History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 123

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1672

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 123

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" THE SEA-SERPENT.

" The great sea-snake 's the subject of my verse ; Fir, though my eyes have never yet beheld him, Nor never shall desire the hideons Night, Yet many accounts of men of truth uustained, Whose every word I firmly do believe, Show it to be a very frightful monster." - Peter Dass's Norland, 1749.

Year after year come renewed accounts of the appear- ance of this monster of the deep upon our coast-ac- counts which, in any other ease, would be received without doubt or suspicion. But, somehow, the word of the most truthful is here subjected to criticism ; and while there may be no charge of deliberate false- hood, there is evidently a belief that some deceptive appearance, aided by awakened curiosity and credul- ity, have supplied the marvelous details. There cer- tainly is no wonder that still a large majority of sea- side residents have no beliet in the existence of such a marine wanderer. To this day, with here and there an exception, the Swampscott fishermen, the yachts- men and those living near the shore ridicule the idea of the existence of such a prodigy. Probably not above three in twelve of the old fishermen believe that anything more like a serpent than a horse-mack- erel ever sported in these waters. But this is nega- tive ; and the positive testimony of even three credi- ble persons may reasonably be expected to outweigh it in most minds. Three persons might see a thing that forty others did not sec, though in a position where they could hardly have avoided the sight ; but their not seeing it could not strike it out of ex- istence.

The first appearance in the waters of Lynn and Swampscott, at least since the white settlers came, of what was supposed to be a sea-serpent, was in the summer of 1819, and the writer well remembers the ex- citement that for some days prevailed. Many people from all the region round about, some in carriages, some on horseback and more on foot, at times assem- bled on the beaches with glasses and straining eyes, to watch for the mysterious stranger. It happened to be the year in which the notable Nahant Hotel was built, the fame of which went rapidly abroad, attracting great numbers of genteel guests; but whether the serpent was emulous of being reckoned in with such company, or was merely summoned as an outside at- traction, it is not the purpose here to inquire. No

matter what the enviens ketpers of other establish- ments and their friends surmised.

There have been too many descriptions of the alleged sea-serpent, to require any particular details here ; nev- ertheless, it may be well to quote a brief account given by Nathan D. Chase, who saw him on his first visit, in 1819. Mr. Chase was a man whose word was above reproach, and who had always lived so near the sea as to be little likely to be deceived by what might be the mere resemblance of a serpent ; yet he was young and of course subject to the sometimes deceiving en- thusiasm of youth. Says Mr. Chase: "I had the pleasure of seeing his snakeship off Long Beach and Red Rock. He passed along within one hundred feet from where I stood, giving me a very good sight of him. At that time he carried his head out of water about two feet, and his speed was like that of an ordinary ocean steamer. What I saw of his length was from fifty to sixty feet. It was very difficult to count the hunches, or bony fins, upon his back, as by his undulating motion they did not all appear at once. This accounts, in part, for the varied descriptions given of him by different parties. His appearance at the surface of the water was occasional, and but for a short time. This is the best description I ean give of him from my own observation, and I saw the monster as truly, though not quite so clearly, as I ever saw anything."

Four respectable persons made oath to having seen him on the 20th of August, 1820. Their testimony is embodied in the following deposition of Andrew Rey- nolds, one of the number, the others concurring in his statements :

"I, Andrew Reynolds, of Lynn, of lawful age, depose and say : 'That on Saturday, the fifth day of August instant, about 1 o'clock P.M., I discovered in the water, near Phillips Beach, at Swampscott, an animal different from any that I had ever seen before. He was lying on the surface of the water, which was at that time very smooth, and appeared to beabout 50 or 60 feet long. Jonathan B. Lewis and Benjamin King, who work in the same shop with me, also saw him, and we took a bout und rowed towards him. We approached within about 30 yards of him. and had a very distinct view of him. lle had a head, about two feet long, and shaped somewhat like an egg, which he carried out of the water when he was moving. There were several protuberances on his back, the highest points of which appeared to be seven or eight inches above the level of the water. He was perfectly black. When we first drew towards him, he was moving westerly from Phillips Point, and as we drew near to him, he turned and moved eastward, and when we got within about thirty yards of him he sank under water and disappeared."

