Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-02
CAUGHT BY A BIG CLAM.
Thrilling Story Told by Navy Lieuten-
ant-Dangerous Situation.

The following swimming story is
told by lieutenant in the navy: II
kept my eyes fixed on my companion,
Brown. who was acting in q singular
manner. After every few seconds his
head would disappear beneath the water
In which he stood, then it would appear
again. He seemed to be struggling
violently. As | approached him he
threw up his hands and cried out in
accents that haunt me still. For heav-
ems sake. Lieutenant, quick. and help
me! dashed out to him through
water up to my waist What is il?
What has hold of you?' l exclaimed.
It's big oyster or big clam. he
groaned. 4 was wading here and
stepped into it. | expect It's she'll
closed, gripped my ankle, and, to save
my life. can't move; and the tide will
soon be over our heads here, he added,
and with something almost like a sob.
He had been struggling here for Is or
20 minutes. had heard of the tridac-
nagigas, or monster clam, of this coast,
and instantly realized the danger of his
situation. Courage, old fellow" /
said, .I'll stick by you. Here. hold this
paddle and the hatchet.n / then ducked
down under the water and with my
hands felt about his foot
The huge mollusk had what might be
termed death grip on him. The crea-
lures shell was several feet long and of
proportionate breadth, and the weight
OF the shell-fsh must have been at least
800 pounds. The creature was attached
to the coral rock by a grisly bysus as
thick as my arm. Raising myself, | got
breath, then, selling the paddle, thrust
the shaft of it between the converging
edges of the two valves of the shell, and,
using it as lever, attempted to pry tn,
she'll apart. But could not open it.
Brown. too, ducking down, seized hold
with his hands and pulled with all his
strength, but, exerting all our power,
we could not release the monsters hold.
Again and again | threw my whole
weight on the shaft of the paddle, and
at length broke it BY this time the
water was up TO my shoulders when |
stood up. Fully realizing that what
ever did must be done in few min
utcs more, else the poor fellow would
drown, snatched the Ratchet from
Browns hand, and, diving, tried to cut
under the shell, to break the creatures
anchorage on the rock. With might
and main cut and hacked-then rose
an instant for breath-then down and
at it again. But it seemed as though |
could not cut through the tough muscle.
-Four times dived, and with frantic
haste cut at those tough byssi. at
stlrsW at LENGTH Brown cried hraoino,
his weight upon his free foot and lifting
at it. Then, with final blow, the bys-
sus was severed, and the buoyancy of
the water aiding us, we dragged the
great mollusk-still fast to Browns
ankle-back to higher ground on the
reef Here the water was waist deep,
however, and looked anxiously around
for Mac, in the lakatoi. To my mex
pressible joy he was close at hand, and
between us we lifted Brown, with his
now captured captor, into the canoe.
Even then we could not-both of US to-
gether-pry the valves of the shell apart
enough to release Browns foot, until
with knife we had reached in and
completely divided the tridacna-saw-
ing asunder the hinge muscles at the
base of the bivalve. 1t was truly a gil
gantic clam, and as poetic retribution
upon it for the attempt on the life of
one OF our party, we ate portion OF its
flesh Tor our supper. but found it rather
tough. Browns ankle was severely
bruised and wrcnched. and he suffered
for many day from the vice-like grip
OF the huge mollusk. The Argonauk