Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-11
A MONSTER DEYxL FISH.

"ONNIAn DEF Ii r A'f'
A RsAPe ucisthy osOKle"i ~" tor New
YNrk--Tie Largest G. -!' IN Ever
GIAvtwvpa = Zen, V.ssr Arms
Thirty Eeat Long rH" :. vi siiafang
In E'2ht-i,.ci, ~"ctesa
There arrived ON Sunday at the city of
New York on board the steamer Cortes,
from So. Johns, Newfoundland, mann
moth cuttle-fish, tho largest ever known
to have been captured. II wns C8,efpliy !
packed in cask about The siSo Or - sugar /,
hogshead, the long teiitaeles of the fish
being coiled about the body, and the whole
immersed in strong brine. The fish, it is
said, was purchased by the proprietorf of
the New York Aquarium, where it will be
| at once placed on exhibition. A cores
| pondcut of tho Now York World, writing
| from st. Johns under date of September
Goth, gives the following particulars OF the
capture of this monster OF the deep:
| There is great excitement here at present
over the exhibition of splendid specimen
! Of the gigantic fish, commonly
| called devil-hsb. Only ono complete
| specimen of this extraordinary animal was
ever previously securedin 1878, when
your correspondent was able to obtain
| perfect specimen taken in Logic Bay, and
to forward it to Professor Vtrril, of Yale
\ College, who made an exhaustive study of
it and described it in various scientific
periodicals. 1t is now to be seen in tho
Peabody Museum, New Haven. The cap
ture and the animal were described at
length and exclusively in Tie World at
the time, and made the greatest sensation
in scientific circles as well as among news
paper readers in both henispheres. The
one which have now to describe is
much larger aud finer specimen, being
forty feet from the extremity of the long
arms to the point of tho tail. On the
; 22d instant heavy equinoctial gale swept
! these shores, and this wanderer of the
deep was driven ashore in an exhausted
condition at Catalina, on the northern
shore of Trinity Bay. When stranded it
, was still alive, but died soon after the ebb
of the tide, which left it high and dry
on the beach. Two fishermen took pos
session Of the ''treasure trove," and
Il the whole settlement gathered to gaze
y in establishment at the monster For
= merly this ''big squid" rs the fishermen
y :, call it, would ha re been converted into
manure by the fishermen, or cut up as
= food for dogs; but now, thanks to the diff.
10 fusion of intelligence, there were some in
Catalina who knew the importance of pre-
!, serving such rarity, and who advised the
N fishermen to take it at once to st. Johns.
!" The two men loaded their little craft with
the body of the gigantic cutie, and
~ arrived with it here on the Goth, in per,
e fectly fresh condition. As soon as tbs
~ ne VS. spread, an eager desire to view tn.
~ monster was awakened and the fishermen
u were advised to exhibit it before thu
~ public The Government granted the us'
u =, of the drill-shed for the purpose, and OIL
~ ~ the floor, supported by boards, the crea
~ ture was laid out in all its gigantic proper
70 tons. The lucky fishermen renped
~ golden harvest, and found the big squid b,
10 far the best catch they had ever made
"a The scene was very curious There In.
~ the cutie with its ten arms stretched out
81 two of them thirty feet in length, havipl
}" rows of powerful suckers m inch in diam
eter at their broadened extremties. Tn
4, other arms, eight in number. were en-
1u tirely covered with suckers on the unde
y; side, and were eleven feet in length. Til
"a. body is ten feet in length and nearly sever
~ feet in circumference. and terminates in
w eaudal fin two feet nine inches across
III When taken from the water the color O
ne the squid was u dusky red, but that ba
I'LL disappeared, and the body and arms ar
now perfectly white. There is the usuG
horny beak, the parrot-like mandibles O
which project from n membraneous bag i
:, the centre Of the mass which constitute
IL, tho head, and from which the Ten arm
radiatc. Certainly The idea OF hein
clutcbed in those terrible arms, fr0i
va which there could he no escape wine
~, once they had closed, and then torn W,
w rent by the formidable beak, is enur e, Il
~ send u shuddermg thrill through tn
.I stoutest hear. Looking ct tho rteatuYt
- one can understand that the Wild talc
h. told of kraLeus and other great cuttlps i
~ ~ the Indian seas, though greatly eSaggcr
~ ated, had very substantial foundation i
~ fact. Pdataridr 10 the head were Il Iaiv Q
w. huge staring eyes, tha sockets being eigh
r. inches in diameter. Their expression
- when the creature was alive on the bGa
az, is said by the fishermen to hive bpcl
=, peculiarly ferocinuS. The Governor 81
~ John Glover, visited il, and declared tha
~ in all lis heightened experience in Africa
10 he had seen nothing half so wonderful /
~ is very pcris,anle, and in short time de
'" composition sets il, and il can only b.
90 preserved in lie strongest alcohol On
81 ahowman could only continue The exlbi
'e ton two days and a.half. ] managed t,
%. ~ secure it at the close, and Ind packed i
y for transmission 10 Professors Baird an,
IL Verril, who were fortunately in Halifax
-, " being in hopes iee-~oT which used hui
nv a ton IN packing it--would preserve it til
~ it reached Halifax, tiaGlly TO be PLACED
ID either in lie Peabody or sImithsonia,
IS Museum, hut at the last moment I'll,
m owner violated his contract and sold it t,
q a later and higher bidder,
~ have carefully taken the measurement
# q inc monster, and .,,.e following are til,
1t ''fiehS'" IS The two long tentacles or,
, each thirty feet; the body ten rect il
~ length, making the total length from The
- termination OF the outstretehed long arm
~ to extremity of the tail forty feet. TIL,
]. long tentacles are thin and tough a
y. &c leather, being only five inches in circunl