The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-08-05
! DEEP SEA N ONSTE z,
\ DESPERATE FIGHT MANY
I. .s5 FATHOMS BELOW.

q. Monster Eight Feet Long Tries "a
Claw Him to: Pieces He Managed ia
XIII the Thing with His Trusty knife
Unlimited Number of Legs.
| Sailors are said to be supers ii tious,
and perhaps they are, yet who is the
landlubber who has not read Jules
Verne or Victor Hugo's s'Toilers 81 the
Sea ?'' The monster described was
| Identical with the octopus or giant
squid. Once in while newspapers
contain articles about sea monsters
and their doings. So, TOO, Newfound-
land men and men living on the
coast of Maine relate that living in
the deep and silent caves of the sea
is a huge lobster resembling the
smaller fish in structure, but being
very voracious. It is said that he
seldom comes near the Shore but
that enormous lobster shells are
sometimes found thrown up on shore
after a gale. All Northern fisher
men have heard of the monster, and
have seen them shiver in the
cuddles of their fishing smacls, as
some one describes the size and
appearance of the fish. Never having
seen it myself, do not know how far
the general impression is correct,
but have no doubt that it exists,
and [ will relate the story as it was
told me by a Newfoundlan diver:
when the Anglo Saxon, a ship
laden with costly merchandise, as
many will remember, ran into Chance.
Cove, on the Newfoundland coast,
striking a reef and sinking, the gov
eminent at once took steps to have
all that the unfortunate vessel con-
tanned removed. There were over 100
persons on board, but not a single:
one escaped
Gas soon as possible divers were,
brought to the spot, but it was diff
cult to go down. The first day we.
got below we could do little but lay
out the plan of operations. The ship
was on her side, the stumps of the
masts turned toward land. I had.
never gone down before in water so
far north, and the place was SO wild
that | was timid. Lines were at
tached to our bodies and the ends
fastened in the skiff above, so that if
any diver pulled his line he was at
once drawn to the surface. We
walked around the bottom and around
the ship with our feet weighted to
keep US from rising. The water was
pale green, and | could notice OBJ
jects quite plainly for many yards
distant. There was huge break in
the bottom of the ship, while her
stem was suaved in, and so was her
stern:
''One afternoon while my two men
remained above repairing their div
ing apparatus I went down alone.
We were now removing the bales
from the after compartment by the
break in the stern. The method of
raising the goods was to lower down
heavy hooks, which could be fastened
into the bales after they were pushed
outside. Some Of these bales or
cases would float and some would
rest lightly on the bottom. I had
selected a large case which I was
about to move when, happening to
turn my eyes, I saw outside a huge
creature moving toward the vessel
| had never seen nything like it be-
fore. Its body seemed to be several
feet high and about eight feet long,
and it had on each side an enormous
arm.
There seemed to be an unlimited
number of legs attached to the hid
eous beast. Its color was dull
brown, notified over with dark scots.
Two round, shining black eyes were
in it's forehead, and. two supple
horns, each resembling an enormous
whip, likewise came out of his head.
All this I noticed in one glance. A
numb terror seized me, and involun.
tarily I moved for the outlet from
the ship. But, as if knowing what I
intended, this BRUTE. looking straight
at me with its :: frightful, motionless
eyes, walked or rather crawled d.
rectly toward me. I hurried, in the.
hope of being able to seize the hang
ing hook, now my only means of sig
udl1uS tllo Shlu, UuG udu udruIy pun
my foot upon gray rock outside.
when the two writhing horns of the.
detestable monster were twining
about me and again untwining.
Then he would touch me with these:
and sweep them up and down as, if
feeling what kind of prey l was.
lin my hand I held crowbar..
| which I used to loosen the cargo. In
| my belt / carried heavy sheath
knife. These were my only weapons
Suddenly, and without any warning,
! the monster threw out one of it's
arms and seized me below the
| shoulder. I felt as if my bones were
being crushed. The mere / resisted
the more terrible was the pain.
still had the crowbar in my right
hand, but it was of no use to me. So
l let it drop. The monsters arm
terminated in a claw, which opened
and shut convulsively. This horrible
mouth-shaped thing had two rows of
shining white teeth, as seen often on