The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-19
A BATTLE WITH AN OCTOPUS.
Five Fishermen Have Terrible Ex-
perience Out at Sea.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the san Francisco Chronicle
A huge octopus was hoisted on Fisher
mems wharf on Thursday afternoon from
Capt. Charles Collins boat, and the four
members Of the crew shuddered as they
handled it and told of their terrible fight
far out from the land. The monster COW
cred large section of the wharf, and its
long teutacles were avoided by the Gu
rious crowd with dread Even the Ital-
ian fishermen who have become accus-
toned TO looking upon the terrible fish
kept at respectful distance from this
particular monster on account of its size.
Several of the fish are caught each week
and brought to the dock by the curious
boats of the fishermen, but never had so
large one been carried in through the
Heads as the one caught by Capt. Collins
and his crew. The deep sea monster had
been dead nearly two days, but its large
eyes still retained their ferocious glare,
and 1t is no wonder that the superstitlous
boatmen looked upon it with dread The
long tentacles when spread apart meas
ured about twenty-five feet from tip to
tip, and they were armed all the way
along with dreadful saUcer-like mouths
that sucked the life from their victims.
ut was fearful fight we had with the
monster" said Capt. Collins, in his
broken Greek, "anu il is only by a mira
Gle that l am here to tell of it. The men
with me-were Nicholas Ceze, John Zoga,
John ColOna and Ezola Consendine. We
left last Monday morning for the reef off
Point Reyes TO fish for rock cob. For a
couple of days luck was against US, but
then the fish began to take hold of our
hooks, and they were soon being landed
In shower in the bottom of the boat. At
daylight on Wednesday morning we com
menced TO take up our lines as usual.
Several hooks were brought up, but with
no success and we began TO get discour-
aged, when there came violent tug at
the line, and a huge arm of the
monster flashed violently out of the
water and landed across uthe gunwale
Of the boat. In an instant it fastened
with its tenacious suckers while the
water about the boat was h 3hed into
foam and the sea seemed to be alive with
the tish's snake-like feelers. One of the
men grasped an oar to dislodge the arm,
but before he could reach it the body of
the monster rose beside the boat and only
q few feet away from me.
IAN octopus can be killed almost in
stantlY if it can be stabbed Just below the
eye, even If the weapon be only the small
blade of a pocketknife," said the captain
land when the fellow rose so close To me
and presented such good opportunity
for the death blow, | reached for the
boathook, the handiest weapon, and made
a lunge for the vital spot. AS / did so
the boat careened violently and instead
of dispatching the brute only in
iiicted wound that maddened
the monster the more, and the
battle then became one of life or death be-
tween us. A couple more OF the arms of
the octopus had by this time been wound
around the boat, and they reached from
stem to stern. Oars and boathooks were
our only weapons, but it was almost use
less TO attempt TO pry the suckers from
the boat. They would no sooner become
loosened at one spot than they would
fasten themselves on another The boat
was completely enveloped by them and all
hands were kept busy to escape being
caught in the clutches of the relentless
suckers. The small craft rolled and
rocked in the arms of the monster, and
every moment it theatened to throw all
five of us into the water. The only hope
we had was to deal the monster a death
blow, but 1t seemed that the opportunity
would not again be offered. Blows
had no effect on the huge tentacles.
The men belabored what parts of the
fish they could reach with clubs but the
effect was like pounding piece of rub
Der. Several times the boat was tipped
by the struggles of the monster so that
water came over the gunwales. and in
desperation the men 1ougnJ Tor tnelr
lives, but expecting every moment TO be
drawn below the surface of the ocean to
a horrible death. One of the stout fish
hooks had caught securely in the body
of the brute and a couple Of the men be-
gan TO haul in on the stout line. Slowly
they gained on the cord as they
pulled, and slowly the body of
the monster was being dragged from
the keel of the boat where it had been
impossible to reach 1t with any
weapon that would put a stop to the bat
tie Steadily the men hauled away until
the body came in sight. The huge eyes
glared savagely up through the water,
but the vital spot was yet out of the
reach of the weapon poised to deal the
death blow when the opportunity came.
Slowly the monsters body was being
dragged upward and as IL reached the
surface the sharp spike Of the boat hook
was driven with a hand Of desperation
deep into the brute's body just below the
eye and the victory was won. Gradually
the long arms unwound themselves, and
the most terrible of all sea monsters was
soon dead and on the deck of the little
fishing boat