THE LITTLE FALLS WEEKLY TRANSCRIPT — MAY 11, 1894
TAIL OF A SEA SERPENT ♢ Peter Hansen Chopped It Off With an Ax. ♢ A REPTILE OF ENORMOUS SIZE ♢ Norwegian Boatman’s Extraordinary Adventure With a Marine Monster on Puget Sound—It Was 150 Feet Long and Had the Head of a Serpent.
The much discussed question as to whether the sea serpent is a reality or not is as much of a problem today as it ever was. Scientists as a whole confidently state that no such monster does or can exist. On the other hand, every now and then persons of more or less credibility report personal sight of such creatures, and in the main their descriptions agree. The San Francisco Examiner prints an interesting contribution to the discussion from the pen of Peter Hansen, a Norwegian boatman on Puget sound. Hansen is an old sailor of more than average intelligence, and his reliability is vouched for by his neighbors at Quartermaster, Wash. Here is his story:
On Feb. 24 I was in my boat towing a small raft of cedar logs from the opposite shore to my ranch. The bay, or rather strait, is about three miles wide here, and I was within half a mile of the west shore, upon which stands my cabin. The raft I had in tow contained six newly cut logs. Upon the middle of the raft I had built a small platform of cedar shakes, and on this platform were my tools—a double bitted chopping ax, a broadax and a loaded double barreled shotgun. My Newfoundland dog was with me in the boat, standing high up in the bow, barking at the ducks and gulls.
