The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-09
ACTIONS OF DEVILFISH.
Monster OctOpt Infest the NevfOund-
land Waters and Terrify Fisher

Monster OctOpt Infest the NewfOund-
land Waters and Terrify Fisher
men.
From the Chicago Daily News.
st. Johns, N. F.-The waters around
the Newfoundland coast are infested
by huge octopi and many a fishing boat
that never returns with her hardy crew
owes her disappearance to the encir-
cling tentacles or this strange and most
repulsive inhabitant of the ocean depth.
Occasionally dead devilfish are washed
ashore after a storm and recently one
was found on the shore near Cape Race
which, as it stretched its sixty feet
along the strand, was thought to be
the sea serpent at last. More recently
one attacked a fishing schooner in
Placentia bay, but was beaten off by
the crew with axes and knives, though
not until 1t had gripped one man with
its long, SinuouS arm and nearly
drawn him overheard, the tentacle be-
ing severed by a shipmate and remain
ing on board as a trophy of the fight
after the creature had been forced to
retreat.
Until fifteen years ago there was even
scientific skepticism of this octopus
But then an encounter between one
and a Newfoundland fishing crew en-
abled the world to become certain of
its existence. OFF st. Johns, in June,
1888, some fishermenssa saw a floating OBJ
ject which they took to be wreckage
Rowing toward it, the bowman dug
his gaff into 1t, when, to the horror of
the crew. the creature displayed Wig
orous signs of life. Rapidly it olsen
gagged its enormous bulk into its COM
ponent members, erected its Shiny ten
tacles many feet in the air and flung
them over the boat, which at the same
time it attacked with it's gigantic par
rot-like beak.
The men sat paralyzed with terror,
until they saw the boat being dragged
under water, when they aroused them
selves and tried to beat off the re-
pulsive creature. One man caught a
tentacle and sought to throw it from
the boat, but instantly it wound round
him and was dragging him overheard.
HIS comrade was next caught by two
smaller tentacles, while a second long
arm enveloped the boat. A boy in it
sat crouched with fright until he saw
his father in danger, and then, grasp
ing an ak, he brought 1t down on the
tentacle and severed it,
Found Carcass Next Day.
Next he cut off a second and then
aimed blow at the creatures head.
Agonized with pain, it retreated dis
charging black fluid that discolored
the water all around and giving off a
stckening odor of musk. The two ten
tacles remained and as soon as the
men were freed from the horrible mon
ster they hurriedly made for the shore.
where they related their grewsome ex-
periences and displayed the two ten
tacles in proof thereof
Tho oil
| story, advised them to wait upon the
Rev. Moses Harvey, an eminent nat
uraltst in st. Johns, to whom they
took the larger arm, their dogs hav-
ing got at and eaten the smaller one
He examined it and, the wounded oc-
topus from which it had been cut hav-
ing drifted ashore next day down the
coast, he visited it and secured it for
the Smithsonian Institution at Wash
ington, where a papier-mache repro
duction of it is now shown. the crea-
ture itself having proved too large to
preserve.
TentacIes Forty Feet Long.
This specimen had a body twenty
feet long, with two tentacles' forty feet
in extent by four inches around and
twelve shorter tentacles ten to twelve
feet long by sixteen inches around. The
extreme length from tip of tail to ex-
ITSIIllly VI lSHldClSS WAS SlAly leelI De-
tween the tentacles stretched out
eighty feet. The head was four feet
wide, with two great, uncanny male
VIOLENT eyes. The total weight was
about 1900 pounds. The body was a
sort of flabby, jellified mass. like
conserve of corn starch. and rounded
in form like barrel or tube, termi-
mating in n triangular fin or tail.
In the upper part OF the body the
eyes were set and below them the
mouth, a beak-like protuberance of
strong bone both extremities beingsa
sharp as steel needles. The tentacles
were tough and sinewy as leather
ropes, the under surface being covered
with a double row OF suckers. These
were about an inch in diameter, with
fine, sharp teeth around their horny
edges, and a movable membrane which
when pressed into an object and re-
tracted at the will of the animal ere
ated a vacuum. Then the sharp teeth
would sink into the flesh of the vic
tim and the sucker would establish
hold from which escape would be i'm
possible, except by cutting off the ten
tacle or killing the octopus. Each ten
tacle has about 200 suckers and each
smaller arm 100, so the total is about
900, which gives the fish an almost
resistless power.
Travels mt Rapid Speed.
The octopus can move backward or
forward with equal ease and travel at
an extremely rapid rate. It's means
of locomotion is a funnel or tube be-
hind the head. The breathing organs
admit the sea water by a pair of valves
worked by the muscular dilation of the
body. This water. when 1t has COM
municated it's oxygen to the blood by
the internal mechanism provided by
nature, is expelled through this tube or
funnel and the rate at which the liquid
is elected causes a corresponding speed
of the creature. through the water.
When working this apparatus, which
really acts like great hydraulic en-
CINE, the monster Is enabled to dash
backward with amazing rapidity, and
the triangular fin or tail acts the part
Of a front rudder and directs the way.
In an instant. by the exertion Of its
enormous muscular power, the crea-
ture can arrest it's movements, alter
it's direction and speed ahead as rapid
ly, being then propelled by its tail in
the manner of ordinary fishes. Its
habitat is the deep and rocky caverns
around the shore. and it has only one
enemy II fears--the mighty sperm
whale. When attacked II elects copi-
BUS lets of inky fluid which dye the
surrounding waters an inky black, and
under cover Of this cloak of darkness &
retreats to it's lair. The ink sac opens
into the funnel already described. by
means of q special duct, and whenever
IL pleases the creature can squirt out
the black fluid which the sac secretes.
The whole appearance of the monster
is repulsive and uncanny. and it is far
and away the most unpleasant object