The learned naturalist Agassiz said, in a lecture delivered in Philadelphia, March 20, 1849 :

" I have asked myself, in connection with this subject, whether there is not such an animal as the Sea-serpent, There are many who will doubt the existence of such a creature until it can be brought under the dis- secting knife ; but it has been seen by so many on whom we may rely, that it is wrong to doubt any longer. The truth is, however, that if a naturalist had to sketch the outlines of an Ichthyosaurus or Plesiosaurus from the remains we have of them, he would make a drawing very similar to the sea-serpent as it has been described. There is reason to think that the parts are soft and perishable, but I still consider It pro- Iable that it will be the good fortune of some person on the coast of Norway or North America to find a living representative of this type of reptile, which is thought to have died out."

In 1849, John Marston, a respectable and truthful resident of Swampscott, in an affidavit sworn to before

STRODEHURST, RESIDENCE OF CHARLES W. GALLOUPE, ESQ., GALLOUPE'S POINT, SWAMPSCOTT, MASS.

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Waldo Thompson, a justice of the peace, says that as he was walking over Nahant Beach, on the 3d of August, his attention was suddenly arrested by seeing in the water, within two or three hundred yards of the shore, a singular-looking fish, in the form of a serpent. He had a fair view of him, and at once con- cluded that he was the veritable sea-serpent. Ilis head was out of water to the extent of about a foot and he remained in view from fifteen to twenty minutes, when he swam off toward King's Beach. Mr. Marston judged that the animal was from eighty to a hundred feet in length at least, and says, " I saw the whole body of the serpent; not his wake, but the fish itself. It would rise in the water with an undula- tory motion and then all his body would sink, except his head. Then his body would rise again. His head was above water all the time. This was about 8 o'clock A.M. It was quite calm. I have been constantly engaged in fishing since my youth, and I have seen all sorts of fishes, and hundreds of horse-mackerel, but I never before saw anything like this."

But there has been so much fanciful pro and con theorizing by learned naturalists on the question, that the tendency has been rather to increase than allay doubt. It is claimed by some-among them it is said Professor Baird is to be ranked-that fish have no maturity, and hence may live and grow perpetually. It is asserted that there is a pike now alive in Russia which was known to have been living as far back as the discovery of America by Columbus ; and that in the Royal Aquarium at St. Petersburg are fish which were there nearly a century and a half ago. Now, if the supposed extinct Ichthyosaurus, or more likely the Plesiosaurus, -- that enormous marine reptile, whose remains have been found,-were really fish (and the perpetuity of fish-life is admitted), is it unreasona- ble to suppose that an individual or two of the race may have escaped the common casualties of fish-life and survived to our time? And if the date of the sea-serpent's birth does really lie away off in pre-his- toric ages, he has had ample time to attain his enor- mous length. But if one has escaped to exhibit himself in these latter days, possibly a few others have, and per- haps, propagated in unknown seas, whence there has been a solitary emigration to our waters ; or even more than one may have made his way hither, for the descrip- tions so vary as to warrant the conclusion that several are believed to have been seen. Sea-serpent stories are by no means new. They are found far back in history, and are always tinged by the apprehensions and superstitions of the times and places of their origin. Bishop Pontoppidan, of Norway, writing in 1751, says : " They tell me that thesc serpents fling themselves in a wide circle round a boat, so that the men are surrounded on all sides ; and that they will sometimes raise up their frightful heads and snap a man out of a boat."

not strictly true, as related to some other places. He was described as having visited the waters of Cape Ann, one or two years before.

And the year 1886 becomes memorable for his again vouchsafing his presence there. Several of the numerous summer sojourners testify to having seen him, and give circumstantial accounts of his enor- mous proportions and dignified movements as he passed in review. But then Cape Ann and the ad- jacent waters have abounded in wonders ever since good old Roger Conant pitched his tent there. Wil- liam Wood, of Lyun, who wrote in 1633, says,- "Some affirm that they have seen a lion at Cape Ann. . . . Some, likewise, being lost in the woods, have heard such terrible roarings as have made them much aghast, which must be either devils or lions." It is not probable that they were lions ; hut as to the other gentry, if the Cape is now free from them, it is more fortunate than some of its neighbors. And then " again, Josselyn, under date 1638, tells of " A Sea- Serpent or Snake that lay quoiled up, like a cable, upon a Rock at Cape Ann. A boat passing by, with English aboard and two Indians, they would have shot the serpent, but the Indians disswaded them, saying that if he were not killed outright, they would be in danger of their lives." Very prudent of the Indians, but not so brave of the English. Had they killed or captured the monster, perhaps the great mystery of the sea-serpent that has so disturbed these times would have been solved.

