Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-02-25
CAUGHT BY An OCTOPUS.
A Fulton Market Fisherman's Story
of an Adventure on the Pacific
Coast.

Coast.
"Here's delicacy," Fulton Marke
fish dealer said to Sto, reporter, point
ing at long spider like animal hanging
from hook. The creatures body wal
about the size of q mans fist, of ;
mottled brown color. From it extrudeC
eight long feelers lined with suckers
and at the base two black horny bill:
protruded. "It's an octopus or sc;
spider. have a standing order from {
Chinaman up town to get them when
ever can, and once in a great while
one is sent north or from California
and / buy it and let him know. Fol
some museum? Bless you, no. Ht
eats them, and by the price he pays
they must be extra nice. / reckon
therell bo grand spread over this one
1t measures three feet across, which is
about the ordinary size, although l have
seen them nearly three times as big.
I'd rather meet half dozen sharks
than one octopus. In almost any mar
ket in San Francisco you will find them
from ten to twelve feet long. They are
sold by the pound to the Chinese, and
sometimes to Frenchmen and Italians.
| kept stall there once, and have
sold hundreds of them. The Chinese
call them Chang Kwei Yu, and they are
very fond of them. Italians and French.
men always wanted them cleaned, but
Cinnamon wouldn't buy them unless
they were whole. / didn't understand
this until one day when / sold about
fifty of them to an old Chinaman, who
/ ohAr1t thair howl N m
| bills and suckers on that L sent boy
to follow him. He traced him to Chi
nese doctor, who paid the old chap more
for the suckers and bills than he had
paid me for the entire lot. 1t seems
that these parts were very valuable to
them as medicine; so after that | made
just double on my sales. They taste
something like frogs, but are toe soft
and ielly-like to suit me. Angel Island
is a great place for them, and any pleas
ant day you can see Cinnamon hunting
among the rocks at low tide, or hauling
long nets for them.
''The largest one l ever saw alive had
a spread of about twenty-five feet. 1t
was a good many years ago. was
knocking about Frisco, where l met
friend who had got together party to
6or,a o. ~ nc r.In~S cT omJ hnnt sor r;cb
u,ract ord sb;nnad We discovered
the old hulk in about four fathoms. In
the crew were two nalfbreeds from Mex
leo. who could stay under water, it
seemed to me, about ten minutes. They
,>os+ 90 ,rI,,r ,ho,, r,on+ down thev
- : taorr stono 70 s;n1, tben, and
= ra,,o q. -, CO., 20 on1+h;no thev
~ W.. ~. :I1net 5;,.or
- -. -, Ill ~, 49,, ~, t,,o
-, - ,,,,t>.
.bnld a s,,olI Ifs rae tI,s. s,. analJad
=, - ,,...,,,t... s. - s;..,,o;
u -. Ia oon,e
60 ',., - tbatLo
80 a'o3 h,l 49, i" '''e' ~ on5
iI's. .i''I iohea ~ ia nf
1 sn"S 40 eoon 1 a. ~ = !. ~, al
III 1 - ~ - ti;..,-:- oe .I,,rl,, no
NY nay, lnoseu' az. - ~; ,s;s, ,rb;ob he
lilu coile up loi ms hi.i u. ."t W" H.
Rehela,ly Vooh uo"n az ni.. ~ 81.
seelleu sUlie" la' "in''e,,, aHU silo 80
,nnii S"lo nc "ou'o So' "hine a'.aa 9'a,
hulo III iils hlooeh' nc was io"1aea ,s.aa
-, - :.,,,.oa
ne h"o peeu oown apou' nso l.so 80
mere came pun On .lle ine nri,oorl liLe o,.,a'
nearly leIkeu Ine SKIPPER G'erooa,G s,,os an; T.
we puiieo ana puiieu, uhtl II was oTi- u
deht something was "ron9' anu We an
gave way hard. ana oy Inc way IL coLIo -si
we thought the "hoie wreck WIS iui;
ln nan a minute we nau r'':o :0t nea.
OUT Oh water puu ,!le sign' @ oI ~ ailmose snio
maze us drop tue me; !ne poor ieiio"
seemed Almost covered WIN N mass u
SNAKES that were Iwlsteo ali over nlin;
Inc arms ana legs OF 'ne ahiluIl "l!tnee .tina
, aoou'' sGme nsoinu ma ms isa neoni h;Ia % f.s
aronnu MS arms anu oooy, VIM ,:,E
,eheu 50 us pteas. was , pis o"k IN inc
pcuy WI wlln p".r ol Eyes YES iihe Cav .,
WIN 'he saule green M i8u. YOU s'1 .,'n ~
'nenn III tie o"fh. INC skipper anu Inc
other oiver khew whaI IL %as' anu sung
OUT ioI Knives. we couiun Sc. !. on
deck' because three or iour oi us "1uls m
were siun8 a,ouno tie 10" oau.e: ..: h;e ne