The Dragon Murder Case abounds with the usual suspects: The ingenue. The irresistible, but hardened, woman of mystery. The crazed beldame. The drunkard. And Leland – no, we’re still not past Leland yet. Then there’s the dragon, “the water-dragon, Amangemokdom, or sometimes Amangegach – was used as a bogey to frighten recalcitrant children.” No, really, there are eyewitnesses. The dragon really did do it.
And if you want more evidence of the monster’s guilt, there’s the footnoted consultation with Dr. M.R. Harrington, author of “Religion and Ceremonies of the Lenape” and references to several dictionaries on the correct translation of the word. S.S. van Dine is not an author to give you a precis when a half-page reference will do. But that’s just the beginning; if you make it to page 199, you will be treated to Vance’s 3-page disquisition that begins, “The dragon has always had a powerful hold on the imagination of man,” shortly after Vance orders a Moraine Cooler, which, as the footnote informs us, is “ordinarily made with Rhine wine, lemon juice (with the rind), Curacao, and club soda; but Vance always substituted Grand Marnier for the Curacao.”
What the…? And yet, the inquiring mind is driven to ask. Does anyone truly believe there are dragons in Inwood? Outside the Cloisters, that is. Plenty of dragons in the Cloisters, of course.
But beyond that? Are there dragons in Inwood? Well, maybe not a dragon really. But there is one famous fossilized snake.
Reports of the giant fossilized snake began as early as 1910, according to St. Nicholas Magazine.
According to Inwood.net, soon “riding parties, geologists, and throngs of children began to descend on Inwood to get a look at the creature. And, for nearly a decade, “The Cooper Street Rock Snake” became one of Inwood’s star attractions. Whether or not the creature was real or an optical illusion seemed almost beside the point….”
According to the New York Herald, on the appropriate date of October 13, 1913
The huge figure of a snake embedded in a large rock in Cooper Street, near Broadway and 207th, is attracting the attention of hundreds of persons. Since the discovery of the figure several weeks ago, hundreds of automobile parties have stopped to see the wonder. Geologists say that the snake must have been caught in the rocks during an upheaval of the earth more than 2,000 years ago.
The head and body of the reptile are plainly discernible. The figure is twenty-five feet long from head to tail. From the appearance of the figure it would seem that the snake was somewhat surprised at the earthquake, which preserved his form for the wonderment of future generations.
Steps are being taken to have the rock preserved by the Museum of Natural History”.
Always true to its tabloid roots, the N.Y. Post ran an item on Dec. 19, 1923:
Is it possible to believe this fossilized snake was in fact the inspiration for Philo Vance’s Algonkian dragon?
Well, as ambitious as one’s intentions, one must admit there is little physical evidence of that snake now.
Nonetheless, the scholarly nail was hammered into the coffin of the fossilized snake by some no-fun church lady from St. Nicholas magazine back in 1910, in a reply to an eager youngster who had inquired about the “Serpent in a Manhattan Rock.” Charles P. Berkey, Assistant Professor of Geology at Columbia University assured “Your Interested Reader, Helen Hayden,” that “The rock formation, the whole mass, is limestone… some layers were quite impure with clay and other matters that gave a banded effect in the rock. Subsequently, the region was folded… and in some places crumpled or twisted into fantastic forms.”
All righty, then. I can take a hint. But that scarcely rules out Inwood as a paleontological treasure-house. Stay tuned for what really was discovered at what can only be described as Manhattan’s most unfortunately-named intersection. Yeah, it really is…
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