AN AQUATIC MONSTER APPEARS OFF CLEVELAND

Yesterday eveniug, about an hour and 4 half before suuset, Messrs William H. Eckman and W, J. (ileason the well known political lights of this city, went down to Tucker’s boat-houre for a ride on the placid surface of the ake. Both felt vigorous and ambitious, and before they realized it the lusty strokes of their (orre had carried their little craft far out ‘into the lake. A gentle breeze was springing up from the south-west, aud the smoke of the city, lylog low upon the softly undulating surface of the wa- ter, shut the adventurous mariners out from everything but the lake and sky. While resting on their oars before pull ing int he sat fora few minutes watching the clonds kindle into flameand the shine ing pathway on the surface of old Krie gleam more and more brightly in the almost horizontal raya of the descend- ing sun. Boon it dropped bebind a par- row belt of dark storm cloud, and the deepening twilight warned them to make their way toward the shore. Just as Mr. (ileason settled himself for the first stroke, the water parted less than. two hundred feet from the boat, aud a mammoth serpent reared Lis huge bead ten feet into the air. Pale and specchless with horror,thetwo unwilling spectators! sat motionless and stared, with eycs| burs’ing from their sockets, upon the moat extraordinary denizen of the deep ever beheld by mortals. With a grace- ful, vudulating motion, the large crea- ture moved swiftly around the frail row boat in perfect circles. Its head was, kept high out of the water, and all of its) immense body and tail came into plaju! sight as the waves chased each other along its lithe frame. Blowly, and with | with a stately movement, it swept around the trembling par until) every: ounline of the monster was stamped up-| on the memory of both. As nearly as they could judge, the serpent was about seventy-five feet long and about six feet in diameter in the thickest parts. The division into head, trunk, and tail were very plain, especially between the two last named. The head wes massive and closely resembled in shape that of an eagle, the bill being replaced hy huge, bony jaws, and the top of the cra- nigm being remarkably high and full for a serpent. The neck was thick and muscular and passed insensibly into the tremendous body which gradually taper- ed until it ended fo a long, slender tail. The length of the head and neck was about fifteen, that of the body thirty five, and the tail measured twenty-five feet more, T’he bead was nearly as thick as any part of the body and the open mouth was a yawning chasm, at least four feet wide and seven deep. The tongue was forked, of prodigious size, and ‘was mottled black and white in finely penciled lines. It never ceased to play around the jaws, with a deep murmuring noise lke the hum of a mul- titude of voices, and almost hid the teeth lying flat hike the poison fangs of u rattle snake. It was evident how- ever, Lhat the smooth looking jaws, could be lined at will with fearful wea- pons suited to the monsters size and strength, The eye was as large asa dinner plate and of dazzing brilllaney, The head and neck were divided into thirteen well marked rings like a cater- piller, the smallest and nearest the muz- zle apparently forming a solid mass, The body was also compesed of sections strongly articulated and increasing in length as they grew more slender. Those in the body proper nuimbera] twenty-five making thirty-eight with the head and neck, The tail was also marked by joints, much looser than in the body, and ity component parts were longer and much more slender. Nine of them were of about the same appear- ance, but the last one was very elongat- ed and thin. At the end of these ten sections of the tail was a little square bit of rough bone which kept in a inces- sant quiver. The mammoth creature had neither fins or legs, but moved with great ease and power by a sculing mo- tion of its whole frame. Its hemd was rough and long, full of ridges, and most- ly covered with long, dark green hair, but in many spots it was entirely bare. The neck, like the head, was ridged and adorned in spots with uneven, wart- like lumps, but the smooth patches were much larger. The upper part of the neck was covered with heavy tufts of the same green hair, and the sides also had a similar covering. Where It was absent there was a thick green and yel- low fuzz, or short wool. On the back the dark, bristle-like hair abounded. The tail was exceedingly rough and bar- ren, seamed and furrowed by eracks in the hide and huge protuberances. The long, slender tenth link was glassy and shone like ice, while the little rattle on the end was a much warmer hue. Be- neath the fuzz and hair, which was either too thin or too short to wholly hide the ground color of the skin, it could be seen that the upper part of the serpent’s heuwd and neck was a deep blue, dotted with thirty-eight! white patches, while the lower portion of both and all of the body and tail were stripped red and white with alternate bands running the whole length of the monster’s huge bulk, Thirteen times the great surpent sailed slowly around the boat, reversing each time so that both sides were showned to the terrified watchers. At the end of the thirteenth round and just as the sun settled below the horizon, the long tall pounded the water, lashing the Iake into foam with thirty-eight powerful blows, and then leaping into the air the monster dove head foremost into the depths and was] gone.

As noon a8 the lonely spectators of this terrible wight fealized their escape, it is needless to say that they made the best of their way to the shore, and hardly stopped to breathe or look behind until once more on solid land, Skeptics may laugh at sea merpeuts, but City Clerk Eckman and W. J. Gleason will give the home of so fearful a creature a wide berth til! further notice. '

Bucyrus Journal (Bucyrus, Ohio) · 25 Aug 1882, Fri · Page 1