The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-07-11
AN OCTOPUS DIMES.


Never before has IL fallen 10 my lot
10 sse the terrible monster we encoun-
terd on the last passage from san
Franci toward Nanaimo I'm the bark
Willscott of Honolulu.
We knew that the octopus grew TO an
immense size, as Banks and SO.andcr,
who accompanied Capt. Cook In his
first voyage around the world, found
the dead carcass of one floating ON the
water to the westward of Cape Horn.
II was supposed u be twenty by thirty
feet. the body only; the tentacles were
hanging under water. IL was surround
cd by myriads OF birds, which were
feeding greedlly on its remains Prny
also mentions "a similar monster having
eight arms. thirty feet long. and a cor
responding girth and many other writ
ers too numerous to mention. have
certified 10 its actual existence. But
did not believe that anything similar 10
the terrible "deVil fish" described by
Victor Hugo was really in existence
until had ocular demonstration OF the
fact on this passage, says wslter In
the San Francisco Call.
| will now quote our log book in re-
lation 20 the monster we saw: Satur-
day May l3 latitude 80 degrees 80 min
utes north. longitude 1876 degrees 10
minutes west Light breeze from north
by east, dry, cloudy weather; smooth
sea- except for the usual slight undu-
lating swell from the northwest. Ship
under all sat braced sharp upon the
starboard tack. going FIVE knots per
hour but scarcely making ripple on
the water. At 2:30 p. m. my attention
was called by the quartermaster. Frank
Bastas of San Diego. Cal, TO a terrible
4 oh hpnn
points forward of the lee beam
Its eyes were large, Of a greensh
tint and somewhat protruding; it's
mouth however, was not 50 very largc,
and IL appeared 10 be shaped like "A par
rot's bin; its tentacles were tapering,
and. like its body, of a gray'sh color.
|, covered with spots IL appeared 10 pos
sess the chameleon-like power OF
changing the color of these spots i'm
most extraordinary manner as fast as
the eye could detect the changes; they
varied from very rich crimson 10 a
dark duh brown. these changes. no
doubt indicating the high state Of ex-
element under which the creature was
at the time.
Suddenly the octopus discharged
huge jet Of a dark-colored fluid full in
to the eyes OF the sunfish, and then
rushing forward with the Iapidity of
an arrow IT encircled its prey with tire
long tentacles, and in another moment
the victor and the vanquished had dis
appeared below the surface of the
water
In few moments more we had sailed
right over the scene and found the
water was colored almost black for a
space OF fully 200 feet i'm diameter. and
we noticed an odor slightly resembling
iodine rising from the water; our pa
tent log line of snow-white cotton
which was towing astern. was colored
almost black, and 1t has not yet as
sUrnEd frs white freshness. although III
has towed I'm the water full. 500 miles
since the above episode.
About twenty minutes after we had
passed over this spot we saw the huge
creature again on the surface enjoying
its meal in very leisurely manner
rolling the body OF the unfortunate
sunfish over and over and biting off
large mouthfuls with it's cruel-looking
beak.
L knew before that these huge octo-
pods and their relatives. the decapods.
were not altogether mythical. as they
have at the United States National
Museum in Washington papier mache
cast of one of the latter which was
found stranded on the north shore of
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. on the 22d
day of September, 1877 The total length
OF this specimen. including tentacles.
was only sixty feet. so il is quite safe
TO infer that it had not become of age
when IL was wrecked.