Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-12-16
A Gigantic Lobster.

true" / asked, "that divers see sucl
wonders when they 60 below ?"
He told me a story of thrilling
interest in reply. A large ship lader
with silks and valuable stuffs hat
been caught by the vagrant tides o
the gulf and borne through the fol
toward the Newfoundland coast till
the face of a tall cliff loomed against
the bowsprit. Then swell rolled in
lifted the vessel, and laid her across
a sunken rock that barred the mouth
of Chance Cove. Not many minuts
afterward she lay at the bottom ofthe
gulf inside, with all her costly battles,
her crew, and her passengers. The
undertow soon began to cast precious
boxes upon the land, and the under
writer's dispatched divers and boats
and men to recover the sunken cargo
1t was in the autumn of the year
and when the sea grew smooth the
divers began their work. Three
boats were employed, in each Of
which were four men, one to 60 down
and fasten the hooks into the bales,
and three others to raise the package
and put it upon the boat. Each
diver had proper suit, and from his
head arose a large rubber tube
through which he could breathe with
tolerable ease, as the water was not
very deep. Upon his feet were lead
laden shoes to keep him from rising
to the surface, and he carried heavy
crowbar.
One afternoon when dinner was
ended and the sea had grown smooth
enough to permit operations, the boat,
served by diver of the name of Har-
ley, rowed out from the rocks ahead
of the others. During the night there
had been heavy gale, and through
the calm of the morning innumerable
creatures of the sea, driven by the
gale into deeper water, had returned
to the stiffness under the shelter of the
cliffs. AS usual the diver let himself
drop from the skiff's side, holding his
crowbar in his hands. When he
reached the ship host of strange
fishes swan away in every direction.
A, number of squids had entered the
vessel through a breach in the side.
When they perceived the figure of a
man among them they became fright
ened, and began to squirt jets of black
juice till the water grew murky and
appeared like room filled with dark
green smoke. Then the filthy crea-
lures swan away, though once or
twice clammy horn brushed past the
mask of the diver. In a little while,
however, the water became clear
again.
All about him was shining amber
green, and he could distinguish OBJ.
iects for distance of twenty fathoms
around. Sometimes fish with bright
gills and flashing scales would swim
toward the open hole, but on seeing
the diver, would turn with a-firt of
fin and tail and disappear. The de-
testable yellow scupin, with its black
naming spikes, would come and swim
round and round his feet; then it
would gradually rise, surveying him
all the way till it reached his head.
Pausing here it would peer in at his
eyes.
While he was engaged fastening
the panthooks into large bale of
India shawls he imagined that he saw
some large object moving in the deep
gulch under the cliff. He secured
the hooks, gave the signal to hoist,
the package was raised. He now
walked clear of the vessel, and stood
upon the level rock at the sea bottom.
He saw slowly approaching a huge
and ill-shaped creature. 1t did not
swim, hut seemed to crawl along the
bottom of the sea. Harley would
have gone to the surface, but the hooks
were now above, and the men were
engaged taking the bale on board. In
q few seconds the monster was near
enough for the diver to ascertain that
its body resembled that of turtle,
that it walked upon number of
crooked legs, and had, near its head,
upon either side, an enormous arm.
The arm terminated in what seemed
a pair of enormous jaws, and in each
of these cleaned a row of strong,
sharp teeth. AT first he thought
the creature might not have observed
him, and was only making its way
toward the ship; but he quickly saw
that its two cleaning eyes were fixed
upon him with steady stare, and that
the hideous thing was coming directly
for himself. If the hooks would only
descend, or another diver come down !!
He looked up but could preceive
nothing save the figure Of the boat
above him, resting like a little shadow
upon the water. Then he took two
or three PAGES along the ships side,
but the fish Immediately changed its