The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-09-03
GRIPTED BY AN OCTOPUS.

If you can stand before the glass
case in the Smithsonian Institution in
closing a specimen of the octopus and
not feel your flesh crawl you have
more nerve than most men. As one
looks over those long, hairy arms,
each one provided with suckers at
every joint; as one notices the cruel
beak and looks into the wicked, staring
eyes lie instinctively shrinks away, as
if the dead monster still had power to
harm.
We were off the Florida coast gath
ering sponges. In those days-and
the practice is still pursued by the
poorer class OF sponge-gatherers-we
got our sponges in anchoring our srlall
sloop or schooner over the bed and
then diving from her rail TO the bottom
of the sea, carrying a weight along to
sink US faster. A good pair of lungs
and years of practice finally enabled
me to reach bottom in thirty or thirty
five feet of water and come up with
more or less of 4 haul.
On that warm coast the shark and
the octopus and other horrible things
belonging to the fish or reptile species.
are present, and often lying in wait.
The diver has horror of them at first.
but the feeling soon wears away, and
some men become perfectly reckless.
During the first year | never went
down without a sharp knife in my belt
to give any prowling shark a thrust,
but later on / would take q header off
the rail when a sharks dorsal fin was
cutting the water not hundred yards
away.
During the second season we lost
two men by sharks. but I took no pre-
cautions and had no narrow escapes.
In the beginning of the third season
we anchored over splendid bed. in q
location we'll sheltered from storm and
swell, and we had reason to anticipate
profitable catch.
There were four of us on that trip,
and the first man over tho rail was an
old diver named Peterson. This was
about o'clock in the morning, and
although we had been up for two
hours the bay had been clear of sharks.
We watched Peterson go over. but we
watched in vain for him to come up.
Twenty seconds passed-then thirty
forty, and the captain leaned over the
rail and cried out:
.Boys, the old man has got fast
down there and is a goner?'
We waited ten seconds longer and
then fclt sure that we should never see
tho old man alive. We were in twen-
ty-cight feet of water. and the trawl
showed the bottom to be clear of
weeds and made up of rock and sand.
1t was hard to guess what had happen
ed. He might have bumped his head
against q rock, or had his toot caught
in crevice--he might have burst u
blood vessel or been taken with
cramps. None of us thought of an oc-
topus in connection with his sad fate.
We had seen a small one three days
before, and we knew that the creatures
lurked in the still waters. but some
how we speculated Oh all theories bat
this.
AS you may imagine, the loss of old
Peterson upset us, and it was a good
half hour before any of us had rallied
our courage. It was my next turn
down, and rs finally got ready TO 20
the captain handed me long, keen
shark-knife on which he had just put
an edge. / accepted it, more in hopes
it might be useful in enabling me to
send up the dead body than through
any bodily fear. If Peterson had been
caught in Il crevice. or was held fast by
u marine plant, the knife would loosen
him.
We'll, over | went at last, and it was
only a few seconds before struck bot
tom close to a large rock. Spongcs
were growing all around me, and as
reached out for the nearest felt some
thing whip across my bare shoulders.
All the dress 1 had on was pair of
trunks, leaving legs, shoulders, arms
and most of the body naked. That
.'something" stung and burned and
blistered, but in two seconds the feel
ing had passed from my shoulders to
my waist, and in another second it
was in my legs. 1t WAS not until |
tried to spring away thatI realized my
situation. At the first move I was
jerked in the most violent manner to-
wards the rock, and the burning in
creased tenfold.
An octopus had gripped ME! He
had three of his terrible arms around
me, and was drawing me To the rock.
How his suckers burned and blstered!
How the hairy arms gripped aud
twisted!
l tell You I was frightened man.
and for several seconds forgot that /
had knife in nv belt. When l final
ly reached for it the octopus had
dragged me into the shadow of the
rock, and there l saw old Peterson's
body. Two of the creatures arms
were around it and / was to make q
second victim.
My left arm was bound to my side,
but the right was free. As drew the
knife L caught sight oil the body of the
reptile. In fact. the arms were draw
ing me within reach of his beak. did
not slash at the arms. but struck
strai ,sht at tho ielly-like body. l had
then been down so long that my ears
Were roaring and l realized that had
only few seconds to spare. Luck
guided my blows and slashed at the
creature until pieces of the body float
ed around me and the arms let up on
their grip. Then started for tho sur
face, and [ reached it about as near
dead as q man could be and have any
life left They pulled me inboard, and
with me came the three terrible arms
which had been cut from the body.
Not a sucker would loosen its grip,
and they had 10 cut them off with
knives, one by one. close to my flesh.
Effects? Well, that Was the last dive
| ever made. for / was in bed for
months: | can show YOU thirty spots
on my body where the flesh looks like
fire burn, and the remembrance of
| the situation down thcro will start {"
chill over mo in the hottest day. The
serpent and crocodile and shark are
terrible enough, especially when they
"A Il =
you get within reach of an octopus
never!-Detrot Free Press.