Arrived here, schooner
Maxamilla, Freeman Smith, master, from Lubeck, with 44 Irish passengers, for New York. Captain S. states that on Thursday
about 40 miles S.E. of Monhegin [Island], the weather moderate, he discovered
as he judged, about two miles ahead, something he took to be a small boat under
sail; but finding it soon disappeared, the conclusion was that the object was
the area’s noted sea serpent. In a few moments anticipation was realized: as
the monster was discovered about a quarter of a mile to the leeward with his
head about 15 feet out of the water, and his tail at the same time about 10
feet out, his breast, or body, near the water, was encircled with a clear white
stripe, the diameter to appearance about 6 feet. In this position the monster
remained two minutes, as if attentively viewing the vessel; and he then began
thrashing the water, with his head alternately upon either side, with the most
fury.
~ from a brief article in the Portland,
Maine Eastern Argus dated August 21, 1818
Header: Moonrise on
the Coast by John W. Casilear via American Gallery
4 comments:
All right! Sea monsters, Pauline! Woo-hoo!
See, that was my thought too. I'm sure it was some sort of school or large fish or whale, but Captain Smith's description must have made for a riveting story. Certainly more so than this little piece in the Argus...
And I'll bet that sea monster got bigger and bigger every time the good captain told the tale.
Hi Pauline. I hope you are well. It's been too long since I stopped by for a pleasant read. I noticed you hadn't posted for a while last month. Glad to see you are back at it.
Anyway. I dig this little post. I always enjoy reading the shorthand of ship logbooks. Sometimes I like to get out my atlas and pinpoint (as best I can) the positions. Sometimes it is tricky as the names of places have changed, or local names are used. Good fun though.
Good to hear from you, Munin, and it is good for me to be back. I start radiation in a couple of days so there may be another blip or too but hopefully not much.
That is good fun, I agree. Such pursuits are easy to get lost in, I find, and then the whole day is gone. But you feel fulfilled all the same.
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