The fact that in all cases when the spectators have been impelled to bravely approach the monster, he has pusillanimously sunk out of sight, would indicate that he was of a peaceful or timid disposition, and might, in the mind of a doubter, recall some of the legendary incidents of money-digging, wherein just as the treasure chest seems within grasp, it suddenly sinks away and is no more seen. There are still lingering doubts as to whether the accounts concern- ing the sea-serpent should be regarded as veritable truth, or set down as a chapter in the great volume of " Fish Stories."

"STRODEHURST," the residence of Charles W. Gal- loupe, Esq., at Galloupe's Point (a partion of Phil- lips Point), Swampscott, is picturesquely situated upon a rocky bluff, fifty feet above the level of the ocean and but half a score of yards from its water's edge.

The mansion is of quaint, colonial architecture, four stories in height on the ocean side, the two lower stories being of brick, with stone trimmings, and the upper ones of wood, and is liberal in its dimen- sions, containing about forty rooms. The grounds are tastefully laid out in lawns, terraces and par. terres, with a sufficiency of trees and shrubs, and it is, taken in all, a most lovely place.

Phillips Point, of which Galloupe's Point is a por- tion, includes the territory between the estate of Colo-

The remark that 1819 was the year of the first appearance of the sea-serpent in our waters was | nel John Jeffries and Little's Point, being limited by

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Phillips Beach on the cast and Whale's Beach on the west, and possibly it may originally have included the land npon which the Lincoln House now stands.

The name "Strodehurst " is taken from "Strode," in Dorsetshire County, England, an estate which is now, and has been, in the possession of the Gallop family for more than four centuries. John Gallop, for whom the island in Boston Harbor was named, the emigrant ancestor of the owner of "Strodehurst," war of the eighth generation in descent, and came to this country in the ship "Mary and John " in 1630.

The delightful and extensive views from this point, if equaled, are nnsurpassed by any upon the shores of Massachusetts Bay. To the west, surmounted by Iligh Rock (the home of Moll Pitcher), are seen the towns of Swampscott and Lynn, sloping gradually to the sea, their pretty residences, graceful church spires and monumental chimneys affording a most interesting and agreeable picture of busy, civilized life; farther to the west, the high lands of Saugus, Medford, Chelsea, Somerville and Bunker Hill form a pleasing and effective background to the sparkling waters and glittering sands of Revere, Crescent and Nahant beaches; to the southwest, Nahant, capped by the distant Blue Hills of Milton, curves its comely arm gracefully around the waters, forming a beauti- fol bay, which, if it does not emulate, certainly sug- gests its gorgeous sister of Naples. Between the surf-buffeted rocks of Nahant Point and the bleak and weather-beaten cliffs of Egg Rock rises, crowned with pretty houses, the summit of the Hill at IInll, upon which many of our Puritan ancestors found a home, long before the arrival of Winthrop and his company. To the south, Point Allerton, which vied with Hull (then Nataseot) and Plymouth in its wel- come to our Pilgrim fathers; Nantasket, with its at- tractive beaches and hospitable people ; Cohasset, with its tasteful summer-houses, and Scituate, with its church-crowned hills and its merciless, sea-jutting ledges, stretch along the horizon, until the lofty shaft of Minot's Light terminates the line of the land- scape, leaving, interrupted only by the continnally moving procession of white-winged vessels, the un- broken line of the ocean, until the rocky shores of Marblehead Neck complete one of the most charm- ing and delightful panoramas upon the coast of the Atlantic.

The place is familiarly known, and has been long and gratefully enjoyed by the numerous summer visitors of the North Shore, who, through the liber- ality of the owners, have been allowed free access to the premises.

WAR OF THE REBELLION. - Swampscott fur- nished for actual service in the field one hundred and seventy-five men, and for the naval service twenty- five. Says Mr. Thompson,-"One hundred and twervy-nine of the men who enlisted in the army re- ceived a bouncy. The whole amount of bounty money voted and paid by the town, together with

that raised by subscription, was $27,375; other ex- penses, $5814.41 ; total expenses, 33,189.41. There were fifty-five men who enlisted in the army and twenty-nine in the navy who received no bounty. All the town's quotas under the different calls of the President were promptly filled, and at the close of the war a surplus of twenty-two men over all calls was remaining. . . . That the ladies of the town were equally patriotic with the men is shown by the fact that in the year 1862 they formed themselves into an association for the purpose of aiding the Swampscott soldiers, and by their devoted labors were able to contribute many supplies for their relief and comfort."

