THE YEAR 1866 was marked by a bizarre development1, an unexplained and downright inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten. Without getting into those rumors2 that upset civilians in the seaports and deranged the public mind even far inland, it must be said that professional seamen were especially alarmed3. Traders, shipowners, captains of vessels, skippers, and master mariners from Europe and America, naval officers from every country, and at their heels the various national governments on these two continents, were all extremely disturbed by the business.
In essence, over a period of time several ships had encountered “an enormous thing” at sea, a long spindle-shaped object, sometimes giving off a phosphorescent glow, infinitely bigger and faster than any whale.
Footnotes
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a new event or stage that is likely to affect what happens in a continuing situation （新的）发展事态，进展情况，发展阶段 the latest developments in the war 战争的最新进展情况 Are there further developments in the investigation? 调查有新的进展吗？ ↩
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information or a story that is passed from person to person but has not been proven to be true ↩
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anxious or afraid that sth dangerous or unpleasant might happen 担心；害怕 She was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone.她一想到独自旅行的情景就害怕。 ↩