IRISH TIMES ODDITIES: ALLEN FOSTER trawls the Irish Times' archives.
ITALY'S "LOCH NESS MONSTER"
Italy's "Loch Ness monster", which appeared in the Pantano Marshes, near Syracuse, Sicily, and struck a man dumb with fright for three months, has been lured out of its hiding place by music.
The "monster" turns out to be a snake, possibly between 15 and 20ft long of a kind not previously known in Italy. An expert says it may be 100 years old.
An armed expedition of 10 men set out into the marshes, preceded by a professional snake-charmer playing his musical instrument. After two hours the party found the "monster."
One of the men said later: "About 50 feet from us was a huge serpent-like creature, bigger than anything we had expected. Two gleaming eyes glared angrily at us out of a rather crushed-looking head. Its tail beat the ground in fury and its body quivered. Two of us fired at it with both barrels, but it dropped down and quickly slithered into the undergrowth. We shall certainly go out for it again."
December 28th, 1933
HALF AND HALF
An animal like a cat from head to centre and like a rabbit from centre to tail was found in a trap near Kilmacthomas.
November 4th, 1949
BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS OFFERED TO KING
King George will be the owner of a baby hippopotamus named Sikapu if the offer of African paramount chief, Mwanawina, is accepted. Mwanawina wants to send Sikapu to the king as a token of loyalty and allegiance. The chief's letter to the authorities in Luska (Northern Rhodesia) said: "May baby hippo, Sikapu, be acquainted to climate of England to give a remembrance of Barotseland to Their Majesties and to people of England."
March 21st, 1950
LEAP-YEAR BIRTHDAY
Derry Corporation yesterday decided to present an address of congratulation, accompanied by a suitable piece of plate to the Marquis of Hamilton, the heir of the Duke of Abercorn, on the occasion of his coming-of-age.
The Mayor (Councillor Magee), in moving the resolution, said: "The Marquis of Hamilton was born while the then Marquis represented our city in the Imperial Parliament. Perhaps this is an augury. His lordship had rather hard luck in being born on a date which occurred only once in four years, so this year he will retire to bed on the 28th February aged 20, and awake the following morning to find he has missed another birthday."
February 4th, 1925
A MIRACULOUS RESCUE
The second mate of a British ship has been picked up safely nine hours after he fell overboard. The man is Douglas Wardrop whose address has not been given, but his mother is stated to live near Sevenoaks, Kent.
The ship is the MV British Monarch(5,806 tons), sailing yesterday towards Japan. According to her managers, Raeburn and Verel Ltd, of Glasgow, Wardrop fell overboard but was not missed until 3½ hours later. The ship turned round and searched more than 100 miles of sea.
Nine hours later he was sighted. "It sounds like a miracle," said a spokesman for the managers.
"The ship must have gone something like 100 miles before he was missed. And yet they found him bobbing up and down in the water."
The British Monarchwas four days out from Panama on her way to Japan when Wardrop was reported missing.
The story of the rescue was told in a radio message from Captain William P Coutts, the master, to the managers yesterday.
June 12th, 1957