Sea Serpent Attacks Boaters

On July 29, 1880, the Northern Pacific Farmer, a Wadena, Minnesota newspaper, ran a piece reported by the New York Evening Star. The report recounted a harrowing encounter between fishermen and a "sea serpent." The event took place on Cayuga Lake, the longest of New York's Finger Lakes. (Yes, I know the creature should be called a lake monster rather than a sea serpent—the paper called it a sea serpent.)

The Finger Lakes were formed by glaciers during the last ice age. In my research into the lake monster phenomenon, it is glacial lakes such as these that hold the bulk of lake monster sightings. Cayuga Lake reaches a depth of 435 feet and maintains an average depth of 182 feet—perfect for a large cryptid to dwell and remain undetected.

The encounter occurred on a summer evening when a salesman from Broadway was fishing with a local farmer. The pair were trolling and two fish carriages were trailing behind the boat. Suddenly, a whirlpool emerged; one of the carriages disappeared and the rope was taught. Shortly thereafter, a dark shadow appeared through the water and a large, hideous head broke the surface. The head was shaped like that of an alligator; it was about 12 feet in length and sported rows of razor-sharp teeth. The creature had tentacles and was covered in scales.

The monster proceeded to attack the boat. It filled its mouth with water and sprayed the two men. The boat driver, the farmer, pulled the anchor and headed for a small island. Before the fishermen could reach land, the creature dived at the boat.  The salesman struck the monster several times with a gaff and the pair made it safely onto the island. However, in all the commotion, the boat drifted away. The pair waited on the small island until sundown until they waded to shore.

The following day, a search party was organized to look for the beast but it was never spotted again. According to the salesman, it was widely believed that monster disappeared via a subterranean passage. He personally believed the creature would resurface in the Atlantic Ocean at some point.

Whatever you think of the story—tall tale or plausible—two features stand out: the creature was spotted in a glacial lake, which was discussed earlier; and, the lake monster escaped through a subterranean passage. These rumored passages play a prominent role in the lake monster phenomenon. If they exist, it could account for much of the difficulty in obtaining hard evidence for the existence of lake monsters.

I discuss these passageways, glacial lakes, and more in my book People are Seeing Something.

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