Bilk - no 068 - 1995 11

Magazine Overview

This issue of Bilk, #68, dated November 1995, is a bi-monthly publication from Ulrich Magin, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany. Subscriptions are priced at 15 German Marks for Germany and Europe, and 20 German Marks for the rest of the world. The publisher notes an inability to cash American cheques, requesting payment in bank notes or German currency.

Featured Articles and Reports

Cryptozoological Encounters and Sightings

• Big Fish Attack: A 32-year-old woman in Feldkirchen, Austria, was attacked and bitten by a gigantic catfish in a lake approximately 200 kilometers west of Vienna. She sustained a 15cm/0.5ft wound and reported seeing the "gigantic fish" close to her, expressing significant fright. The report cites Süddeutsche Zeitung, 11 August 1995, p. 10, and INFO Journal 73, summer 1995, p. 38, which also mentions a strange catfish mutation in California.

• Giant Snakes: A 23ft killer python with a 10-inch diameter reportedly devoured and killed a Malaysian rubber tapper. This incident was reported by The Times (7 September 1995, p.12) and Süddeutsche Zeitung (7 September 1995, p.12). The magazine also references stories of giant land snakes in Maryland from folklore and eyewitness accounts, citing INFO Journal 73, p.15.

• Loch Ness: Andreas Trottmann's Loch Ness Newsclipping Service #3 has been published, containing clips on a 1934 land sighting, a new puma sighting at Brora, controversies surrounding tourism and parking near the Loch, and information on the Brahan Seer. An advertisement in the German news magazine Focus (37/1995, p. 165) for a camera maker uses the famous surgeon's photograph from 1934.

• Mermaids and Dugongs: On the island of Tanna in the South Pacific, known for its cargo cult centered around 'John Frum', a feature by Eugen R. Essig on Germany's S3 TV channel (20 September 1995) mentioned the "mermaid of Tanna". Locals told Essig that a mermaid regularly surfaced near Fort Resolution and could be attracted by hitting the ocean surface. Essig observed a dugong approaching, which locals identified as the mermaid. They claimed two previous mermaids had been harpooned and eaten, and the remaining dugong is now protected by law.

• The 'Isis' Mummy: In Madrid, a mummy was found in a museum basement, initially mistaken for the Egyptian goddess Isis. However, it was identified as the 14-year-old daughter of Ramses II (1290-1224 BC). The mummy was reportedly in a bad state of preservation. Sources cited are taz (19 September 1995, p.20) and El País (13 September 1995, p.32).

• Fortean Times Exhibition: The German news magazine Focus (39/1995) featured a small item about the Fortean Times exhibition "Of Monsters and Miracles". The exhibition included pictures of a mermaid mummy and a fish with fur, and the text indicated it contained the backbone of a sea serpent.

• Loch Ness Eel Encounter: In Loch Long, Scotland, a diver named Mr Gordon Bell was dragged to the bottom of the loch by a 6 ft/1.8 m conger eel. Bell had been diving on the night of August 30-31, 1995, and was found unconscious on the shore. He stated the eel was entangled in a fishing line when it dragged him down. Reports are from The Times (1 September 1995, p.3; 2 September 1995, p.3).

• Sea Monster Literature Review: The German press has featured stories on sea monsters, including an advertisement for the tabloid Bildwoche (issue 35, 24 August 1995) about "awful monsters in the deep sea", which pictured a grotesque angler fish. The magazine Spiegel (issue 34, 1995) reviewed Richard Ellis' book "Monsters of the Sea" (Alfred A Knopf, New York, 432 pages, $30). The book covers real monstrous marine life, including giant squids and sea serpents. The review notes Ellis adds little to existing literature but highlights known forms of large marine life, mentioning Olaus Magnus, Erich Pontoppidan, the 1817 Gloucester visitation, the Kraken legend, 1873 Newfoundland encounters with giant squids, a 1954 Norwegian giant squid find, and an engraving of a sea unicorn.

• Children's Book: Jimmy Carter and his daughter Amy have co-authored a children's book titled "Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer", about the friendship between a sea monster and a handicapped boy. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung (21 September 1995, p.15) and The Spiegel (25 September 1995), which featured a reproduction of the book cover.

