[2] While shooting at ducks north of Sandusky, Ohio, in 1793, the captain of the sloop Felicity startled a large creature (snake) described as "more than a rod (16 ½ ft.) in length"[citation needed] July 1817, the crew of a schooner reported a 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12.2 m) long serpent, dark in color.
[citation needed] A third 1817 incident took place near Toledo, when French settlers—two brothers named Dusseau—encountered a huge monster on the beach, writhing in what they took to be its death throes.
[citation needed] An extraordinary sighting which was carried by local newspapers took place by the entire crew of a ship bound from Buffalo, New York, to Toledo, Ohio, in July 1892.
This time there were four eyewitnesses who watched for 45 minutes as a 30 feet (9.1 m) creature with a dog-shaped head and pointy tail churned up the water as it swam about until finally disappearing before nightfall.
[citation needed] Local marina owner Thomas Solberg offered a reward of $5,000 "for anyone who captures South Bay Bessie alive".