The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-01

10 Ieet long ana WelSned O,00O
e deep sea is stf1 at the foot
is being exhibited BY Captain
bother us, but as their numbers in
creased by new and more voracious
arrivals the birds became holder,
swooping down by hundreds and,
alighting on the carcass proceeded
to dispute with Us for its posses
sion.
Their avidity to get at the feast
was SO great we actually had to
beat them on with sticks in order to
go on with our work unimpeded by
their activity. They did not in the
least mind the strong disinfectants
we used, but tried to tear pieces Of
flesh from the mass by beak ana
claw.
Nobody could keep at such an
unpleasant job for long at a time,
and We were obliged to work in re-
lays. One would endure it as long
as possible, then you would see blm
drop his tools and run of as far to
windward as it was possible to 60,
and there drop down on the sand to
rest and breathe little fresh, in
MIGRATING air.
Hinge Octopus In Stomach.
I'VE had to construct a big wood
en- tank, capable of holding hun
dreds Of gallons of chemicals, in
which the carcass was placed and
where it remained for several days.
Accurate measurements of the car
cass were made and a framework
Of wood and steel constructed of
plaster, so as to make an exact re-
plica Of the inside of the huge mon
ster as it lay on the beach. Twelve
hundred feet of lumber, 1,7OO
pounds Of steel bars, rods and bolts,
and barrel after barrel of plaster
was used to fill the enormous cavity
after the internal organs were re-
moved.
"The huge mass of flesh was now
dissected so that the internal organs
and the anatomy OF the creature
might be studied. On cutting open
the stomach we were astonisned to
J find It containing the perfect body
OF a huge octopus that weighed
1,500 pounds. From its condition il
was evident that the octopus had
been taken alive at one gulp and
had remained alive for several Gays
after it had been swallowed.
Figures Are Astounding.
After the carcass had been
thoroughly impregnated with the
chemical preservatives 1t was taken
out of the immense vat and pre-
parations were made to mount it in
its natural lifelike form and color.
The carcass was so heavy and cum
bersome that we found it extremely
! difficult to manipulate and a large
force Of men were required to
handle it.
When spread out on the ground
the carcass measured As feet long
and nearly Is feet in circumference
and the hide was found to be three
inches thick. II its enormous hide
could have been tanned into quar-
ter inch thicknesses it would have
furnished enough material to make
200 leather suitcases or 200 pair,
OF shoes. Cut into inch strips and
laid end to end it would have ex
tended "a miles, and these strip.
could have been made up into 49,,
200 mems leather belts, each 81
inches long.
| IF all the material in this i'm
mense hide had been cut up int
shoestrings Of one-eighth inch dia
meter. they would have reached
end to end, distance of 1872 mile!
from one end of Florida to tn,
other. These are tall figures, bu
Just take your pencil and work Il
out yourself and see.
i Six Months of Work.
Well. to resume, after a goot
deal OF pulling and hauling. we q
nally got the monster in shape tt
put on the finishing touches. Tn.
holes made by the harpoons ans
bullets were skillfully patched, ar
/ tlncial eyes fixed in place and 9th
er details carefully dressed IN
Then the skin, which had bee,
somewhat bleached by the chem
fcals in which 1t had lain, was re
stored to its original color by ,
secret process known only to tn,
taxidermist After six months o
uninterrupted painstaking work
the Job was finally completed. anf
at . total cost Of more than h.OO0
II vas sure proud Of the achieve
mont. for found myself in nos
session Of the greatest example O
the taxidermist's art In Americs
Il not In the world. The Deem 81
Mystery now appears Exactly n h
did when It was first taken ont q
the water. :
Fish Haa Beautiful Llnea
70 say that I vas deliehfe<
with the results Of my labof 81
presses It ; mildly, for ono coult
mot conceive q . moro bsaatifu
OF psrfect specimen Of tie tn,
ish species. One would imaein1
on hearing Of the enornpue n,
TOT the creature that Il womb II
| moro or lees q q moastrue,fy ~
4 WoU8 l9yo N av1nrk. nnCaSnsv