PELORUS JACK.

Evening Star, Issue 14636, 4 August 1911, Page 8

PELORUS JACK.

Much has been said anil written concerning Pelorus Jack of late years, but ; | uover before, so far as is known to tin; | I'Nolson ' Mail,' havo tho circumstances ! ! connected with his first appearance been j ! narrated. In chatting the other day j j with Captain W. K. Turner, of Nelson, ! j a reporter of the paper named gathered i i some interesting information in regard ■ j to the fish pilot who has mounted guard I lin the Pelorus Sound end near the ' I French Pass over a long period, and j whoso fame has now spread far and , wide, ft was 40 years ago that Pelorus ; Jack was first seen, said Captain Tiir- j ner. At that time Captain Tumor was j the master of a cutter called the I Southern Cross, which was a regular ! trader to the Sounds. He had made ', many passages to the Sounds, with no- j thing more than tho usual incidents i connected with such a voyage, until one j day when on his way to Manaroa (in \ the Sounds) for wool, variety was ! afforded by tho appearance of a big fish, j At the time the cutter was off Harding j Point, at the north-west entrance to 1 i Pelorus Sound, and the stranger came | 'up and lay alongside the cutter. Capj tain Turner says that at one time the ! fish was so close that it could have been j touched. He gives the length at from ' I 25ft to 30ft, and in this lie is supported \ by Mr W. Harvey, of the Pelorus, who ■ was also on board the cutter. " Jack's " j leugtb has always been estimated at j much less than this, but as no one has j ' had such a close view as Captain Tur- ; ner and those with him on the occa- i; sion, there is some ground for assuin- j ing that the greater length is correct. i ' When the stranger came alongside, j Captain Turner's first thought was that j it was a whale calf, and as the cutter j ; I carried harpoons, these were got in j readiness with a view to a capture, i However, persuaded by wmen who ]' were on hoard, the skipper did not carry j ' out his intentions, and "Jack's" life ; was spared. All that day and night tho ! fish remained about the cutter, and dur- I ' ing the whole of the following day, while ; tho cutter was at anchor, he was never | far away. But during the second night | ' ho took his departure, and was not again seen for several months. ( '■ I "When next seen, Pelorus Jack tras off \ Lewis Island, srnno 14 or 15 miles rip :' tho Sounds. PJere, Captain Turner states, •'Jack'' remained for about 20 1 years. Then ho began to pay attention ! • to passing steamers, his haunts being \ ■ between Forsyth Island and Clay Point. I . For some time he remained in this ', locality, and subsequently he took up < his present quarters between Clay Point and the French Pass. Captain Turner ( is quite satisfied that the occasion re- . ferred to was the first on _ which Polorus \ Jack was seen, and he. claims, with some , pride, that tho Southern Cross intro- , duced the stranger to Pelorus Sound. ]