Our story -a true one mind you, begins on the 14th of September 1786 after a violent storm bombarded a little fishing port
called Porthleven in the county of Cornwall, England. Such tempestuous weather wasn't unusual for that part of the British
Isles as the Atlantic Ocean with its warm westerly gulf stream waters can bring squalls and gales that will have even the
most sanguine of fishermen cussing into their fire hearths and wondering how many lobster pots they'll lose.
When the winds finally dropped and the crashing waves relented on their assault on the sandy beach beneath the harbour
wall, two young boys made a pact that when morning came, they'd be the first to discover any poor vessel that had been
hurled ashore along that part of the Cornish coast and maybe find treasures to change their subdued lives in a town known
as a haven for shipwrecks.
The pair of unnamed scallywags did find something, but it was something they might have found in only the wildest of their
dreams. As dawn broke, the two excited lads surveyed the scene from the cliffs above a battered small cove and around a
mile away, they spied what they believed at first was the side of an unfortunate ship which had the preceding night been
broken to pieces by the extremities of the Porthleven shore.
Full of anticipation, they raced down the grassy pathway and nearing the spot where the waves were breaking across the
huge shape, the boys elation quickly drained as they realised the hulking form was alive. Having the forbearance to realise
they -like the thing on the beach, were out of their depth, they quickly sought the wisdom of older residents of the fishing
port.
After pressing the two youngsters on the matter with queries designed to quarry out a prank or mistaken identity, the small
group of men agreed to arm themselves with hatchets, pokers and large sticks and visit this washed-up creature who had
arrived from last night's tempest. Approaching the scene of the strange advent, the Porthlevions increased in number as the
story raced around the village and all would be alarmed at what they witnessed.
Bravely walking across the damp sand of the cove, they saw the monster slowly raise -what they suddenly realised was, its
head and begin to lurch towards them. Some of the villagers immediately fled and weapons were discarded in their fear, but
a few more-lionhearted of Porthleven stood their ground and prepared to do battle with whatever the storm had deposited on
their shore.
These plucky fishermen later reported that they could initially see no legs on the creature and it appeared to crawl on its
belly. Raising its body at times a little from the sand with a great pained exertion, the oncoming undulating monster resembled
one of the fishy characters from the older fishermen's tall tales.
The creature's length would later be measured at 48 feet and 10 inches and its circumference in the largest part of its body 24
feet and a half. A more detailed description would also be forthcoming, but first the men needed to do what was expected
back in 1786 when they believed they'd come across a giant mermaid, they needed to kill it.
After an hour of beatings, stabbings and other forms of violence, the monster expired with a groan and the examination began.
The large head was described as prickly at its rear and 'not formed much unlike that of a man'. The dead brute's eyes were
greenish and it sported a large mouth and flat human-like nose. Also resembling the upper torso of a man, the creature's
back was hard and more difficult to penetrate than the shell of a turtle.
Two stunted fore limbs that were formed like the paws of a monkey were observed and and the carcase's lower extremities
were shaped something like the hinder part of a porpoise. Splayed in the wet sand was a large fan tail, which when spread
measured a full 7 feet in width at the extent and 5 feet long.
Again, this was the age when across that great sea where the creature had emerged from, a man called Nathaniel Gorham
was being chosen as the new President of the U.S. Confederation Congress to substitute for John Hancock, who couldn't
take office because of illness. The Cabinet of Great Britain agreed to the establishment of a penal colony at Botany Bay in
Australia and the last wolf in Ireland was killed because of its preference in sheep on its menu.
It was also an age when pragmatism and frugalness were common lodgers in the homes of those who's own fare were at
the mercies of the elements and the seasons and so when a storm tosses the commoners lemons, they make lemonade.
The body of the Porthleven monster was boiled down for oil and even though the fins and the shell on its back were at some
pont considered to be of great value, no evidence exists of it today.
called Porthleven in the county of Cornwall, England. Such tempestuous weather wasn't unusual for that part of the British
Isles as the Atlantic Ocean with its warm westerly gulf stream waters can bring squalls and gales that will have even the
most sanguine of fishermen cussing into their fire hearths and wondering how many lobster pots they'll lose.
When the winds finally dropped and the crashing waves relented on their assault on the sandy beach beneath the harbour
wall, two young boys made a pact that when morning came, they'd be the first to discover any poor vessel that had been
hurled ashore along that part of the Cornish coast and maybe find treasures to change their subdued lives in a town known
as a haven for shipwrecks.
The pair of unnamed scallywags did find something, but it was something they might have found in only the wildest of their
dreams. As dawn broke, the two excited lads surveyed the scene from the cliffs above a battered small cove and around a
mile away, they spied what they believed at first was the side of an unfortunate ship which had the preceding night been
broken to pieces by the extremities of the Porthleven shore.
Full of anticipation, they raced down the grassy pathway and nearing the spot where the waves were breaking across the
huge shape, the boys elation quickly drained as they realised the hulking form was alive. Having the forbearance to realise
they -like the thing on the beach, were out of their depth, they quickly sought the wisdom of older residents of the fishing
port.
After pressing the two youngsters on the matter with queries designed to quarry out a prank or mistaken identity, the small
group of men agreed to arm themselves with hatchets, pokers and large sticks and visit this washed-up creature who had
arrived from last night's tempest. Approaching the scene of the strange advent, the Porthlevions increased in number as the
story raced around the village and all would be alarmed at what they witnessed.
Bravely walking across the damp sand of the cove, they saw the monster slowly raise -what they suddenly realised was, its
head and begin to lurch towards them. Some of the villagers immediately fled and weapons were discarded in their fear, but
a few more-lionhearted of Porthleven stood their ground and prepared to do battle with whatever the storm had deposited on
their shore.
These plucky fishermen later reported that they could initially see no legs on the creature and it appeared to crawl on its
belly. Raising its body at times a little from the sand with a great pained exertion, the oncoming undulating monster resembled
one of the fishy characters from the older fishermen's tall tales.
The creature's length would later be measured at 48 feet and 10 inches and its circumference in the largest part of its body 24
feet and a half. A more detailed description would also be forthcoming, but first the men needed to do what was expected
back in 1786 when they believed they'd come across a giant mermaid, they needed to kill it.
After an hour of beatings, stabbings and other forms of violence, the monster expired with a groan and the examination began.
The large head was described as prickly at its rear and 'not formed much unlike that of a man'. The dead brute's eyes were
greenish and it sported a large mouth and flat human-like nose. Also resembling the upper torso of a man, the creature's
back was hard and more difficult to penetrate than the shell of a turtle.
Two stunted fore limbs that were formed like the paws of a monkey were observed and and the carcase's lower extremities
were shaped something like the hinder part of a porpoise. Splayed in the wet sand was a large fan tail, which when spread
measured a full 7 feet in width at the extent and 5 feet long.
Again, this was the age when across that great sea where the creature had emerged from, a man called Nathaniel Gorham
was being chosen as the new President of the U.S. Confederation Congress to substitute for John Hancock, who couldn't
take office because of illness. The Cabinet of Great Britain agreed to the establishment of a penal colony at Botany Bay in
Australia and the last wolf in Ireland was killed because of its preference in sheep on its menu.
It was also an age when pragmatism and frugalness were common lodgers in the homes of those who's own fare were at
the mercies of the elements and the seasons and so when a storm tosses the commoners lemons, they make lemonade.
The body of the Porthleven monster was boiled down for oil and even though the fins and the shell on its back were at some
pont considered to be of great value, no evidence exists of it today.
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