Republican Press Salamang, New York April 10, 1923

Whales are Slain by Hairy Monster

Strange Battle Witnessed on the Coast of Africa.

Durban, South Africa. — H. C. Ballance of the Margate estate here was walking along the seacoast when he saw two whales battling for life against a strange sea monster whose head reared up 20 feet above the surface of the sea.

Ballance watched while the monster killed both whales and, exhausted, floated ashore on its back. Ballance remembered an appointment and went home, but returned to the beach next morning and found the monster stranded and unconscious.

He measured it and found it was 47 feet long with a tail 10 feet long and 2 feet wide and, instead of a head, a trunk like an elephant’s, 5 feet long and 14 inches in diameter, but resembling a pig’s snout at the end. The monster was entirely covered with snow-white hair 10 inches long.

For ten days it remained on the beach, apparently resting. Then natives saw it refloat itself and swim off in a southeasterly direction.

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Thanks to Jerome Clark.