Cushing—Having been an unbeliever of the existence of a Sea Serpent, on our coast, from the time that he was first noticed to the present week, my doubts have been compelled to yield to stubborn facts of which I was an eye witness. Returning from Newburyport into Squam Harbour, on Wednesday last, in a Chebacco boat where we had been for the purpose of obtaining fishing bait, and having fail[e]d of getting a supply, we were in hopes of taking some on our passage; and when off Chebacco bar, it being perfectly calm, we discovered somewhat at the distance of a mile or more, which we were in hopes was a shoal of bait making a great agitation on the smooth surface of the water; it seemed to approach us rapidly; but as it came nearer we were convinced we had been in an error, and that, what we took for a shoal of black fish was nothing less than the bunches on the back of the celebrated SEA SERPENT. He made directly for the boat until he came within fifty yeards; he then sunk under water and we were much alarmed lest he should rise under us, as we had no power of getting from him, we lying becalmed; when he came up he was thirty feet from us; we had then a perfect and distinct view of this Monster of the deep; his head was elevated from three to five feet; the distance was about six feet from his neck to the first bunch; we counted twenty bunches, and we supposed them on an average about five feet apart and his whole length could not be less than 120 feet. When we first saw him there appeared a rippling in the water which made a noise not unlike water running rapidly over loose pebbles; on his nearer approach, when we knew it to be the Serpent, we imagined it to proceed from his mouth, and it appeared as though he was hissing; but on his nearing still more we found it proceeded from the ripple made by the bunches on his back; it was twelve o’clock, noon, when we saw him; the weather was clear and the sea smooth, and no deception could have been made; his head was of a dark brown colour, formed like a seal’s, and shined with a glossy appearance; he seemed to be indifferent as to us, and went a steady course for Rye Beach, about N. by W. and we lost sight of him at about four miles distance. Mr. Joseph Chase, of Brunswick, N. H. and two lads, were with me in the boat, and saw him as distinctly as myself; his body was of the size of a 60 or 80 gallon cask, his head as large as a barrel, for we could see it when he was about four miles from us. I believe he is perfectly harmless, and might easily be caught; nearly all the time that he was in sight, his head was above water.—There was nothing that appeared like fins or gills; we did not discern his tail; there was a quick vibration of the parts we saw, which probably was his mode of swimming.
TIMOTHY HODGKINS.
Mr. Timothy Hodgkins, who relates the above is about 50 years of age, has for the most part of his life followed the sea, and is entitled to credit. Yours,
W. S.
Aug. 16. The Serpent has been seen for several hours this morning near Squam lighthouse, by a great many persons, some of whom were within 20 feet of him, and agree in the above description, excepting that his head nearly resembled that of a land serpent’s, and when he was at rest no bunches appeared.
Meanwhile, the New-York Evening Post amused itself on the subject of the pursuit of the unsuspecting sea monster. The sea serpent’s hostility towards whales was already documented.
“Sea-Serpent.” The New-York Evening Post [New York, New York] 11 August 1818 [Tuesday]; p. 2.
Sea-Serpent—It seems that the Yankees have finally determined to commence hostilities in earnest against His Royal Snakeship, who probably acts in the capacity of prince regent, during the absence of Old King Neptune from our waters. An eastern paper received this morning mentions that three expeditions are cruising for the sea-serpent. The adventurers are bold, hardy, and capable. The canoe, harpoon, hook, grapnell, rifle, musket, swivel and seine will be used, together with some other means of hostility which have been contrived to entrap him. Should the belligerent powers come in contact, we anticipate a warm engagement, as, in point of prowess, we conceive the hostile forces to be about equal. This we infer from the circumstance, that the warlike operations of both have hitherto been confined to the destruction of whales—over whom, official accounts inform us, both the Snake and the Cape-Cod-men have always been victorious.
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