Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-02-21
A CURIOUS WATCH CHARM.
One OF the Suckers Secured i'm a
Submarine Struggle With
an OCtopuS.

That's an odd charm, said re-
porter to q travelling companion on the
New York Central Railroad.
so it is, " was the reply, land it has
a story, holding up curious oval OBJ
ject in which was set q compass. 1t
formed a bowl two inches in diameter,
and was of substance resembling fish
scales, but OF rich opal hue. The edge
was serrated, and within them had
been placed a compass. If you didn't
know what it was, continued the
owner, you'd never guess, but not to
keep you in suspense, it's the sucker OF
an octopus that attacked me once. If
you remember, about four years ago
there was n rumor TO the effect that
valuable pearl fisheries had been dis
covered on the Alaska coast; in fact a
large jewelry house in New York dis
played some large pearls that 1t was
claimed came from that locality 1t
fooled good many, as it turned out to
be n dodge to start immigration, and
it caught me for one. | secured five
men, good divers, and started across
the continent and got there to find
that it was swindle. There WASH
a pearl within 1000 miles, and To get
my money back | went into the regular
diving business, and after raising
several vessels we squared up and left.
at WAS during one OF these trips that
l got my charm. We generally went
down III pairs, but this day we were
working on small smack that had
sunk, and | took the first spell down
alone, TO sec what was the matter with
her. She was lying in about forty feet
of water, some of her running gear
ahoat showing where she was. We
anchored our sloop to it, put out q
mooring. and in few moments | was
going slowly down TO feel that you
are strapped to weights and going down
to a depth where If blow should cut
your pino YOU would be anchored for
/ good isn't pleasant TO say the least.
In about five minutes | reached the
| deck, and as wanted first to find out
what had hat her, ! walked forward,
swinging myself round the Shrouds
and ropes. swung of and found
/ that two of her planks had burst right
/ III. She was loaded with pig iron,
/ bottom out of her Having settled this
/ walked around her to the lee side,
! the bottom Icing n hard, clear sand,
and taeTA easily stepped aboard and
| walked coward the hatch Ii was wide
omen. and AS stoned near il | saw
4 sdmethiny flint / took for rome hanu-
inc over the coamings. Taking my
boat-book / oave i, a punch. and it
seemed 10 ia. off into the hatch. One
of tine main wards was hanging clear,
land. ta,inp ii. | SWUNG OF and lowered
myself into tie hol 4! 10 see ii the iron
/ bad baan covered with sand.
Down I went nav nook in one hand
and tue haN;rd ii the other. and when
Iuear tic bottom let 80. In second
/ ] landed 0u Ii sof, welding mass lnat,
/ boanI as ] was. gave me sickoning
sensation. Itmoved from undor me,
and ia moment / seemed TO be sur
rounded by the flying arms of some
hideous creature They clasped my
legs, wound around my body, and fast
ened abonl my helmet, gradually draw
inc me down and horriiyng me SO that
for q moment | was utterly powerless.
But at the first alarm ! had given the
signal to draw me up, and having n
large knife fastened at my waist ! at
tackled the monster cutting il any
where that ! could strike I'm mo-
ment the animal had lifted Itself so
that its body rested against my chest,
and it seemed to be about as large as
flour barrel, with legs extending out
from it, ike the legs OF spider. L
hacked at 1t with the knife, my armor
preventing it from biting or cutting me,
and soon had the satisfaction of cutting
it fairly in two, so that itpartly dropped