Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-08
A SHINY SEA SPIDER.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN UNCANNY
CREATURE IN ALASKA.

A Fishing Adventure With Plenty OF
Excitement When the Monster
Fighting Its Tentacles.
"If any one desires dash of excitement,
can recommend the fishing of Alaska"
said returned Klondiker. II had been
fishing above Sitka when one day found
myself near camp of Indians. AS had
some game l divided with them and
forthwith was invited to feast of their
own providing. We sat around a big
wooden dish, in which was something
that looked like frogs legs, but frogs so
gigantic that 1 knew it was something
else. 1t required some courage to eat this
dish, but hunger gives man stamina of
q certain kind, SO l shut my eyes and he
gan the feast. The article was not so bad
as it appeared 1t tasted like crab, and
some of it had the consistence of the rub
Der rings which babies chew on. Alto
gether it was not to be despised, combin.
ing food with exercise.
ut was sea spider SO the natives told
ne, member of the cuttlciish family. AS
morning to fish for more persuaded them
to take me with them. Half of the excite
ment of fishing here was getting afloat.
The bay was an open roadstead into which
the sea rolled, and we We're some time get
ting through the seas which, if not noun
tain high, came very near it. Finally we
made the run and dropped anchor in the
lee of little point of rocks where we be-
f1-hinr Eaan had Iitfprpnt
tackle, some large, some small lines, and
to me fell an outfit which was a cross be
tween shark and cod line Presently
the men began hauling in rock cod, using
the little candleiish for bait There is u
curious thing about Alaskans. This little
fish, which they catch with a comblike ar
| rangcment, they eat, if they are so dispos-
| ed, or, if they want a light, they fasten q
fish between two sticks and light its head,
| when it will burn like a candle. 1t is a
famous country for fish, and it was moth
ing but pull in for the natives, while I
did not have a bite.
My time was coming, however. had
| on a heavy sinker, SO that every time the
beat lifted felt sharp jerk, which de-
| ceivcd me. But once, when the boat rose
on big wave, my line did not give, and
l shouted to the Indian next me that
| was foul He took the line, gave a tre-
mendous jerk and received one in return;
, then, bracing himself back, he began to
pull and scream; then all hands screamed,
| and understood that sea spider had the
| line and also the bottom. expected ev-
cry minute to see the canoe go over, as
the men went from side to side, now fore
| ing the rail down so that the water poured
in, now lifting with mighty yell, then
Stacking off so suddenly that they fell in
heap. Finally, after they had screamed
themselves out of breath and settled con-
flicts Of opinion, they hauled the rope as
| taut as possible, taking in the slack, inch
by inch, as the canoe sank in the hollow
of wave, then holding on as big ground
swell would raise her.
This plan seemed certain either to lift
the bottom or to sink the canoe, and after
several attempts to accomplish the latter
something gave suddenly. Amid the
greatest excitement the men QAckly
hauled away. The line came up readily,
the fishermen occasionally looking over,
endeavoring to see what was on it. One
man armed himself with knife, while
companion held short handled case
knife between his teeth-movements sug
gestiye of the coming of all enemy. Sud-
denly one of the crew seized a sharp boat
hook. which, after another look, he jabbed
into the unknown and invisible. In re-
Spouse long, slender tentacle shot into
the air and formed a weird Interrogation
point. then it grasped the pike; then three
| more appeared, creeping insidiously over
| the edge of the canoe, at which the natives
| struck wildly, some shouting to slack the
| line, others to haul in.
I'm the midst of the confusion the sea
| spider concluded to come aboard. Torn
from the bottom, it had come up easily,
| then, seeing the canoe and possibly think
ing it "a vantage ground, it grasped it and
slid over the SIDE a mass of living, Shiny,
| reddish brown snakes When they were
| raised, | could see rows of suckers, each of
which was a veritable airpump, and as
there were seemingly thousands of them
the sucking power Of this spider of the sea
was apparent. Blows were aimed at it
whenever opportunity offered, but the
weird animal fairly slid over the rail,
| winding one of its arms around an oar
Its head or body hung On the rail-a
brown mass tho size of man S head
from which CLEANED two greenish yellow
eyes. The strange animal changed color
like a chameleon. Flushes of red, brown
and gray followed one another over it,
while from its lower portion oozed
stream of ink which splashed in our faces
as the tcntaces flew about
There was something so unoanny about
the creature that confess it demoralized
nc, but the natives, who probably had
caught great numbers, struck at it right
ard left, cutting off the tcntacles with
their knives and hatchets, trying to save
| such portions as those upon which had
dined the day before-the thought of which
gaze Inc thrill of horror. 1t was 10 min
utes before they had the life hammered out
OF the frightful creature, and then it was
q question who had won
THE canoe was now half full of water,
as n hole had been knocked in the side,
which was finally stopped with piece of
skin. 1t was five miles to camp, but 1
preferred walking and had the men put me
ashore got to the camp in time to meet
them and see the sea spider taken out 1t
had n spread of nearly 25 feet, measuring
from the tip of the outspread tentacles If
you want to see how it looked, drop into
the Yale museum. They have model of
one few feet larger. New York Sun.