Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-15
HAS A BABY OCTOPUS
ANTONIO MARTINEZ PRESENTS
SPECIMEN TO NATIONAL MUSEUM

SHtOHlp MslrIlnSZ, a 'CltlZen or the wide
world. who divides his time between fight
ing bulls riding wild horses and harpoon-
ing whales. came to Washington a few
days ago from Savannah. Ca, to present
TO the National Museum. through the fish
commission. what he denominates a baby
octopus. which he took from the stomach
OF fish near Fort de France, Martinique
Martinez is soldier of fortune of the true
West Indian type. He was born in Cuba
and took up the work of fighting bulls for
the satisfaction II gave him to overcome
the brutes. For the same reason he be-
came an expert horseman and combined
his exhibitions of bull fighting iwth rough
riding work.
During the last Cuban war of independ-
ence he was a soldier in the army of Max
limo Gomez and was one or the few CubanS
that were of assistance to the Americans
on their landing in Cuba. His real work
In life. he says, has been on sea He has
visited every civilized country, and in half
of them has given exhibitions OF his skill
against bulls and In breaking horses. He
Is said 20 be an expert harpoonist, and 1t
was while serving in this capacity, and as
second mate on French whaler. that he
captured the octopus he is to present to the
United States government.
The deep sea monster is in the earliest
stages of its development and weighs but
q pound and half. possibly a fraction
more. 1t Is equipped, however, with all
the vicious tentacles 1t would have when
fully grown According to Martinez. who
claims TO have seen several the octopus
is equipped with but two large arms or
tentacleS and eight smaller ones.
Length of Arms.
The largest arms on the baby octopus
Martinez brought here are about eight
Inches long and the shorter ones but a
few inches less. The short arms grow out
from around its mouth. the mouth being
the center Of a circle. the radius of which
would touch the point of each tentacle.
These tentacles are equipped with teeth,
such as the crab has, and with suction
cups. The long tentacles are eqpped with
suction cups only. With the long tentaces
ehe monster seizes its prey and draws 1t
fnto the radius Of the shorter arms. which
crush 1t.
Martinez states that while cruising about
Martinique about the time of the eruption
of Mont Pelee the whaleboat in which he
was searching for whales was seized by
an octopus that weighed three tons. The
long arms of the monster were fifty-twO
feet In length The whaleboat was crush
ed and II was with difficulty that the men
in IL escaped. They were picked up by
passing steamer and returned to their yes
gel, which was lying some distance from
the scene. Last summer was the first time
Martinez had chance to revisit the Mar
Unique coastfi and he and his companions
searched for the big octopus that had
caused them trouble, but did not find it.
The octopus he brought here with him
he found in the stomach of a fish that was
caught during the cruise. He brought it
with him to Washington and II was alive
until two days ago, when II died from lack
of nourishment.
Martinez expects TO spend the next sea-
son in whaling about the Alaskan coast
and Is on his way west now He expects
20 call on President Roosevelt before
leaving the city. He knew the President
sn New York before the Spanish war, and
always goes to see him when he Is in this
country