Evening journal., 1899-10-26
AFTER SEA SPIDERS
FISHING FOR UNcANNY CREATURES
IN ALASKA WATERS.


IN ALASKA WATERS.
Good Sport for Those who Desire
Dash Of Excitement-Great Sea
Animals That Spread Nearly Twen-
ty-five Feet From Tip to Tip.
If anyone desires a dash of excite
ment / can recommend the fishing OF
Alaska" said a returned klondiker to
a Chicago Inter Ocean reporter. II
had been fishing above Sitka when one
day l found myself near a camp Of In
dians. AS / had some game, / divided
with them, and forthwith was invited
TO a feast Of their own providing. We
sat around a big wooden dish, in which
was something that looked like frogs
legs. but frogs so gigantic that l knew
it was something else. IL required
some courage to eat this dish, but hun
ger gives a man stamina of a certain
kind, so l shut my eyes and began the
feast. The article was not so bad as II
appeared It tasted like crab, and
some Of it had the consistence OF the
rubber rings which babies chew on.
Altogether it was not to be despised,
combining food with exercise.
1T was sea spider. so the natives told
me, a member of the cuttlefsh family.
AS they were going out on the follow
I ing morning to fish for more | persuad-
ed them to take me with them. We
/ dropped anchor in the lee Of a little
point of rocks, where We began fish
/ ing. 1t is q famous country for fish.
and it was nothing but pull in for the
natives, while / did not have bite.
MY time was coming, however, l
had on a heavy sinker, so that every
time the boat lifted felt a sharp jerk
which deceived me. But once, when
the boat rose on a big wave, my line
did not give, and / shouted to the In
dian next to me that ! was foul. He took
the line, gave a tremendous jerk, and
received one In return; then, Dracng
himself back, he began to pull and
scream; then all hands screamed, and
/ understood that a sea spider had the
line and also the bottom. l expected
every minute to see the canoe go over
as the men went from side to side, nov
/ forcing the rail down so that the water
poured in, now lifting with a mighty
yell. then Stacking off so suddenly thai
they fell in a heap.
"One man armed himself With 9
knife, while q companion held short
handled caseknife between his teeth
movements suggestive of the coming
of an enemy. Suddenly one OF the
e crew seized a sharp bOathook, which
Z after another look be jabbed into the
unknown and invisible. IN respOnsl
a long, slender tentacle shot into thi
{ air and formed a weird interrogation
= point, then il grasped the pike; thei
three more appeared, creeping insid
:, iously over the edge of the canoe, a
u which the natives struck wildly, SOM
e shouting to slack the line others q
T. haul in.
q I'm the midst of the confusion tn
sea spider concluded to come aboard
Torn from the bottom, it had come ~
easily; then, seeing the canoe, and pos
d sibly thinking it a vantage ground,
grasped it and slid over the side,
mass Of living Shiny, reddish brow
lt snakes. When they we're raised
j. could see rows of suckers, each G
which was a veritable airpump, and a
there were seemingly thousands {
L. them, the sucking power Of this spide
d of the sea was apparent. Blows wer
e aimed at It whenever opportunity OF
fered, but the weird animal fairly sli
over the rail, winding one of its arm
IS around an oar. Its head or body hun
d on the rail-a brown mass the size Of
mans head-from which cleaned tw
greenish-yellow eyes The strang
d animal changed color like a chamC
Isl leon; fushes of red, brown and gra
n followed one another over Il, Will
from its lower portion oozed a streai
le Of ink which splashed our faces as tn
II tentacles flew about. 1t was 10 mil
D. utes before they had the life han
.. mered out of the frightful creature, an
then it was a question who had won.
'e "The canoe was now half full {
d water. as a hole had been knocked
b. the side, which was finally stopp6
with a piece Of skin. 1t was five mile
to camp but / preferred walking, an
had the men put me ashore. / got
R the camp in time to meet them and 81
the sea spider taken out. 1t had
o. spread of nearly 25 feet, measurir
e. from the tip Of the outspread tent
as cles."