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More Fun With Teeth In Greenpoint
I was really beginning to miss ol’ Chopper. Even though he has gone on to that Park Slope changing station in the sky, his act of heroism will never be forgotten. I have recently found myself waxing sentimental about Chopper more and more of late because with the holiday season coming up, I sure could use him.
I have the presence of mind to know somewhere in my immediate future I will attend a holiday celebration that will utterly suck. Most parties (even shitty ones) have hummus. Take one denture plate, a bowl of creamy, delicious hummus and a roomful of people you could care less about and you have the recipe for hilarity— Miss Heather style.
The previous having been said, you can imagine my glee last week when I opened up a box at the junk shop and found this.
Ho! Ho! Ho! It looks like it might be a Merry Christmas for Miss Heather after all!
As I have mentioned on a number of occasions, we Greenpointers loves us some teeth. This is probably because in order to bite a cop, one’s landlord, and/or a ghost, one must have a good set of them. Well, after knocking around the newly revamped Brooklyn Daily Eagle online archives today I learned that creatures who sport a nice set of teeth also happen to fancy us.
Case in point: have you ever wondered what a bunch of Greenpointers would do with an alligator? If so, today’s your lucky day! From the July 1, 1865 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle I present to you a tale about a critter with a tail (and “formidable rows of sharp teeth”). Ladies and gentleman, meet the Greenpoint Gator!
That’s mighty nice of Mr. Wallers to display this presumed alligator in his shop for all to enjoy. I say “presumed” because unlike those wannabes in Marine Park, we Greenpointers don’t need any fancy fake Nessies gracing our Gator Garden Spot. We have a real one.
But don’t take my word for it, read this article from the December 13, 1860 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and you too will become a believer!
If two cops say they saw something it has to be real, right? Methinks these two fine officers might have had a tibble or two at Ye Olde Grog Shoppe while on duty. Then again, if any neighborhood in New York City would have a living breathing sea monster in residence, it would be Greenpoint. It’s not a normal creature could live in our waterways.
Miss Heather
Comments
2 Comments on More Fun With Teeth In Greenpoint
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rowan on
Wed, 21st Nov 2007 9:28 am
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missheather on
Wed, 21st Nov 2007 9:52 am
re: the first newspaper clipping – it always makes me sad to read that any kind of unusual creature has to be killed upon first encounter. it doesn’t even sound as if this “mysterious creature” was aggressive. just wallowing around, minding its own business before two kids decide to chuck stones at it. whatever happened to live and let live?
I do not disagree with you.
However, you should keep in mind that these people probably had no idea what this animal was. It probably terrified the holy shit out of them.
That said, life was (to quote Hobbes) very nasty, brutish and short life back then. That’s why people would pay money to watch a man stomp rats with steel tipped boots at Kit Burn’s rat pit. If you have the time check out Luc Sante’s book Low Life. It explores this period of NYC history beautifully.
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