The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-09-26
81 SO in Advance,
WHOLE NO. S37.
AN OCTOPUS DIMES.
the Sea Monster Observed in the Act Of
Catching and Eating Its Dinner


Catching and Eating Its Dinner
Never before has it fallen to my lot
o see rs terrible monster as the oc-
opus we encountered on the last pas
sage from San Francisco toward Nan
nmo in the bark Willscott, of Homo
ulu, writes n correspondent of the
San Francisco Call.
We knew that the octopus grew To
IN immense size, as Banks and Solan-
Ter, who accompanied Captain Cook
IN his first voyage around the world.
found the dead carcass of one floating
on the water to the westward of Cape
Horn. It was supposed to he twenty
by thirty feet, the body only: the
tentGcles We're hanging under water.
1t was surrounded by myriads of
birds, which We're feeding greedily on
ITS remains. Pliny also mentions a
similar monster having eight arms.
thirty feet long, aud n corresponding
glrth; and many other writer's, too
numerous TO mention, have certified
to its actual existence. But did not
believe that anything similar TO the
terrible devil fish" described hv
Victor Hugo was really in existence
until | had ocular demonstration of
the fact on this passage.
will now quote our log book in
relation TO the monster we saw
Light breeze from north by cast, dry.
cloudy weather; smooth sea, except
for the usual slight undulating swell
from the northwest. Ship under all
sail, bracod sharp upon the starboard
tack, going five knots per hour, but
scarcely making ripple on tho water.
Vt 2.3O Il. IN. my attention was called
by the Quartermaster, Frank Bastas,
OF San Diego, Cal, to terrible com
motion III the water about three points
forward Of the lee beam.
Its eyes were large, of n grecnlsh
tint, and somewhat protruding; it's
mouth, however, was not SO very
largo, and 1t appeared to he shaped
like n parrots bill; it's tcntacles wcro
tapering, and, like its body, of gray
ish color, covered with spots. 1t ap-
pearcd to possess the chameleon like
power of changing the color of these
spots In most extraordinary manner
as fast as the eye could detect the
changes; they varied from n very rich
crimson to dark, dull brown. these
changes, no doubt, indicating tho
high state OF. excitement under which
the creature was at the time.
Suddenly the octopus discharged a
huge Jet Of dark colored fluid full
into the eyes of the sunGsh, and then
rushing forward with the rapidity of
an arrow it cncircled its prey with the
long tentaclc, 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 n space fully 200 feet in diameter,
and we noticcd''an odor slightly re-
sembling iodine rising from the water (;
our patent log line of snow-white cot.
ton, which was towing astern, was
colored almost black, and it has not
yet assumed its white freshness, al
though it has towcd in the water
fully 500 miles since the above cpl
sode
About twenty minutes after we had
passed over this spot we saw the
huge creature again on the surface,
enjoying its meal in a very leisuroly
manner, rolling tho body Of the I'm
fortunate sunfah over aud over aud
biting off large mouthfuIs with its
cruel looking beuk.
] knew before that these huge octo-
pods and theirrelaliyos, the dccapods,
were not altogether mythical, rs they
have at the United States National
Museum in Washington n papior
macho cast Of one Of the later 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. in
Guiding teutGcies, was only sixty feet.
$50 10 i9 quite safe to infer that it had
not become OF age when it W
wrecked.