Bilk - no 085 - 1998 09

Magazine Overview

This is BILK Nr. 85, published bi-monthly by Ulrich Magin in September 1998. The magazine is based in Rastatt, Germany, with subscriptions costing 15 DM for Europe and 20 DM for the rest of the world.

BEHEMOTH

Loch Ness

The issue details various reports and discussions surrounding the Loch Ness Monster. On August 3, 1998, a German radio broadcast on Nessie was aired on station Bayern 2. A small article appeared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on August 3, 1998. Tammy van Wisse, a 30-year-old Australian swimmer, planned to swim the entire length of Loch Ness at the end of August, having always been fascinated by the myth.

Loren Coleman is quoted regarding the Loch Ness Monster, with an article appearing in Fortean Times 112. Father Andrew Mac Killop, who has lived at Loch Ness for 78 years, stated that there was no suspicion of a monster until the early 1930s. He believes the monster exists, but suggests the tradition was invented in the 1950s by C. Whyte and has been gullibly believed since.

• Several sightings and incidents are documented:
• In the 1970s, Ian Cameron reported seeing a "great elephant-like shape" rise from the water while fishing, which they watched for 50 minutes. (Nessletter 133)
• In August 1997, Gary Campbell, founder of a Nessie fan club, saw Nessie for the second time. (Inverness Courier, June 2, 1998)
• On October 24, 1997, Martin Wragg saw a "dark animated hump-like object" sink near Fort Augustus abbey. Prints examined by Andreas Trottmann and Rip Hepple concluded it was likely a wave or turbulence.
• In March 1998, a seal was spotted at Fort Augustus, which Fred Kelly of the Ness District Fishery Board found unusual.
• Sightings of seals at Fort Augustus were also reported in 1933, 1934, and one in the River Oich in 1985.
• On April 18, 1998, the "Weekly World News" reported that diver Gary Boewman was killed by the Loch Ness monster, though the publication is known for fabricating news.
• On May 30, 1998, a woman from Wiltshire reported seeing a "large black object rising about 10 feet out of the water" at Urquhart Castle. This is compared to a personal sighting from August 1981, now believed to be a salmon jumping.

All Loch Ness stories are from Andreas Trottmann's Loch Ness Newsclipping Service.

Storsjo

An international team of monster hunters, including Adrian Shine, searched for the 'great orm' in Storsjo, Sweden, on August 15, 1998. The lake has had monster stories for 360 years, describing the creature as "horse-like or snake-like." The hunt involved 15 vessels and six divers, using sonar and underwater video cameras. The project spokesman was Anders Brattga. News on other expeditions to Norway and Africa can be found in Fortean Times 114.

Bibliography

• The bibliography section lists various fortean topics with references:
• Giant turtle in Vietnam (Fortean Times 113)
• Lake monsters in Mongolia (Fortean Times 113)
• Lake monsters as basilosaurs and plesiosaurs (Fortean Times 113)
• Arguments for giant anacondas (Fortean Times 112)
• Dimetrodon seen in Africa (Strange 19)
• Lake Manitoba monster (Strange 19)

Out-of-place Reptiles

Several sightings of out-of-place reptiles were reported. In June, snapping turtles were found in gravel pits near Chemnitz and Erbach, Germany. The Saxon turtle was an escapee. In July, the Saudi Arabian newspaper El Bilad reported freshwater crocodiles seen in Lake El Araba'in near Djeddah, described as Nile crocodiles, between 2ft and 2.5m long. Dolphins have also been seen in this lake, with the origin of these creatures being a mystery.

An escaped alligator caused alarm for tourists in Lake Accesa near Massa Marittima, Italy. A German visitor reported seeing an alligator escape from its owners, who then fled. Police searched in vain, and bathing was prohibited.

ISIS

Bibliography

• Turkish crocodile boy (Fortean Times 112)

Underwater Man

Federico Gei, a 24-year-old, was recovered 30 minutes after appearing to drown in Lake Iseo, Italy. He was initially thought dead but began moving again. He remained in a coma, raising questions about human survival underwater without air.

LEVIATHAN

Greatstone, Kent, England

On April 14, 1998, two boys, Peter Jennings and Neil Savage, discovered the body of a dead sea serpent. However, accompanying comments and pictures in Fortean Times 114 suggest it was a rotting basking shark.

Bibliography

• Globsters (Strange 19)
• The German news magazine Der Spiegel featured a cover story on sea monsters in its July 27, 1998 issue, mentioning giant squid.

KRAKEN

A National Geographic documentary on July 19, 1998, on German TV channel ZDF, covered attempts by Clyde Roper and Frederick Aldrich to catch or observe giant squids near Tasmania and Monterey.

