The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-07
OCTOPUS STORIES.
a Cuttlefsh With Tentacles Twenty
five Feet Long.

From the Contemporary Review
On The coasts or Cornwall, the largest
forms are readily caught on the fisher
! mans hook, and an obj ctionable compan-
! ionship is sometimes the result. This was
the case recently near Mevagissey. on az
| dark autumn night, in a small boat, sam
uel Kelly was fishing on the high rocks
off the Griffin Headland. when one of
these deviltish took mis- bait and with the
usual effort was hauled on board But his
! difficulty was to get the hook TO contin-
ue his work, for he had been successful
! in catching several pollock and conger
and the moment he touched the brute
some of its clammy ten'acles would en-
| brace his arm, holding him 10 the spot,
for it's other arms were fastened around
! the thwart. Soon the beast became so
violent that it really made him fear il.
| He made supreme effort TO get his book
/ but the creature fastened its largest suck
ers on the back of his right hand, and in
the battle he had TO drop his line and
with the rails of his left hand to dig the
suckers out of his flesh, for they seemed
TO bury themselves there. After this eX-
| perience there was no more doubt or in
/ decision in the fight. for Selling a 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 night work, for on
again throwing out his line he had a
still heavier haul, and when it came to
the waterline he could not get it an inch
further although he used all his strength
for the line was new and stronger than
he could break.
In this dilemma, he had to hold on tight,
and on looking over the side by the aid
| of a Pickering light he found himself glar-
ing into the eyes of another devilfish, and
a much larger one than the first. He fur
Their found that the creature had taken
| the boat for its enemy, and was attacking
it with all its force, its tentaCles embra cling
| the stern on the one hand, and running
forward TO near the middle section of the
| other.
| on thinking over his recent troubles
with its neighbor. and the waste of time
| likely TO ensue in a still longer encounter
with a stronger brute. he decided not 10
risk another fight but to use the advan-
| tage of its violent onslaught on the boat.
Taking his knife and watching his OPP
portunty. 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..
| kellys statements. The arms of the dead
octopus in the boat stretched over seven
| feet, and on the back of Mr.. Kellys hand
was a very black round bruse about half
an inch in diameter corresponding with
| the inner circle of one of the largest suck
ers of the dead octopus. Since then he
has caught several of these cuttes, and
one whose arms stretched over six feet
| and half. In our waters none of these
| head-footed mollusks have beeen known to
! take human life but it is scarcely ques-
tionable, if favorable opportunities pre-
scented themselves, that they would do so.
| In 1879 one of the attendants of the Scar
| h0p trCh A .,,1,-
a small octopus when cleaning out tank.
| The experience might have ended fatally
| had he been in the sea with a flood tide.
! As it was he had to make his exit, leav-
| ing his boot (by which the creature held
| him fasO behind him. But there hove
| been occasions in other seas when the
worst has happened aud men have been
| caught in the Shiny folds of gigantic cut
ties, which have held them on or dragged
them to destruction. Sir GrenviIle Temple
tells US how Sandman captain while
| bathing at Jerbeh. was seized and drown
ed by an octopus, his limbs being found
| by the arms of the animal, although only
| In four feet of water; while Captain j.
| NJ Dens, a French navigator of Africa
three of his men were scroping the sides
of his ship on a fine day when they were
attacked by one of these violent creatures
which drew two of them away under wa
ter in spite of every effort made 10 save
| 49,,
| ~, - ~ .'' "Io "a9 'escueu'
n1lI, ~ MS ~ i" t"e Hsht one
a. 49, q, la,,. a. 'lis "as Tut oii t"ehly
M -, 49, ~ "a a'u Win suckers on 1t
Shn,,1S 80 20 . .iIS .,-
-. ~, -. 80 -Slnoi', pdrtcle oil
49, 80 49, e9peI''ns me exist
~ - to,,1,' 'ilis VIII De as
- ~ rI WIS 80, IecoIued py
az oc w. 80 Ia Wy % %. 1ohrs' ~ r.:
-" ~ ~ io,"' wv nsnei men were out
centIon bav Obeervino eos+iar ~
Sep'ion 80 wing d noatlhe Cd
JeeI VI. wy "aVei' tne! loWeu toward II
aliu gu u0h ~ vi WIHoH 1t immediately
shot out a"o Vasu .eitdcies around the
oos'' Us II WIvs'n,ls WIN an ahtagoh-
Isl. ro iI,,s ,ley hau q hatchet on
ooain WIN Which theS cut theh from the
crehture' winch aI'ei plackellhs me sea
WIN i,s mn soon nldue on one OF these
magnificent IIasmehts was measured by
NleNaluer MURRAY, seoloslst' ana frot'
Verrln OF fsle CoIIese, connecticut VINO
fouho 10 De seventeen rect long ana
| three ana Il nan rect IN circumference.
This frsgment Is now preserved IN ST.
johns Collese' NeWIounu'ahd. since
then SCIENTISTS nave turther considered
the subject and conclude that this beast
WIN Ils .eIt 80. H. oV Sont nou nave Dee'