Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-12-11
A MONSTER OF THE DEEP.

nature. Of course, all who have q
slight acquaintance with natural histo.
~ arc aware that there are such things
rs cutie fish, or, as scientific men call
them, cephalopods, of considerable
dimensions, and possessed of formida-
BILE weapons. Most naturalists, however.
doubt or deny the existence of gigan-
tic species of cuttle-fish, having q body
thirty or forty feet in length, and arms
OF corresponding size, regarding which
rumOrs are occasionally prevalent, as
i'll the case of the sea-serpent. Stories
are told Of such creatures having been
seen in tropical seas, and of their hav-
ing dragged ships under water by their
huge tenacles; but 40 one believ es
that they are to be found in these
colder attitudes. The appearance
few days since of one of them, possess
ed of gigantic proportions, in one of
our bays, about nine miles from
St. Johns will, therefore, awaken
general interest, especially among
naturalistA I must premise that I
have been specially, careful to verify
every statement I am about to make,
and the fortunate circumstances of OBJ
tanning possession Of an arm of this
monster furnishes proof incontroverti-
BILE, not only of tho reality of it's ap.
pearance, but also of its vast bulk.
Now for our story Of the devil fish.
STRUGGLE WITH THE MoNsTER-NARRow
EsoAPR.
On tho 9Th of October last, two
fishermen were out in q small punt, of
Portugal Cove, in Conception Bay.
When near the eastern end of Belle
Isle they observed some object floating
on the surface of the water, which they
at first took to be large sail or q por-
ton of wreck. Having rowed close
to it, one of the men struck it with
boat-hook, when: suddenly the mass
became animated and put itself in
motion From amid the folds huge
parrot-like beak, "as large" they say,
''as q six-gallon keg," reared itself,
and a pair of ghastly green eyes, star.
, terror-stricken men with an expression
OF the most intense ferocity. The beak
"; and suddenly, from around the
head, two arms of corpse like deshi-
ness darted out and began winding
themselves round the boat, encircling
it in their livid folds. A moment
more aud the boat would have
been dragged beneath the waves,
aud the unfortunate men would have
been brought within reach of the terri.
BILE beak and torn to pieces But be-
fore the suckers with which the arms
are furnished had closed with their
deadly grip, ore Of the men seized a
tomahawk, which was fortunately at
hand, and severed both arms as they
lay over the gunwale of the boat. This
unexpected surgical operation seems
to have struck terror into the monster,
for it Immediately elected an immense
quantity of inky fluid, which darkened
the water for 200 or 800 yards, and
moved off from the boat. The men
saw it for q few minutes after, with it's
tail out of the water, which they de-
clare to have been ten feet across. The
body they estimate to have been sixty
feet in length and five feet in diameter.
As the occurrence took place in broad
daylight, and the men were close to
. the creature, and observed it before
they were alarmed, am inclined to
believe their statement, more especial
~ as their estimate OF it's enormous di.
mansions is fully corroborated by the
size of the arms which they brought
ashore as trophies IN their boat.
SIZE AND APPEARANCE OF THE ANpUTATED
ARM.
The men were ignorant of the i'm
portance of their prize, and regret to
say that one of the arms was DESTROYED
or lost. I am assured, however, by the
clergyman of the settlement, that it was
ten inches in diameter, and that the
norton cut off was about six feet in
length. The other longer arm they
brought to st. Johns, but not before
six feet OF it were destroyed. This
portion has been carefulley examined
by myself and Mr.. Alexander hurry,
F. G. s., our able geographical
surveyor, and after getting It photo.
graphed we placed in our museum. 1t
measures nineteen feet, and is but
three inches in circumference. Its
color is pale pink. It is entirely
cartllaginous, pliable and tough as
leather, and almost as strong as steel
Toward the extremity it broadens ont
like an oar, and is there upwards of six
inches in circumference, then it tapers
to o pretty fine point. This extremity,
for about two feet, is thickly covered
with suckers, which diminlsh in size
toward the point. The cluster at
the extreme end numbers about seven
ty suckers, some of them very small.
and all having round their margin fine
sharp teeth. A membrane is stretched
across each, which could be drawn
back at the will of the animal, thus
creating vacuum, and causing the
sharp, de1ticulated edges of the disc
to press against the skin of the victim,
and even to sink into the flesh. The
force with which these suckers cling is
very great, being equal to the weight
of the water that is above them, added
t. the weight of the atmosphere. Next
to this mass of small suckers come two
rows OF very large suckers, twenty
four in number, each having q men,
braneous disc an inch aud quarter in
diameter, with circular aperture in
the center. A cone-shaped mass of
flesh fills this aperture, like a piston,
capable of being drawn backward; and
the 'mcmbranous disc itself can also
be drawn, thus greatly increasing
the adhesive power. The edges
of the large suckers are not
denticulated, but consist of a firm,
fieshy, cartilaginous ring. This clus.
ter of powerful suckers is succeeded
by second of smaller ones, similar to
the first group, and having also dentic-
ulatcd edges. They number about
fifty. The remainder of the arm has
about forty small suckers distributed
along its under surface at short dis
tances, and also about the same mum.
Der of little rounded pustules having
no visible opening. The whole mum.
Der of suckers on the under surface of
he arm is about $50. This surface is
flat, and two inches in breadth. The
upper surface is rounded, and toward
the extremity has q small membrane
GUS crest. The original length of this
arm must have been thirty five feet
The men declare that they left ten feet
OF it attached to the b"uy of the fish.
six feet were destroyed ashore through
carelessness, and nineteen feet remain
and are now in the museum.
THE BODY OF THE MONSTER.
The size OF the body, rs estimated
by the fishermen, was sixty feet in
length and fifteen feet in girth, with
tail not less than ten feet across. This
statement may be reckoned by sope
an exaggeration; but to work such
arms al enormous central mass would
be requisite. Besides, cuttles almost
"a LARGO bovo boon anal on 49,. -