A great many able monsters have been seen by sea captains in different states of gin, but the fresh-water monster which is at present infesting the waters of the Mississippi surpasses the ablest of them. (The New York Times, September 7, 1877)
A handful of stories in the fall of 1877 concern a sea monster in the Mississippi River. The monster is described as being 65 feet long, with the body of a snake, the head of a dog, and a ten-foot tusk-like bill. It has six legs and the mane of a horse. You can find the stories here, and they’re all quite enjoyable for their descriptions, style, and quality of evidence. I particularly like the one where the reporter avers the certainty of the monster’s existence because it was witnessed by a Methodist minister.
What the monster needs is a name. What would you call this pelican-billed dogsnakehorsefish?
Forget the gatorpus–what I’m dying to know is why you’re nosing around the NYT in the 1870s!
Researching river monsters, of course.
He totally looks like a Reginald to me.
I’d call him^ (definitely a ‘he’) a sad darling who needs to come in and have a nice meal…
Enjoyed your post.