Lientenant-Colonel Charles Redington Mudge, eldest son of Hon. E. R. Mudge, was killed at the battle of Gettysburg July 3, 1863. He was twenty- three years of age, a young officer of great promise, and at the time he was killed was in command of the regiment, gallantly leading on a charge. He was born in New York City, and graduated at Harvard with the 1860 class. His remains were brought to Lynn, and now repose in the consecrated garth of St. Stephen's Church.

Rev. Jonas B. Clark, who had for about twenty years been minister of the Trinitarian Congregational Society of Swampscott, enlisted as a chaplain in the army, and served faithfully till compelled by ill health to resign. Others became conspicnous for their bravery and soldierly traits, and, as a whole, the men from Swampscott acqnitted themselves in so merito- rious a manner as to receive much commendation.

In 1883 the Soldiers' Monument, in Monument Synare, was erected. It is a granite shaft, with bronze trimmings, and cost two thousand nine hun- dred and forty-three dollars. Its height is thirty feet, and it has four bronze tablets, on two of which are inscribed the names of the fourteen soldiers who fell in defense of their country.

It was proposed to place at the foot of the monu- ment an old cannon, already referred to, bearing the date 1798, and some insignia of British royalty, which has an interesting history, though not specially connected with our Civil War. It was captured by the privateer " Grand Turk," during the War of 1812, the vessel on board of which was Captain Thomas Widger, who died at Swampscott, January 21, 1871, aged eighty. Some time after its capture it was brought hither and used in firing salutes on all sorts of public occasions. Its most lamentable performance, at least since it quit the work to which it was origin- ally destined, was on the 4th of July, 1857. On that day John Draper and Henry Scales, while firing a patriotic salute, were fatally injured by a premature discharge. Draper had an arm broken, an eye de- stroyed and was otherwise injured. He was taken to the Massachusetts Hospital, and in about two months died of lockjaw. Scales received a bad wound in the bowels, and had an arm broken. He also was taken to the hospital and there died. The venerable war-

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like relic, however, is not now (May, 1887) at its pro- posed resting-place near the monument, but, owing to some untoward circumstances, rests on the premises of a Lynn junk dealer.

STATISTICAL ITEMS .- Population .- As elsewhere remarked, Swampscott was set off from Lynn and in- corporated as a separate town in 1852. Since then the population has been as follows : 1855, 1335 ; 1865, 1535; 1875, 2128; 1885, 2471.

Valuation and Taxation, 1886 .- Total valuation, $3,658,460 ; of which $1,275,405 was personal estate, and $2,383,055 real. Number of tax-payers, 931, of whom 347 paid only poll-tax. Rate of taxation, $9.50 on $1000.

Town Debt, 1886 .- $55,500.

Appropriations and Expenditures, 1886. - Whole amount of appropriations, including receipts, $50,- 214.01. Expenditures, $50,725.47.

Dwellings, Polls, 1886 .- Number of dwelling-houses, 555. Polls, 657.

Schools, 1886 .- High School, 1; grammar schools, 2; intermediate, 4; primary, 3. Appropriation for support of schools (including $23.37 from State School Board), $8523.37. Expenditures, $7664,36.

Public Library, 1886 .- Number of volumes, 5055. Circulation during the year, 14,935. Appropriation (including certain receipts, amounting to $22.50 and dog-taxes amounting to $262.60), $585.10. Expendi- tures, $527.19.

Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1886 .- Whole num- ber of births, 51,-males, 29; females, 22. Marriages, 24. Deaths, whole number, 40,-males, 16 ; females, 24.

Cemetery .-- The Swampscott Cemetery was conse- crated September 16, 1854, the address being delivered by Rev. Jonas B. Clark. Up to January 1, 1886, the whole number of interments was 783. Interments in 1886, 26. Expenditures for 1886, $219.29. Re- ceiving tomb built 1884.

Appropriation for the Poor, 1886 .- $1500.

Value of Public Property, 1886, including Town House, school-houses and other real estate, together with the apparatus and other personal estate in use by the various departments, $71,353.70.

