The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-24
FIGHT NTH
DEVIL OF DEED
How Sailors Barely Escaped
Horrible Death
BOAT PULLED CLEAR OVER
Boy Sewers Arm of Octopus
with Ak
BOAT PULLED CLEAR OVER
"Ambergris ahead. sir.

intent upon MS Prize Ahead lay dull
ish brown mass, floating on the quiet
seas. loliing idly in the sunlight-perhaps
treasure big enough TO make every
manjack rich beyond his widest dreams.
They were aboard the trim little forty
tonner Vivid, in Fortune Bay, Abram
Moulton, master. last week, writes a
correspondent of the New York World
from St. Johns. " F.
She was dawning down the coast. com
ing here to St. Johns for supplies for a
months fishing. The throw OF a gaff.
the hiss of something in the water, the
cry OF men fighting for life-the Vivid
was in the midst of a battle which no
fishing smack of her inches was ever
called upon before TO do. Today her
men are ashore. nerveless and trembling,
telling OF their battle with the giant devil
fish which all but took them and their
schooner to the bottom of the sea.
It was all they could do-and only
their eoolness did ito keep this mon
ster Of the deep from overturning their
stout little craft and sending them ali
TO Dsvy Jones locker.
They were of Cape St Mary's The
lookout thought he spied a giant lump
of ambergris-one Of the treasures so
seldom given up by the sea Talk OF
many lucky finds during the past fort
night and the sight of money freely
spent by the lucky finders had excited the
hardy crew of the Vivid.
Stand by" yelled Capt. Moulton.
Every man was at his place. Not one
hundred yards ahead now lay the float
ing fortune. Aoulton shifted his helm,
and bore down smartly upon the fiOtsam-
a competence for everybody aboard, it
seemed.
Get out your hook cried Moulton.
AYE, aye, sir" responded Joseph FL
lis, the sturdy sailorman whose business
it was to handle the boathook.
Every eye was on the thing ahead. Ellis
stood ready TO nail the floating treasure
that might make every man rich. II was
dead ahead now. fifty yards away. TWEEN
ty yards, ten, five
Strike shouted Moulton, ablaze with
excitement.
Up in the air went the keen hook.
Down it came. straight TO it's mark. The
gait struck home.
In the twinkling of an eye the still
thing drifting idly on the waters became
a demon furious with life. thrashing.
graphing. squirrning. feeling for every
thing within its reach.
Great clouds OF inky stuff dyed the
water. \ monstrous beak pecked al the
Vivids oaken sides. Two giant eyes To-
cussed on the deck. seeking something TO
seize Something like the Kissing OF a
multitude OF men boiled up out Of the
sea.
Instead Of ambergris Ellis had struck
a devil fish.
out OF the depths arose a bewiderinS
array of tenacles. twisting and crawling
all over the smack. They fastened on
the bulwarks and squirmed inboard. They
felt their way around the masts and up
the hattened sails All the while the
ponderous beak of this demon thing OF
the deep was pounding at the ship, eager
TO sink it.
Hard aport" yelled Moulton. trying
to free his boat and get away on the
freshening breeze.
But ne was too late. The giant devil
fish had the Vivid safely EMBODIED Ia its
half a hundred tentacles. It would not
be budged. The Vivid lay on the tum-
bling seas Ike a dead thing. with the
octopus madly trying to drag it down
into the depths.
Knives and axes. there" fairly
screamed Moulton to the men, who stood
stupeded on deck.
As If 70 meet the coming battle to the
death. the devl-dsh seized the masts in
a firm grip with two OF its stoutsst ten
tacles Then it tried TO sink 10 the bot
tom of the sea bent on dragging the
schooner with T. Round ard round It
wrapped its feelers about the spars. send
ms up fresh ones 10 aid those that had
already taken hold.
Slowly the sturdy Vivid gave 70 the
mighty arms that reached up out Of the
waves. over and over she bent. The big
body that thrashed in the water fought
more and more maGly 10 tilt over the boat
til she capsized.
II you don't do something. were done
fer" MoultOa shouted throwing over
the spokes OF his wheel in one last strUg-
gle for life.
There was one sailorman who dared
them-Wnliam Ellis-fOr Just as Aoulton
shouted bis arm shot out q the sea
and gripped him tight Another seized
Joseph Ellis. Williams brother. the man
who had thrown the San into the mad
dened monsters side. Just as Ellis
seized the only axe on board third ten
tacle caught Samuel Jeans He chung
10 the mast. but his strength was Ike
a plg7uy-s 10 the monsters His grip was
ali but gone
UP went Ellis Axe.
Down Il came again Ike q fash Of
lightning on the buIWarks-
The giant arm was severed cleaniy
and Jeans was free. The second tentacle
slipped nervousiy from Mouitou's body
Joseph Ellis v-1ithed himself 70 safety.
The g-est beak which Was pounding mad
IL ~ the Vivi6s sides let x az LAST. aaf
The mammoth body. szirii-E around and
round in ire inky seas itself had col0-ed
dropped away
Tss vivid vss ssfe-
Pint for rauy yards sbouf IRE sea was
let black with a fosi-s-neI1ne 0uid squirt
- out by The 8evil-Gsh- The criP14st
vivid could Just make port There ~.
r great hole fl her SIDE whore tho pound
ing hesk had penetrated. ard her rzasts
ard sails we're scarred ard ton hy ire
giant arms Ehich All bu; pssl'ed her down
= the der;hs
we've seer al We want - devil
nsnes 1,- the rest % or lives. ss6
No1Ito7. VIXEN - was szte zshors- We
thought II zas al NJ With Us
The crew q the IND are lot The oziy
ones who have fought for their LIVES