The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-02
HORRID SEA MONSTER UNMASkED'
The story of a Giant Squid-Captur-
ed by Newfoundland Fishermen.

Rev. Dr. NJ. Harvey in New York indie
pendent.
It is curious to find that from very
early period traditions and stories have
been current regarding the existence of
sea monster of gigantic proportions. Myth
and fable. fact and fiction, were SO blend
ed together in the earlier accounts hand
ed down that modern men of. science re-
garded the whole with suspicion and at
tached little or no credence to the stories
of these wonderful creatures. Yet these
traditional legends were 50 constantly re
peated from century to century, were so
circumstantial in details and had so many
features in common that many eminent
naturalists held that there must be some
foundation in fact for at least some OF
them, and that the waters of the ocean
really contained some mysterious but gi-
gantic form which had given rise to these
tales of wonder and superstitious terror.
In this sea girt isle, where my lot was
cast. in talking with the Newfoundland
fishermen. | heard from some of them
strange stories about creature they cali
ed the big squid," of great size, and haV-
ing horns" as they named them, or
arms. from twenty to thirty feet in length
One man gave me d thrilling account OF
n narrow escape he and two others had
on the coast of Labrador. The little yes
sci of some twenty-five or thirty tons
i'm which they were in the still water OF
a harbor. suddenly began to sink, until
the deck was nearly on a level with the
water. There was no water in her hold
TO account for this. In alarm they launch
ed their big boat to escape. ms starlled
"a big sduid" that had attached itself by
its suckers to the bottom OF the vessel
and was dragging it under the waves.
81 - h.N11 ba NTaG
sci rose to its former position and the
men saw the squid. some thirty or forty
feet in length, shooting rapidly through
the water. and in a few minutes it was
out of sigNt.
These and many other tales which l
heard aroused my curiosity. My tastes
lev largely in the direction of natural his
tory. and i'm particular l had made care
full study of the cephalopoda Naturally
an e.ager desire arose to get possession of
one of these big squids.' Who could tell
but | might be able to solve the problem
of centuries l watched and waited for
a long time but l was doomed to dis
appointment. one day, however, IN DC
tober. 1873 "a boy presented himself at my
door inouiring if | would buy the horn of
a bia souid?" How my heart bounded as
7 drew out of the tub in which he carried
If coil after coil, TO the length of nineteen
feet. a dusky red member strong and
tough as leather, about as thlck as
mans wrist. | knew at a glance it was
one of the tentacles or long arms of the
ancient Kraken, or modern giant cutie
fish Eurekai IL was perfect-a long.
ribbon-like, feshy substance, broadening
ont ike an oar at the extremity, where
il was covered with suckers the largest
being an inch and a quarter in diameter.
the smallest not larger than a pea, all
having teethed, horny rims.
rr1t / closed bargain
the horn" may be imagined The boys
tale was soon told. The day before he
and his father, with another man, had
been out In a boat catching herring on
the southern shore of Conception bay.
When near the eastern extremity Of Belle
Isle they saw some bulky object floating
on the surface of the water Surprising
A. m ght be a part of d wreck the men
rowed close to if and one of them struck
II with his boat hook. Instantly the mass
became animated and reared Itself above
the surface of the water, presenting
pair of ferocious eyes. large and flaming
with rage AT the same time II struck
the gunwaie Of the boat with Its large
beak. In a moment, with the rapdity
OF an arrow. a long. corpse-like erm dari-
ed out, wrapped itself Ground the boat
and was followed by another much short
or and thicker Both fastened themselves
to the boat. which began to sink rapidly.
The suddenness of the attack parayzeh
the men with terror, and they were helps
less. But the brave boy. only y years OF
age, was equal to the emergency quick