Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-23
TWO MEN AND A DEVILFISH.
A Desperate Fight for Life In q Boat
or the Pacific Coast.

y
on the Pacific Coast.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
The Giglio brothers. who own the fishing
boat Salvador, had a lively tussle with
big devilfsh off the Farallone Islands last
Tuesday. They crippled the monster at
last and stuck him with a knife. Now
what is left of him is hanging in front OF
the fish market on Merchant street.
He is particularly devilish-looking speci-
men of a bad family of devilf1shes and
measures within few inches of thirteen
feet on the longest Of his eight cruel-look-
ing tentacles. The under sides of those
long, tenacious strips are dotted as full as
they can be Of vicious mouths, each fully
an inch in diameter. Whenever Mr.. Devil
fish clasps one of those long. clinging tenta-
cles to anything and sets the mouths to
sucking that particular thing is in way
to go wherever Mr.. Devilfsh minds. Joe
CYCLIC might have been at the bottom of the
sea now if a lucky stab by his brother,
Bart Giglio had not laid out the monster.
The two men were fishing for rock cod
off the Farallone Islands last Tuesday,
when of sudden Joe CYCLIC felt a ire
mendous strain on his line. The line was
a stout cord armed with big hooks, and he
knew that it would hold almost anything
short of a whale. He didn't have devilfsh
in mind, though. His idea was that he
might nave nOOkeQ some Dig nSn tndL would
prove prize in the fish market. So CYCLIC
braced himself and met the strain. He
shouted for Bart to help him. Bart knew
that something big was on the other end
of the line and he braced himself behind
his brother. Then they lay to it, devilfish
at one end and Giglio brothers at the other,
each side wondering what kind of crea-
ture was making such desperate fight at
the other end Inch by inch the CYCLIC
brothers hauled in the line. At last the
waving tentacles shot through the water,
and the fishermen knew they had hooked
something they didn't want. They pitched
the line away and tried to escape, but 1t
was too late. The angry devilfish clapped
a sx-foot feeler over the side of the boat,
and in two seconds the men were fighting
for their lives.
The Gigllos knew that their only hope
was to stun the creature. One grabbed an
oar and the other a Ratchet. and, keeping
out of the reach Of the long tentacles, they
watched for an opportunity to get in a
smashing blow. Bart CYCLIC, with his
Ratchet, struck off section of the tenta-
Gle nearest him, but that didn't do much
and plenty of fight in possession of the
fish. All the while the boat was rocking
at furious rate. For a time 1t looked as
if the waves might help the devilfish in its
efforts to either upset the boat or Chamber
into it.
For the first few minutes in the rocking
strife the devilfsh had 1t pretty much his
own way, for the men found they had their
the boat. Joe CYCLIC thought certainly,
for lurch of the boat sent him rolling
head first right past the blazing eye Of
the enraged fish. A tentacle shot around
him. and the next moment he was tangled
up in three of the monsters hideous de-
tenders and fighting the hardest fight he
ever fought for his life.
1t might have gone hard with him but
for his brother. While the devi1fish was
busy getting a good grip on the chest and
neck Of Joe Giglio and a satisfactory pur-
chase on the boat, Bart CYCLIC pickeo up
short club and managed to put in a smash
ing blow the head of their foe. That
didn't do much good. and he looked about
for the Ratchet to cut the gripping tenta-
cles from around his brother.
1.-THE knife, Bart, the knife" shouted
Joe. "Stick him with your knifev'
Bart wanted to slash off the tentacles,
but Joe, fighting hard against them, still
into the throat. But the fish didn't intend
to let a fisherman stick him in the throat
with impunity. When Bart made a plunge
a swinging arm shaved his body so closely
that he barely escaped being caught as
Joe had been. Bart picked up the club
again, and. after several attempts. man
aged to get in several blows on the crea-
lures head. That dazed 1t SO that for
moment the tentacles moved aimlessly.
Bart saw his chance and plunged his knife
neck neck. INTO the sou pup OF the creatures
That settled the fight. Gradually the
feelers relaxed, and Joe CYCLIC, blowing for
breath. got up and stretched himself to see
If he was all right.
They pulled their dead foe into the YES
sci and set sail for the city. Now the
devilfish is strung up before the fish stalls
on Merchant street, and the Giglios and
their friends are telling all about the big
fight. Yesterday several epfcures in the
devilfish line saw the limp creature and
promptly bought some of the tentacles.
There are those who say an arm of a devil
fish boiled or properly fried in oil is very
tasty dish. The Giglios say that may be
so, and that certainly they prefer to have
their devilfish boiled hard rather than
climbing over the side Of their boat with
fight in his eve