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES .- The First Congregational Society was formed on July 15, 1846, and was the first church organization in the village. Rev. Jonas B. Clark was the first minister. In 1854 a Methodist Society was formed, Rev. E. J. Best being the first minister. A Christian Society was formed in 1865, and a chapel erected on Burrill Street, Ehler W. L. Hayden being the first minister. A Baptist Society was formed in 1872, and Rev. Lucian Drury settled as pastor. All the above societies have good houses of worship, and are zealous to promote the spiritual advancement of the people. And it should not be omitted to mention that Unitarian and Universalist

services have been held at intervals for a number of years, especially during the warm season.

Other leading organizations are: The Free Public Library ; Post No. 118, Grand Army of the Republic ; Swampscott Lodge of Odd Fellows.

CHAPTER CXXIII.

SWAMPSCOTT-(Continued).

INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS.

Agriculture-Manufactures-Fisheries.

AGRICULTURE .- Swampscott can hardly be ranked as an agricultural town, though it has productive land, and the sca throws up a liberal contribution of valuable manure. From recently published statistics, it appears that the number of farms is 15; yearly value of products, $16,000 ; bushels of potatoes raised, 1805; dozens of eggs, 4200 ; gallons of milk, 23,750 ; tons of hay, 447 ; number of horses, 251 ; number of cows, 137.

MANUFACTURES .- Swampscott cannot certainly be called a manufacturing place. To the present time, indeed, it has been more of a farming than manu- facturing town. But the fisheries have always taken precedence of all other industries. So little has been done in manufactures that the public reports have often passed them by unnoticed. Yet shoemak- ing has long been engaged in to some extent, cs- pecially in former days, as a winter occupation.

FISHERIES .- Fishing continues to be the great business of Swampscott, as it has been almost from the first settlement, though it is now conducted in quite a different way from what it formerly was. The settlers soon discovered that the bay was stored with fish in great variety and great plenty. The following quaint lines of an old rhymester enumerates some of the then most common kinds :

" Nur must we from our list leave out the stores of savory fish, That fill the pouds and fill the sea and make the dainty dish. The codd, the haddock, halibut, the eel and pickerell, The alewife, perch, bass and tautog, the smelt and mackerell. Lobsters and crabbs too, so abound, 'tis marvelous to see ; And mussels, clamms and great quahaugs make up variety. Then why should wee not live to cat, as well as eat to live, And bless the Lord who gave the meat and pray him e'er to give ?"

The Swampscott fishermen were engaged only in dory-fishing down to abont the close of the last cen- tury, it being in 1795, according to Mr. Thompson, that the first schooner was purchased. She was of twenty tons burden, and named the "Dove." Two years afterward she was totally wrecked in a storm. Soon after, another schooner, named the "Lark," a trifle smaller than the " Dove," was procured, and in 1799 she was also lost, having sunk near her moor-

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ings. But it was not many years before quite a fleet of " jiggers," as they were called, stanch and graceful craft, made lively the Swampscott waters and the deep sea beyond.

The neat little volume lately published by Mr. Waldo Thompson, entitled "Sketches of Swamp- scott," to which reference has already been several times made, contains many interesting facts regarding the place, its people and business. And we cannot do better than introduce in this connection some of his items regarding the fishing business and kindred employments.

" December 16, 1826, six schooners went out from Swampscott in the morning and returned at night with fifty thousand pounds of fish, chiefly cod.

" About the year 182% oil clothing began to take the place of leather, and in a few years the old, heavy and expensive equipment was kuown no more.

"In the year 1832 there were ten small vessels, manned by eighty men, engaged in winter fishing, and about sixty dorymen in summer.

" In the year 1855 there were thirty-nine vessels engaged in the mack- srel and cod-fishing, aggregating one thousand tons. There were cap- tured five thousand harrels of mackerel, valued at $50,000, also fitty-six thousand one hundred and sixty quintals of codfish. $6300 worth of cod liver oil was sold for medicinal purposes.

" A horse mackerel was caught August 20, 1855, which weighed one thousand pounds ; it was ten feet long, and six feet round in the thick- est part. A sunfish was also caught off Swampscott, which weighed two hundred and fifty pounds.

" In 1856 the schooner ' Flight ' caught sixty-two thousand and seven hundred pounds of codfish in thirteen hours. The schooner 'Jane' caught a largo trip, and twelve of her fish weighed on an average fifty-six pounds; Captain Nathaniel Blanchard caught one cod which weighed ninety-four pounds.

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History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 123

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1672

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1672