THE MAN-BAT OF CONEY ISLAND

In the first week of September, 1880, a bizarre and grotesque sight was seen over the famed Coney Island. The New York Times reported it a week later:

“At the height of at least 1000 feet in the air a strange object was in the act of flying toward the New Jersey coast. It was apparently a man with bat’s wings and improved frog’s legs. The face of the man could be distinctly seen and it wore a cruel and determined expression. The movements made by the object closely resembled those of a frog in the act of swimming with his hind legs and flying with his front legs…When we add that this monster waved his wings in answer to the whistle of a locomotive and was a deep black color, the alarming nature of the apparition can be imagined. The object was seen by many reputable persons and they all agree that it was a man engaged in flying toward New Jersey.”

Altough often mentioned as one of the first modern “flying humanoid” stories, the early 1800’s were abound with other tales of men with “hand-powered flying machinery” or as in this case, an apparent natural set of wings and abnormal legs.

The biological impossibilities of a human in flight are apparent in any flying humanoid case, but in this story in peticular the “frog legs” aspect are espically troubling, as there has been a very few amount of stories involving such a strange feature. Modern scientists & investigators have tried to explain away the recent rash of floating/flying humans in Central and South America, but this case is still a complete and utter mystery. Flying Man/Bat/Frogs over NYC? Really?

@2 years ago with 1 note