By Jon Wyatt - I was trawling the Trove Digitalised Newspapers and came upon this astonishing story from Florida. The yarn was widely published in Australian newspapers and elsewhere in 1871.
The Ocklawaka River, the scene of the battles, is a narrow waterway that meanders northward for 74 miles (115 kms) before emptying into the St Johns River near the city of Pilatka. Small paddle steamers were used to operate on the waterway until the 1920s.
The report of alligators attacking a steamboat is possible but the “huge serpent” part seems a bit far-fetched to me. The story does not identify the steamer, the captain, or any of the passengers and crew.
Is it a tall tale or true? I'll leave it up to you.
Sources:
1. 'Attack On A Steamer By Alligators', Sydney Empire newspaper, October 31 1871, p3, Trove Digitalised Newspapers, http://trove.nla.gov.au
2. 'Fearful Attack on a Steamer by Alligators—Three Seamen Devoured', (American) Illustrated Police News, August 26, 1871, article is reprinted in the ebook Burglar Caught By A Skeleton by Jeremy Clay (2013) found at https://books.google.com.au
Jon Wyatt
Melbourne, Australia
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Oh, Florida!: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country
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ABDUCTIONS! ALIEN, BIGFOOT, & OTHERS | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions & Answers #Abductions
An early and well-known alien abduction claim occurred in the mid-1950s with the Brazilian Antônio Vilas-Boas case, which did not receive much attention until several years later. Then in the 1960s, worldwide publicity was generated by the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case. The Hill incident became the prototypical abduction case, possibly the first in which the claimant described beings that later became widely known as the Greys.
But abduction scenarios aren't confined to extraterrestrial beings. The story of Albert Ostman, a 64-year-old retired lumberman from British Columbia, went public in 1957 with his account of being snatched from his sleeping bag while camping on Vancouver Island.
There have also been remarkable stories of kidnappings and involuntary relocations by other experiencers.
So, please listen to the following accounts I have received from witnesses who recall their encounters, and then decide for yourself. I hope that you enjoy the presentation.
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JERSEY DEVIL - WINGED LEGEND FROM HELL! | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions & Answers #JerseyDevil
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Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974 Thanks. Lon
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