Bibliography

• Giant jellyfish (Fortean Times 112)
• Extraterrestrial giant octopus in the Pacific (Fortean Times 113)
• A German movie, "Octalus," about a multi-mouthed octopus, was screened in May.

USO (Unidentified Submerged Object)

South Korea

On June 22, 1998, a South Korean trawler caught a mysterious submarine in its net off the east coast. It was identified as a North Korean spy vessel, leading to a major international crisis. Several South Korean newspapers reported on this incident.

Sweden

A sunken Soviet submarine from 1941 was located in 40 meters of water off the Swedish coast. It was sunk by a Finnish torpedo.

Cornwall

Cornish fisherman John Leach caught a 4m miniature submarine that the Royal Navy had been missing for 4 months. He secured the sub and hid it, as he did not receive a reward.

England

A large, glowing, z-shaped object was observed in the sky above the sea in England in July, identified as the trail of a meteor.

ARCHAEOLOGY

Vineta

Berlin historian Günter Wermusch claims to have found the fabled city of Vineta, the Baltic's Atlantis, in the mud of the Barther Bodden. Vineta was also known as Jomsburg by the Vikings. Polish archaeologists had excavated parts of it on Wollin Island in the 1970s. Wermusch plans to use sonar to find the remains of the gigantic medieval metropolis.

Japan

An article discusses the 'submarine pyramid' off Japan. The author apologizes for previously claiming Robert Schoch validated the 10,000 years BC date for the Yonaguni submarine ruins. Schoch's later report in Fortean Times 114 suggests the 'pyramids' may be natural erosion. A story on the submarine pyramid appeared in the German fashion magazine "Max" in July 1998.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY

Out-of-place 'Roos

In June, Tokyo police found a wallaby with a 50cm tail that had escaped from its owner. In Germany, a 3-year-old 'roo named Manni escaped from a Bad Pyrmont animal park on August 11, 1998. It was sighted near Hameln and Aerzen. News of Manni's escape led to widespread reports of 'roo-sightings' across northern Germany, though the animal park's director suggested these might be hoaxes or misidentifications.

Additional sightings were reported from Minden, Westfalia. One sighting near Groß-Berkel was only three kilometers from the escape site. The article notes that when police confirm a phenomenon (like an escaped animal or UFO sighting), people tend to report similar sightings, citing the Loch Ness Monster phenomenon in 1933 as an example.

The Onza

The article criticizes cryptozoologists for searching for the 'onza' as an unidentified felid, stating that 'onza' is simply the Spanish word for puma. It cites Karl Shuker's findings in Fortean Times 114, which suggest that an 'onza' shot in Mexico in 1986 was indeed a puma. The author expresses skepticism about cryptozoology's 'breakthroughs,' suggesting they are often lies, hoaxes, or misidentifications.

MARINE LIFE

French Dolphins

Reports of dolphin strandings on the French Mediterranean coast, with theories suggesting secret navy testing due to circular holes in their heads, are discussed. Francois de Sarre suggests that the species Stenella coeruleoalba, a pelagic species, was unlikely to be used for experiments. He hypothesizes that the shark Isistius brasiliensis caused the wounds. De Sarre publishes the journal "Bipedia."

Sharks

• In South Africa, a man named Clark grabbed a 1.3m shark that attacked his son Mark at a beach.
• A "giant shark" was reported off Mallorca, with a 500 kg, 3.2m grey shark caught by a trawler.

DINOSAURS

Fossil Dinosaur Dung

Fossil dinosaur dung found in southern Canada may belong to Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers suggest dinosaurs swallowed stones for digestion, similar to birds and crocodiles. (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 18, 1998)

Dinosaur Ancestors of Birds

A Chinese-American research group confirmed that dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds, based on two dinosaur fossils from Sihetun, China, called Protoarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx, which had feathers and lived 145 million years ago. (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 25, 1998)

US scientists had previously noted that crow-sized dinosaurs from Madagascar and the Gobi Desert had features of both reptiles and birds. The turtle-sized Shuvuuia deserti was considered closer to modern birds than Archaeopteryx. (Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 19, 1998)

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently features reports on unexplained phenomena, lake monsters, cryptids, and alleged paranormal events. There is a critical undercurrent, particularly in the cryptozoology section, where the author questions the methodologies and conclusions of some researchers, often attributing findings to misidentification or hoaxes. The publication appears to lean towards a fortean perspective, presenting a wide array of unusual claims while often providing skeptical commentary or alternative explanations. The emphasis on detailed citations suggests a commitment to documenting sources, even when questioning their validity.