BATTLE BETWEEN A WHALE AND A SEA SERPENT.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 525, 23 February 1876, Page 3

BATTLE BETWEEN A WHALE AND A SEA SERPENT.

A remarkable story, the credibility of which we leave our readers to determine, is narrated by the Zanzibar correspondent of the Western Morning News, Writing under date October 20th, he states that the London barque Pauline, Captain Driver, had arrived at Zanzibar with coals for her Majesty’s ships. “When off Cape St Boque, South America, after a severe storm,” writes the correspondent, who is a naval officer, “ a sight was presented that made the crew stand aghast—nothing less than the great sea serpent engaged in conflict with a whale. It had wound itself twice round the whale, and was twisting it with tremendous velocity, lashing the water into foam. The noise could be distinctly heard on board, and after battling for some time both disappeared. The serpent’s length can be imagined. It had two coils round a full sized sperm whale, with 30ft clear at each end; its diameter was 3ft to 4ft, The crew and officers differ only in one respect, some of them imagining it larger. They saw it twice afterwards; Once it came very close to the vessel, and raised itself 60ft out of the water, as if about to attack them. The crew and officers armed themselves with axes to repel its attack, which, however, was not made. I have questioned the men and officers, trying to find out any discrepancy between their statements, but am a convert to the belief that it was seen.” Another naval officer writes to the Western Morning News to precisely the same effect, and the officers of her Majesty’s ship on the station are said to be convinced of the truth of the story.