Jules Verne

The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and puzzling phenomeno

Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several States on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter

long object, spindle–shaped, occasionally phosphorescent, and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale.

Taking into consideration the mean of observations made at divers times—rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this object a length of two hundred feet, equally with the exaggerated opinions which set it down as a mile in width and three in length

had met this moving mass five miles off the east coast of Australia

two columns of water, projected by the mysterious object, shot with a hissing noise a hundred and fifty feet up into the air.

presence of an unknown sandbank

submitted to the intermittent eruption

to do neither more nor less than

inflamed all minds