New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-24
OCTOPUS STORIES.
ONE CUTTLEFTSH WITH TENTACrrs
TWENTY-FIVE FEET LONG-ANOTHFP
MEASURING FORTY -FOUR FEET.
From 10 Contemporary Review.

MeVagiSSey ON a dark autumn night in
small boat, Samuel Kelly was fishing on fb
high rocks off the Griffin Headland when one -,
these deVilhSh took mis- ia &c, and with the us4t.1
effort was hauled on board But his diHcuIr,
was to get the hook TO continue his work ~
he had been successful in catching several mo-
lock and COnger. and the moment he t0ucbe3
the brute some of its clammy tentaCIes v-ct,Id
embrace his arm, holding MIN 20 the spot for
its other arms We're fastened around the thxarr
Soon the beast became so violent that it really
made him fear it. He made a supreme effort
largest suckers on the back Of his right hand
and in the battle he had 10 drop his line ana
with the nails Of his Left hand 20 dig the suckers
of his flesh, for they seemed TO bury them
selves there. After this experience there was
no more doubt or inCecisiOu in the fight for
seZing a sharp knife ne quickly cut the hook
from its hold upon which the cutie creDt avav
to another part Of the boat. But this did ~,
finish Mr. Keily's night work, for on again
throwing out his line he had a sJiu heavier mani
and when it came TO the WaterIine he could
not get it an inch further. although he used an
his strength, for the line was new and stronger
than he could break.
In this dilemma h had 70 hold on tight and
looking the side by the aid of a flicker
ing light he found himself glariUg into the ewes
the first. He further found that the creature
hal taken the boat for its enemy, and was
attacking it with all its force, its tentacIes en-
bracing the stern on the one hand. and running
forward to near the middle section on the Other
on thinking over his recent troubles with its
neiShDor and the waste of time likely to enstIe
in a still longer encounter with stronger brute
he decided not TO risk another fight but 10 Us.
the advantage IF its violent onslaught on ths
boat Taking his knife and watching his op-
portunity he finally cut the hook out Of the
intruder, which. on being liberated. soon dropped
out of sight.
The next day I verified most Of Nj Fauv,z
stat mfnts. The arms OF the dead octopus in
the boat stretched over seven feet, and on the
back of Mr.. keiy's hand was very black
corresponding with the inner circle Of one OF
the Iarges, suckers of the dead octopus Since
then he has caught several of these cuttIeS and
one whose arms stretched over six feet and a
half In waters none of these head footed
mollusks have been known To take human life
but IL IS scarcely questionable, If favorable GD-
pOrtunities presented themselves, that thew
would do so. In 1879 one of the attendants ~
the Scarborough Aquarium was attacked bv
only a small octopus when cleaning out tank
The experience might have ended fatally had
he been in the sea with flood tide. AS il was
he had to make his exit, leaving his boot tby
which the creature held him fasC behind him
But there have been occasions in other seas
when the worst has happened, and men have
been caught in the Shiny folds OF gigantic CUT
lies which have held them on or dragged fbe-r
to destruction. Sir GrenviIle Temple tells US
how d Sandman captain. while bathing az
Jerbeh. was seized and drowned by an octopus
his limbs being found bound by the arms OF
the animal, although only in four feet Of Wata~.
while Captain j. NJ. Dens, a French navigator
OF repute, states That when OF the coasts of
Africa three of his men were scraping the sides
of his ship fine day when they were ar
tackled by of these violent creatures which
every effort made to save them, while the third
who was rescued, died during the night In he
fight one Of the creatures arms was cut of
twenty-five feet in length. and with suckers on
it large pot lids.
Should there still remain particle OF doubt
in any mind speeding the existence Of gigantic
cuttles, this will be dispeued by the following
fact recorded by the Rev. VI. Harvey. of st
Johns, " F.. On October &c. 1873 two fisher
men were out in a boat near the eastern
end of Conception Bay. Observing q floating
object on the water they rOwed toward it and
struck il. on which it Immediately shot out two
vast tentacles around the boat. as if wrestling
Ratchet on board with which they cut them
from the creature. which, after blaCkening the
sea with its ink, soon made off. one Of these
magnificent fragments was measured BY Alex
ander Murray SeOlOgiSt, and Professor Verru
of Yale College, Connecticut who found il 20
be seventeen feet long and three and half feet
in circum ference. This fragment is now pre-
served in st. Johns College, Newfoundland.
Since then scientists have further considered
the subject and concluded that this beast with
its tentacIes could not have been less than
foTty-fOur feet long
Reverting to the British octopus I NAV fur
Their state that its mimicry is very great The
red. brown and gray, and it has the power Of
so arranging these hueS that in the shade and
cover of the dark rocks il is almost unseen by
any eye, which facilitates rs easily worrying
stranger, bouncing upon its food OF hiding from
Its enemies Its change from one color to n
be notified with the whole of these tiEts Just
quickly.
l once saw a tank cut in the rocks on the
open coast near low water and covered with
many folds of iron netting, in which were kept
twenty of these cuttles. Around the sides and