Other Unusual Reports

• Giant Squid in Spain: A dead giant squid, measuring 7.5m/25ft with tentacles 6.3m/21ft long and a head 1.2m/4ft, washed ashore on the Atlantic coast of southern Spain near Huelva. Scientists believe it may have been killed in a ship collision. The squid weighed several hundred kilograms and its appearance in southern Spain was considered unusual. The carcass was taken to a rubbish disposal site, as reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung (13 September 1995, p.12) and Stuttgarter Zeitung (13 September 1995, p.16). The magazine expresses regret that the carcass was not preserved for scientific study.

• St Augustin Carcass: The magazine references a previous report in Bilk about new tests indicating the 1896 St Augustin carcass was from a mammal, not a giant octopus, as previously claimed by cryptozoologists. Additional comments from cryptozoologists refuting these findings are available in The INFO Journal 73, pp. 46-47.

• Marine Life Incidents:
• Dolphin blocks ship traffic in the Canal of Corinth, Greece (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 9 August 1995, p.10).
• A 10m/33ft whale entered the harbor of Bono, Vannes, Brittany, France, and later left with the high tide (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 22 July 1995, p.7).
• A 29-year-old diver, David Alan Weir, was attacked by a shark approximately 500 km southeast of Perth, Australia (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 13 September 1995, p.11; Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung, 13 September 1995, p.17; Stuttgarter Zeitung, 13 September 1995, p.16).
• A 500-year-old turtle weighing 46 kilogrammes was discovered in a south Chinese village and brought to the Hainan Province Museum (Xinhua; Stuttgarter Zeitung, 22 July 1995, p.96).
• Fossils of vegetarian crocodiles from 120 million years ago were found on the shores of the Yangtse River in China by a mixed research team (Bild, 24 August 1995, p.6).

• Swedish Mystery Submarines: The INFO Journal 73, pp.49-50, is cited regarding Swedish mystery submarines.

• UFO Sighting: Jorge Polanco, pilot of an Argentine Boeing 727, reported seeing a "white light" shooting towards his plane at incredible speed while landing at San Carlos de Bariloche, near Nahuel Huapi lake. This was reported in Bild (3 August 1995), AZ (3 August 1995), Berliner Morgenpost (3 August 1995), and CENAP Report 225 (August/September 1995, p. 33).

• Submerged City: A submerged city in the Canaries, Spain, is mentioned (The INFO Journal 73, p.35).

• Bermuda Triangle Theory: British scientists suggest that ship and plane losses in the Bermuda Triangle are related to submarine pockets of methane gas (The Times, 11 September 1995, p.16).

• New Indian Tribe: A new tribe of Indians has been discovered in the Brazilian state of Rondonia, near the Amazon river. The individuals reported their first contact with whites (Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12 September 1995, p.47; taz, 12 September 1995, p.8).

• Lake Aral Shrinking: The Lake Aral in Russia is vanishing rapidly, with scientists speculating it could disappear by 2015. Water withdrawal for irrigation since the 1960s caused the lake to shrink significantly, with its shores now 120km from their 1960s position (Bietigheimer Zeitung, 19 September 1995, p.1).

• New Cryptozoology Magazine: The magazine notes a new cryptozoological magazine called "Animals & Men", with subscriptions at 8 British Pounds. The address is Centre for Fortean Zoology, 15, Holne Court, Exwick, Exeter, Devon, EX4 2NA, Britain. Authors include Karl Shuker, Blashford-Snell, Doc Shiels, and F de Saare, and the content is expected to be controversial, covering cryptozoology, unknown animals, animal folklore, bizarre behavior, out-of-place animals, vampires, and werewolves.

Conclusion and Future Issues

This issue concludes with an announcement that the next Bilk will be published in January 1996. Readers are encouraged to submit news, views, clips, and letters. The magazine also suggests supporting other small cryptozoological newsletters and magazines.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Bilk are cryptozoology, unexplained phenomena, and unusual animal encounters. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting on a wide variety of fringe topics and alleged anomalies, drawing from news sources, scientific reports (sometimes critically), and eyewitness accounts. There is a clear interest in documenting strange creatures, historical mysteries, and potential UFO sightings, presenting them to a readership interested in the unexplained.