Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-10-21
A TREMENDOUS FISH
Or a Tremsnao.s s. DONE s.scry-Take Il

| y
or Leave IL.
In 1888 whaler assured DR.. Swediaur
that he had found in the mouth of a
whale tentaele twenty-seven feet in
length. The report was inserted in a
scientific journal Of the day, and there
read by Deny Montfort, who at once de-
ternined to obtain more ample informa-
| ton on the subject. 1t SO happened
that just then the French government
had sent for a number of American
whalers, IN order to consult with them
as to the best means by which the
French fisheries could be revived.
These men were staying at Dunkirk;
and here Montfort questioned them, and
upon inquiry it was found that two of
them had found feelers, or horns, of
such monstrous animals. Ben johnson
saw one in the mouth Of whale, from
which it hung to the length of ibirty.fve
feet; and Reynolds another, floating on
the surface Of the sea, forty-fve feet
long, and Of reddish brown color. But
OF all the reports which he heard, the
following was the most minute, and yet
also the most extraordinary:
Captain John Magnus Deus, Danish
sailor of high character and established
uprightness, depoeed that after having
made several voyages to China in the
service OF the Gottenberg Company, he
had once found himself becalmed in the
fifteenth degree of south latitude, at
some distance from the coast of Africa,
abreast OF st. Helena and Cape Nigra.
Taking advantage of his forced mac
tivity, he had determined to have his
ship cleaned and scrubbed thoroughly,
and for that purpose few planks were
suspended on the side of the vessel, on
which the sailers could stand while
scrubbing and chalking the ship.
2 They were busy with their work, when
an ancher roll-so the Danes |
call the auimal--rose from the sea,
threw one Of its arms around two of |
the men, tore them with jerk from the |
scaffolding, and sank out Of sight in |
moment. Another feeler appeared
however and tried to grasp sailor who
was in the act of ascending the mast
Fortunately, the man could hold on to
the rigging, and as the long feeler be-
came entangled in the ropes he was en-
abled to escape, though not without ut
tering most fearful cries.
These brought the whole crew to his
assistance They quickly snatohed up
harpoons, cutlasses, and whatever they
could lay their hands on, aud threw them
at the body of the animal, while others
set TO work cutting the gigantic feeler to
pieces and carrying the poor man TO his
berth, who had swooned from intense
fright. The monster, with FIVE harpoons
thrust deep into his qnivering flesh, aud
holding the two men still in its huge
arms, erdeayored to sink; but the crew,
encouraged by their captain, did their
utmost to hold on to the lines to which
the harpoons were fastened.
Their strength was, however, not sufii-
cient TO struggle with the marine giant,
and all they could do was to make fast
lines to the ship, and TO wait until the
forces of the enemy should be exhausted.
-Four Of the ropes snapped, one after the
other, like mere threads, and then the
harpoon Of the fifth tore out Of the body
OF the monster with such violence that
the ship was shaken from end to end |
Thus the animal escaped, with its two
victims. The whole crew remained
ONCTcOWlO WIN dtnALcm6nLt Luey nhu |
heard of these monsters, but never be-
lieyed in their existence; aud here, be- |
fore their own eyes, two of their com
rades had been torn from their side,
and the third, overcome with fright, died |
the same night in delirium.
The feeler which had been separated |
from the body, remained on board as an
evidence that the whole had not been a
frightful dream; it measured at the base |
as many inches as their mizzen.mast,
was still twenty-five feet long, and at the |
end provided with number Of suckers,
each as large asa spoon. Its full size
must have been far greater, however,
as only part of it had been cut off, the
animal never even raising its head above
the surface. The captain, who had wit
nesaed the whole scene, and had himself |
thrown one Of the harpoons, ever after
ward considered this encounter the most
remarkable event of his checkered life,
and calmly asserted the existence of the
kraken 17a .tN