From the exhibition
Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 425
· December 15, 1886

The Ocean Rivals
A Pulp Fiction Serial by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham
This is a companion piece to the serialized novel "Sibyl, The Sea Siren." The installment opens with a nighttime naval chase between two American-flagged schooners off England's coast. The pursuing vessel, under Captain Moncrief, defeats the heavily damaged ship whose young captain, facing capture, shoots himself. The defeated captain survives in a lifeboat and vows revenge against "the Sea Siren."
The narrative then backtracks to reveal how Sir Norman Hurst and his wife Sibyl planned their escape from England twenty years prior, fearing that Norman's envious younger brothers—twins Rafael and Bianca—might harm them, suspecting they poisoned their infant son. They stage a fake drowning, disappearing on a brig with two servants while their yacht drifts ashore.
Now established as plain "Captain Hurst" on Long Island, Norman has built a prosperous farm and coasting vessel operation. The serial explores themes of maritime adventure, family betrayal, and colonial American settlement.
Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain