Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-07-24
MONSTER DEVILFISH.
EXCITING EXPERIENCES WITH THESE
cLAMMY SEA eRUTEs.

- ~
0ne Octopus whose Tentacles Were
Twenty-ave Feet In LenEth and
Another Shiny Creature which
Measured Forty-fouf Fest.
On the coasts Of Cornwall the largest
forms IRE readily caught on the fisher
mans hook. and an Objectionable com
partnership is sometimes the result. This
was the case few years ago near Me-
yagissey. On 3 dark autumn night, in
small boat, Samuel Kelly was fishing
on the high rocks Cd che Griffin head
land when one Of .hsse devilfsk took his
bait and With the usuG effort wGs hauled
on board. But h;s dsmsri9 was to get
the hook 70 continus his wsrk, for he had
been successfu: n catching several pol
lock and eonssr, ard :kc moment he
touched the TRUE cone ss it's clammy
tentacles would erdbrsce !.is arm, hold.
ing him 20 The spot, 70. its other arms
We're fastened x.oont the thwert.
Soon the beast became % violent that it,
really mads BIN fear 1t. He made SUI
prene effort to get his hook. but the.
creature fastened i,s lErEss. suckers on
the back OF his RICH; hard, and in the.
battle ne had 10 drop his iire and with
the nails OF his left hand to dig the suck.
ers ont OF his flesh, for they seemed to
bury themselves there. After this ex-
perlence there was no more doubt or in
decision in the fight, for Selling sharp
Knife he quickly cut the hook from its
hold. upon which the cutie crept away to
another part of the boat.
But this did not finish Mr.. Kelly's
"a y
his line he had still heavier haul, and
when it came to the water line he could
not get it IN inch farther, although he
used all his strength, for. the line was new
and stronger than he could break,
In this dilemma he had to mold on tight.
and on looking over tic side By the aid
Of a dickering light he found himself
glazing into the eyes OF smother deviltish,
and a much larger one than the FIRST. He
further found that the creature had TAX
en- the beat for its enemy and was at
lacking it with all its force, its tentacles
embracing the stern on the one hand and
running forward to near the middle sec
ton on the other.
On thinking over his recent troubles
with its neighbor and the waste Of time
likely to ensue in still longer encounter
With stronger brute he decided not to!
risk another fight, but to use the advan-
tage Of Its violent onslaught on the boat
Taking his knife and watching his oppor-
tunity, he finally cut the hook out OF the
Intruder, which. on being liberated, soon
dropped out OF sight.
The next day verified most Of Mr..
helly's statements. The arms Of the
dead octopus in the boat stretched over
seven feet. and on the back Of Mr.. Kel-
ly's hands was very black, round
bruise about half IN inch in diameter,
corresponding with the inner circle Of
one OF the largest suckers OF the dead oc-
topus. Since then he has caught several
Of these cuttles and one whose arms
stretched over G11.sfeet.
In our waters none OF these head foot
ed mollrsks has been known to take hui
man lie, but it is scarcely questionable,
il favorable opportunities presented them
selves. that they would do 30. In 1879
one OF the attendants OF the Scarborough
aquarium was attacked by only small
octopus when cleaning out tank. The
experience might have ended fatally had
he been in the sea with flood tide. AS
it was he had to make his exit, leaving
his boot (by which the creature held him
fast behind him.
But there have been occasions in other
seas when the worst has happened, and
men haze been caught in the Shiny folds
of gigantic cuttles, which have held them
on or dragged them to destruction. Sir
3Grenville Temple tells US how a Sardin-
ian captain, while bathing at Jerbeh,
was seized and drowned by IN octopus
his limbs bsing tonnd by the arms Of the
animal. although only In four feet Of
water. while Captain ]. NJ. Dens,
French navigator OF repute, states that
when off the ocasts OF Africa three Of
hts men were scraping the sides OF his
ship on hne 3a:' when they were az
tackled by one OF theee violent creatures,
which drew two of them away under wa
ter in spite Of every effort made ito save
them, while the third, who was rescued,
died during the night. In the fight one
OF the creatures arms was cut off, %
feet in length, with suckers on it as large
as pot lids.
Should there Still remain particle OF
doubt in any mind respecting the exist
ence Of gigantic cuttles this will be dis
PEELED by the following fact recorded by
the Rev. n. Harvey Of st. Johns, N. f.:
On Oct. 90, 1873, two fishermen were
out in q boat near the eastern end OF
Conception bay. Observing floating
object on the water. they rowed toward
it and struck it, on Witch it Immediately
shot out two vast .entacles around the
boat, 40 II wrestling with an antagonist.
Fortunately they had Z Ratchet on board.
with which they cnt them from the crea-
ture. which. after oiAcksning the sea
with is ink. soon nnds of.
One OF these magnificent fragments
was mcaswsd b Alexander Murray. ge-
ologist. and Professor vsrrill Of Yale col
lege, who founs Il TO b. ii feet long and
3l1a fest in circumference. This frag-
ment Is now preserved il st. Johns coll
lege. Newfoundland. Since then scien-
fists have further considered the subject
and concluded that this beast with its
tentaclcs could not have been less than A
feet long
Reverting to the British octopus, I-may
further state that its mi1nicry is very
great. The colors it uses run through
deep chocolate, dull red. brown and gray,
and 1t has the power Of 30 arranging
these hues that in the shade and cover of
the dark rocks L 10 aimost unseen by
any eye, which facilitates III easily wor-
ryins stranger. posncinS upon its food
or hiding from IT'D enemies. It's change
from one color to another is almost In
Simultaneous. and the body can be mottled
with the whole Of these tints just as
quickly. Contemporary Review.
y