The sea serpent through history, 1783, 1793, 1815, & 1817
While covering the appearance of the sea serpent off New England’s coast in 1817, editors sometimes provided readers with collections of tasty extracts from other newspapers. The Salem Gazette already had printed several of the items it reprinted in its August 22 issue. Now the editor added information from other newspapers, sprinkled in some other historical sightings, and bundled everything up under the title “The Sea Serpent.”
As the Gazette points out, “Since the appearance of the … creature in Gloucester harbour, many recollections of similar animals are called up.” So the patchwork includes Captain Crabtree’s 1793 sighting and the caterpillar-like undulations described in the Boston Daily Advertiser. Captain Cleveland’s sighting two years earlier makes its debut reappearance.
A paragraph in the patchwork warned that the pursuit was getting serious:
from “The Sea Serpent.” Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 22 August 1817 [Friday]; p. 2.
Many preparations are made (should the creature return) with sharks’ hooks variously baited, and attached to buoys put afloat in the harbour, and armed boats, &c. to secure and detain him.
And gigantic sea snakes would become a staple in these quilts of extracts, with one incident appearing again and again:
from “The Sea Serpent.” Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 22 August 1817 [Friday]; p. 2.
A gentleman of this town informs us, that thirty years ago a Captain of a Marblehead vessel stated to him, that being on the coast of Surinam a monstrous Serpent actually crossed the deck of his vessel, entering from the sea on one side, and passing into it on the other; and that, on being questioned as to its length, he answered that he supposed it might be near 100 feet.
The Boston Daily Advertiser provided the Gazette with even earlier sightings:
from “The Sea Serpent.” Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 22 August 1817 [Friday]; p. 2.
We learn that there is now living at Deer Island, in Penobscot Bay, several people who have repeatedly mentioned having seen near that island, in the year 1783, a monster, which is described as similar to that which has now visited Cape-Ann Harbour.
That was page 2 of the Gazette. Page 3 was salted with two bits of information about the current sea creature, which had companions hitherto unmentioned:
We are told. Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 22 August 1817 [Friday]; p. 3.
We are told that two Sharks appeared to be almost constantly in attendance on the great Sea Serpent at Gloucester … whether as his humble servants, or as a reconnoitring party, to see what sort of gentleman he is, or to find some vulnerable part and watch some favourable opportunity to attack and destroy him, is not known.
And on page 3 readers were informed that the creature had a new address, presumably because it had eaten everything at the old one:
“The Serpent.” Salem Gazette [Salem, Massachusetts] 22 August 1817 [Friday]; p. 3.
THE SERPENT
Has quitted Gloucester, and yesterday was discovered in Kettle Cove, amidst schools of bait fish; none of these have been seen in Gloucester harbour since his disappearance from thence.
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