Salt Lake Tribune | 1908-09-29 | Page 4 | Diver Battles for His Life in Grasp of a Devil Fish

, DIVER BATTLES EOR HiS LIFE IN GRASP OF A DEVIL FISH SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2S. Wrapped in the tentacles of a xUmt devil lish, Martin Luu'd, a diver employed em-ployed by tho Coast "Wrecking company, fought for his lifo in tho hold. of the wrecked steamer Pomona, which lies in thirty feet of -water in Fort "Ross cove, off tho Mjfi'in county coast. Lund arrived ar-rived in this city yesterda', after an oxperienco. such as comes to few men, and ho will enjoy a vacation before again donning diver dress. Tho devil fish had evidently onterod tho vessel's hold during tho night, and Lund -was at work some timo before ho beenmo nwaro of its prosoncc. A'giant tentacle, four inches in diameter, Urst gripped ono leg. Before' Lund-could realize what had happened another encircled en-circled his thigh. The diver began to chop frantically at the rubbcrlike bonds, and at tho samo time signaled to the barge above that ho wished to ascend. Unable to froo himself in time, two more tentacles squirmed ou of the darkness aud one tightened .about his j neck. The efforts of the men on 'tho surface to comply with his signal threatened to pull his helmet off, and he was forced to signal them to delist. With only his left arm free ho hacked at tho tentacles until they were partially partial-ly crippled, but he was being drawn toward tho deadly beak when he saw tho outline of tho devil fish's body. Plunging suddenly toward it. he drove the knifo with all his force into the head, repeating the blow until ho had slashed it into pieces. In its death throes tho octopus tightened its tentacles tenta-cles until the diver was almost crushed in its embrace. Lund then. cut himself free aud was brought to the surface in ;u fainting-condition. Another diver brought some.. of tbo severed tentacles to tho surfrtT is hoped to raise tho l)odynnaj,6 to this city for exhibition. 17.