Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-05-04
SEIZED BY AN OCTOPUS.
Frightful Experiences OF a Man OF the
New Gulnea Coast

New Guinea Coast
The greatest enemies the divers had
to fear in the waters Of New Guinea
was the dreaded octopus, whose pres.
ence occaSioned far greater panic than
the appearance of mere shark. These
loathsome monsters, says veteran
diver, would sometimes come and
throw their horrible tentacles over the
side of the frail craft from which the
divers we've working, and actually fas
ten on to the men themselves, drag
ging them out into the water. Al
other times octopuses have been
known to attack the divers down be
low. and hold them relentlessly under
water until life was extinct. One OF
our own men had terribly narrow es
cape from one of these fearful crea.
lures. l must explain, however, that
each evening, when the divers re.
turned from pearl fishing, they roped
all their little skitfs together and lei
them lie astern of the schooner. Well
one night the wind rose and rain fell
heavily, with the result that next
morning all the little boats were found
more or less waterlogged. Some OF
the Malays were told to go off and
bale them out. While they were al
work one of the men saw mysterious
looking, black object in the sea, which
so attracted his attention that he dived
overheard TO find out what it was. He
had barely reached the water, how.
ever, when an immense octopus rose
into view, and ut once made for the
terrified man, who instantly saw his
danger and with great presence of
mind promptly turned and scrambled
back into the boat
The terrible creature was after him
however, and to the horror of the on.
lockers, 1t extended its great flexible
tentacles, enveloped the entire boat
man and all, and then dragged the
whole down under the crystal sea
The divers Mortified comrades rushed
to his assistance, and an attempt was
made TO kill the octopus with a har
poon, but without success. Several OF
his more resourceful companions then
dived into the water with Il big net
made of rope, which they took right
beneath the octupus, entangling the
creature with its still living prey. The
next step was to drive up both man
and octopus into the whaleboat, and
this done, the unfortunate Malay was
at length seized by his legs and
dragged by sheer force out of the
frightful embrace, more dead than
alive. However we soon revived him
by putting him in a very hot bath. the
water being at such temperature as
actually to blister his skin. 1t is most
remarkable that the man was not al
together drowned as he had, been held
under water by the tentacles of the
octopus for rather more than two min.
utes. But, like all the Malays of our
party, this man carried knife which
he used to very good purpose on the
monsters body when it first dragged
him under water. These repeated
stabs caused the creature to keep roll.
ing about on the surface. The un.
happy man was thus enabled to get
an occasional breath of air, otherwise
he must infallibly have been drowned
The octopus had an oval body and was
provided with an extraordinary mum.
Der of teutacles-siX very large ones
and many smaller ones of various
sizes. 1t was a horrible-looking crea.
ture, with a fiat, slim body. yellowish
white in color, with black spots and
hideous cavity of mouth. without
teeth. 1t is the tentacles of the crea.
ture that are SO dreaded, on account OF
the immense sucking power which
which they possess. After this Incl.
dent the divers always took toma.
hawk with them on their expeditions
in order to lop Of the tenacles of any
octopus that might try to attack them