Monster’s Head Spotted
Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 15th, 2007
The Lake Champlain sea serpent has again made its appearance, this time near Cedar Beach, a resort twelve miles south of Burlington[.] Mrs. Wm. E. Hagar and a party of friends being in camp there Wednesday morning last [July 18], when the lake was unusually calm, Mrs. Hagar noticed about half a mile distant a peculiar disturbance upon the otherwise smooth surface of the lake. Sure enough a “white cap” had appeared as though a strong wind might be blowing in that spot alone. Her son, Clifford, and Everett Towne were close at hand and both were called to the cottage and there witnessed what they hope but never expect to see again, the Lake Champlain sea serpent. By this time, the animal’s head, which, as described by all four, was more resembling an animal than a serpent, had appeared above the surface and in advance of the troubled waters. The movement was toward the south and the thing was in view for a full five minutes after the young people joined Mrs. Hagar. After moving rapidly for several hundred feet it disappeared beneath the surface of the water, which again became calm. Mrs. Hagar and the young people all agreed in the description of the strange visitor, and aver that the head was several feet out of the water and no approximate size of the monster can be given even by comparison. This circumstance has revived the old, old tales of some curious monster inhabiting the deep waters of Lake Champlain, only this time with more of the color of substantiation, and comes from a source that is reliable and by no means desirous of notoriety.Malone [New York] Farmer, July 25, 1900
Thanks to Jerome Clark.
Remember, please buy the 2007 edition of Mysterious America on April 24th and beyond! Thank you.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Could champ be a Moose swimming in the lake?
“This circumstance has revived the old, old tales of some curious monster inhabiting the deep waters of Lake Champlain, only this time with more of the color of substantiation, and comes from a source that is reliable and by no means desirous of notoriety.” … wow! I thought we were reading a fiction novel there, instead of a news report!
Seriously though – another intriguing report. A shame none of the witnesses had a camera or camera-phone.
Scratch that. I needed to note the date in the citation information.
Maybe not a camera-phone, but a camera, perhaps?? 🙂
Hello, Loren,
Most of these sightings in lakes around the world seem to occur when the water is calm or glassy. Can anything helpful be made of that?
Last year I tried (without success) to purchase a book from Amazon.com that I think was called “Champquest”. From what I understand, the author claims he can practically forecast Champ sightings due to the phases of the moon (not neccessarily the physical state of the water). It seems the Champ creatures feed on fish, which in turn are influenced by the phases of the moon for feeding and/or reproductive activities. He also claims that to obtain more frequent sightings, one must “hide in plain sight”…that is, rather than hide oneself and try to peek out to get a glimpse of a Champ, make yourself a part of the everyday scenery on a regular schedule. Interesting stuff…I’d like to read the whole book. Does anyone know of any other way to get a copy other than from Amazon.com? They postponed my delivery repeatedly for 7 months until I got fed up and cancelled my order.
Kamoeba, the author is Dennis Hall…don’t have his book either, but he seems to think he has it nailed…am curious too…I think Dennis Hall has…or at least had a website…try googling him or Champquest…some used book store out there has to have it…oh try Abebooks.com or Alibris.com to see what they have…
SHJ
Richard_from_Idaho- I think there is a possibility that the reason that so many sightings are seen on glassy water is not because of the glassy water itself, but more because it is easier to notice disturbances on the surface under these conditions.
If most sightings occur under calm conditions, doesn’t that sort of nix the possible explanation of them as soliton waves, or underwater storms? I suppose if there were a slight breeze, soliton waves could still form, and they’d likely be even more noticeable.
As for the other, is it possible that calm conditions might create some sort of atmospheric pressure that might cause subsurface conditions to roil? Where’s a meteorologist when you need one?