Goodwin Muse sees a monster in the Potomac River in Westmoreland County.

Could it be Chessie?

OAK GROVE, Va. (AP) -A farmer who has lived all his 59 years on the shores of the Potomac River says he, his wife and four friends saw a sea monster In the river Saturday.

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like that — that large — in the river in my life”, Goodwin Muse said Thursday.

Muse and company were on his beach near here about 10 a.m. Saturday when they saw it.

"It looked like a snake, but we estimate it was from 10 to 14 feet long," Muse said, adding that visibility was good under clear skies.

The group watched the creature swimming about 40 to 50 yards offshore for 15 minutes, Muse said. For a time, Muse watched the creature through binoculars.

"I'd say it must have been as big around as a quart jar”, or about 5 Inches, Muse said. "It was swimming In and out, then it eventually went on up the river out of sight."

"It kept its head out of the water all the time,” said Muse, whose farm adjoins the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County.

Muse said the creature was dark in color with no trace of fins and that its head was smaller than his hand.

Muse's description is similar to reports during the summer of 1976 when at least 30 persons along the river claimed to have sighted what became known as "Chessie" the sea monster because of its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay.

"It looked like a snake to me, but I've never seen a snake this size," Muse said.