Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-03-21

Adventures with Flying, Jelly and
Star Fishes.

waiting at the Battery recently, the con.
yersation turned toward adventures and
accidents that fall to TIE lot OF seafaring
men in general. "Its been my expert
ence," red-faced man said, "that it is
the small things in life that do the most
damage. Some few years had second
mate that had sailed with me when We
were both boys and of and on ever
since. Ho might have been master
years ago, but he would drink. What
that man went through was caution.
He was cast away half dozen times,
and twice he had to eat human flesh to
save himself. Once ho fell from the
gizzen royal yard when the ship was
living to in a gale OF wind, but we picked
him up, and lost two hands in doing It,
In fact, he seemed to bear charmed
life IL any one ever did, but he was
finally killed by fish about six inches
long. You may laugh, but come aboard
my vessel tonight and I'll show up the
log. We were bound for Bermuda with
load OF coal fer tho government. We
were bowling along one afternoon with
n ten knot breeze, and rs it was smooth
wa had the main hatch open TO cool the
ship. Nv mate stood by the combing
Of the hatch when oil at once ten or
fifteen flying fish came aboard not
these soft kind with long wings, but
what they call gurnards, with heads as
hard rs a rock. To make long story
short, one OF them struck him on the
forehead such blow tia. heard it ut
the wheel. He staggered minute,
threw up his arms, and fell backward
into the hole and broke his neck"
"rhat certainly Is curious case
Swedc, said, "and can add one to it.
In the spring of 1850 ! arrived in Bes-
ton from Liverpool. We came to down
bv Fort Warren, and after everything
had been made snug, the men stripped
aud went in swimming. / stood on the
quarter deck watching them, and MOTTO
ed that the water was full OF lclly-iish.
so sung ont to them TO look out for
them, because they sting sometimes.
Soon the men began to badger one
another about jumping, and finally the
cook went aloit and on. on the forward.
and OF he jumped, coming down like a
ihot. We waited second or 80, expect
sng TO gee him, but lac didn't appear,
and we became alarmed l went aloft so
that 1 could look down on the spot.
About ten feet under the surface l saw
him kicking and thrashing about as II
he was drowning aud entangled in
something. I sang ont to the second
mate TO lover away the boat, and with
long boat-hook soon hooked on To the
man. The crew dragged him up, aud
with him a Jelly fish that was twice as
big as the big umbrellas we SEQ on the
stages hero. In the middle OF tho fish,
tangled up in mass OF steamers, was
tho man. We had him out ut short DO
tice, Won may DO sure, and he was
bad sight. Everywhere the streamers
had touched him was red mark. lie
cane TO NJ or while, and said that tho
animal must have been swimming along
seven or eight feet below the surface
when he struck it in jumping down. II
measured nearly nine feet across, and
the steamers must have been more than
zoo feet long"
That reminds mo OF an experience /
had when young.ter." the captain OF n
Spanish brig said, "belore / went to sea.
[ was q diver not q wrccker, but pearl
diver, and hard business it was. We
worked of the Mexican and Panama
coasts principally on tho Pacific side.
Sometimes we worked alone, but gener
ally on shares, and sometimes on regu-
lar paw. We went to the grounds in
small sailing vessels, then took TO the
small boats AMI covered Gs much ground
ia possible. Each man was provided
with basket, weight, and knife.
For sharks Yes, but its poor defense,
because it is almost impossible to swing
your arm with any force under water.
The best weapon is short spar. When
YOU reach the grounds You s,ri p, catch
Your feet in big sinker, take tho basket
that has q rope for hosting. drop over,
and soon find Yourself nj the bottom.
Then yo1r business is TO knock rs many
oysters OF as yop can and pile them
ilto the basket before you lose your
wind. It's terrible strain, but | could
stand it in those days six minutes, and
| haze known men that could stay
down ten bat it's sure death in the
long run. II the ground is well stocked
you can get twenty or moro shells, bn;
it's all luck. When the basket is full
il is hauled mp, and after you come up
for your wind. down Won 60 again, the,
sinker having been haulel up By u
small cord for the purpose. 1t was or
one OF these trips that run across the
animal that gave me lasting fright.
You'll emile when I say that it was only
star. fish, but that's all it really was
/ made my first trip TIM. day oil right
but on striking the bottom on the Sec
ond trip ] saw big shadow over me,
and something moved along like huge
bird 1t was only devil fish, one OF
the big sting rays which grow about
twenty feet wide in that country, but it
gave me the shakes, nevertheless. When
went down for the third time the water
was rearly sixty feet deep over coral
bottom. / went down with rush, and |
landing on the edge OF big bunch of
coral. swung off into kind OF basin |
The basket went ahead OF me, and as / |
swung off to reach the bottom, somo-
thing seemed to spring mp ell around |
me. and l was in the arms Of some kind |
of n monster that coiled about me,
wavel its arms over my head, and !
twisted about my body, arms, and legs.
i tried to scream, forgetting was in the /
water, and lost my wind. 1t was just as !
il plant had sprouted under me and
thrown its vines and tendrils about me.
There were thousands of them, coiling
and writhing, and thought had land
ed in nest Of sci snakes.
I gave the signal as soon as ! could,
and made break upward, part Of the
creature clinging to me, while the rest,
l could See, was dropping to pieces.
They hauled me into tie boat when /