The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07
FIVE MEN AND AN OCTOPUS.
A Desperate Fight with a Sea Monster
Near the Golden Gate.

Near the Golden Gate.
San Francisco Examiner.
The largest octopus ever caught in the vi
cinity of the Golden Gate was brought in
by Nicholas Panay and his crew of four
men in the fishing boat Alexandria They
had been fishing near the Duxbury reef
since last Monday morning, and they were
meeting with fair success.
On Thursday they hooked this monster
and a battle was the result. Gustave An
TAM was pulling in the long line with its
taking off the fish and rebaiting the hooks.
Suddenly there came a strong, sullen pull
at the line, and the fishermen thought it
had become e~ntangled in the rocks OF the
reef.
The hooks used by the fishermen are
yielding and easily bent, so that they can
and Gustav gave a pull on the line TO loosen
1t. 1t gave way but there was a dead
weight on ii, and the astonished fisherman
began taking in the line slowly. wondering
what made it drag so heavily. He soon
discovered a long arm shoot up from the
surface or the ocean a few feet away from
the boat. and others soon followed it. The
water seemed full of terrible snake-like
limbs. and the fishermen knew they had an
octopus to deal with. The tentacles of the
sea monster reached higher than the mast
Of their little vessel as IL floundered about
in the water, endeavoring seemingly to
reach out for its captorS. The sea was
and careened in the swirl and threatened
every moment to lose it's terrified occupants
into the arms of the monster. Gustav for
got all about his line. He let it go and
himself. The line paid out a few yards and
the octopus sank, but the myriad of hooks
caught on the gunwale of the craft as they
flew over and the fish was held.
The capture of such a fish is lucrative,
and the fishermen determined to add it to
their boat load. Cinnamon are very fond
OF the tentacles. and they eagerly purchase
all that are caught Gustav hauled again on
the line, and for a few moments he wished
that ne had cut 1t instead; As the octopus
its long arms and reached for the fishermen.
One of it's tentacles fell across the deck of
the boat and its suckers gained a good hold.
Others went around the keel, and almoSt
instantly it had the boat in its embrace. A
few well-directed blows of a Ratchet freed
the boat from immediate danger and sew
eral feet of one of the long feelers lay on
the deck.
Nicolas Panay stood ready with a sharp
tSs c hook nss to give the death BLOW 0So should Ssn
battled with this fish say the most vital
spot IN its i~n-shapen body Is just behind
thrust into that fhns Spot SPOT VIII s end the T life 81
the most formidable of the sea horrors.
Their long. suckerlike arms can be chopped
off inch by inch without producing any APP
parent effect, and the advantage gained by
the fisherman is small.
So far in the battle the octopus had KEEP,
unable to get in the death blow. Alter q
feeler had been chopped off, the octopus
somewhat released his hold and the strong
pull. on the line by Gustav hauled the body
of the fish UP on that side OF the boat. Still
the vital spot could not be reached: SLOWLY
all the remaining tentacles of the creature
began to encircle the boat and the position
Of the fishermen became serious.
An extra boat hook was reached over the
side and il caught in the flesh of the oc.
topus. A long. hard, steady pull brought tn,
vital spot nearer the surface, and. with q
swift blow, the weapon welded by Panay
was plunged deep between the eyes Of tn,
terror of the seas.
Slowly the dreadful tentacles unfoldes
and the dreaded fish. relaxed his hold on tn,
boat. IT took all hands to haul him OF
board and they exultingiy exhibited theil
capture at the fishermen's market. The
huge fish was hoisted to the roof of tn,
market, fully thirty feet high, and its lons
arms swept the floor. 1t had not been hang
ing long before a crowd OF Cinnamon wers
around 1t. and they soon struck a bargain
with the plucky fishermen and carried /
of.