Passing Of Pelorous Jack

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 28 January 1933, Page 14

Passing Of Pelorous Jack

JNTEREST in the mysterious disappearance some years ago of Pelorus Jack, the only fish in the world to form the subject matter for an Act of Parliament, has been revived by the presentation of a framed portrait of the famous flsli to the aquarium at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney. The portrait of the guardian of the French Pass was received recently by -Colonel Spain, on behalf of the park trustees, from the Commissioner (Air L. J. Schmitt) representative of the Dominion Government.

"One day some foolish passenger, an oversea traveller, took a .pot shot at .Tack. He was almost lynched. That tine incident tooK place on the steamier Penguin, which some cyans later was] wrecked near Wellington Harbour with a-ppalilng loss of life, was o.nce suggested. Such a sequel would be well in keeping with Maori lore. To attempt an ignoble blow at the mana, the prestige, of Pelorus Jack was certainly tempting the wrath of the gods. "The Government was- so alarmed, however, that an Order-in-Couneil was passed without delay. The penalty was 1 a fine of one hundred pounds for any attempted interference with this, the strangest creature in all the -Seven Seas. From 1004, the year his name first appeared in l a Parliamentary document, Pelorus Jack escorted the vessels through the Pass. '-Sometimes he would appear in broad daylight. At times passengers would be aroused from their slumbers to catch a glimpse of the .silvery fish in the swirling black waters of that inhospitable coast. . . . "The year 1916 was one of the moist, trying of the Great War, and, therefore, under the circumstances, Jack’sdisappearance from the French Pass did not warrant the public interest that otherwise would have been, aroused. Pelorus Jack, the greatest publicity agent the New Zealand Government has ever known, went, out, as the Americans say, with 'a. poor press.’ The mystery-of his 1 passing will never be solved.

"There may be many Australians who recall memories of Pelorus Jack, if they had the good fortune to witness his unique natatorial performances,” said "Eriki” in an article in the "Sydney Morning Herald.” "This fish escorted the steamers in that- turbulent, sheet ol: water which separates- the two principle islands of New Zealand. There may even be other Australians who. nowadays doubt Jack’s existence; one could not blame them. So much that is legendary has since arisen round his world-famous name. Jack certainly lived. How he died is a mystery.

"It was the custom of this fish, a member of the dolphin family, whose usual habitat, I believe, is in the North Atlantic, to leave his home at the northern end of that forbidding, rocky islet, that bears the name of the navigator, D’Urville, in Cook -Strait, and meet the steamers on their way from Wellington and other ports. Through the French Pass Jack would accompany the vessels. For thirty vears he did this. Travellers came from' all parts of the globe to make Jack’s acquaintance, so that, on their return, they might regale their stay-at-home club mate's with, this extraordinary exploit. Jack’s name was known in every club from -China to Peru.

"There was a suggestion 1 that an Italian fisherman, possessed of a better aim than the former assailant, -ended Jack’s life with a bullet. The story was never confirmed, and I, for one, doubt it.”

In the course of subsequent correspondence in the "-Sydney Alorning Herald,” A. J. Auch'er, who was in the

Interest In Mysterious Disappearance Revived

service of the Union Steam Ship Company with Captain ‘ ‘Bob” Stewart and. other captains, wrote: "That he died lias never been proved, because two years after his supposed disappearance he was in the Taranaki Bight below Cape Egmont, and was seen by the master of the Paparoa and the writer, who was on board at that time.”

Mr John Brine, writing to a Wanganui paper recently, said: "You publish a letter written by a lady to the ‘Sydney Morning Herald,’ in which it states that the lady saw the second mate of the ship tire a revolver shot at ‘Jack.’ If the writer is inferring that an officer of one of the regular vessels' plying between Wellington and Nelson at that time committed this dastardly act, then I can emphatically assort that the statement is a malicious slander and grossly untrue. For a long time it was t bought. T was the las! person to see ‘.Tack’ give his exhibition. I am certain there was no lady on the deck of the vessel between .1 and 2 o’clock that morning. A steward brought me a deck chair to watch ‘Jack’ play about. It was a beautiful moonlight .morning. I watched that fish until we were well clear of the French Pass. No officer fired a shot. I am not certain now whether it was the Pateena or Arahura. I went by one and came back by the other. Two days later the ‘Nelson Mail’ stated that ‘.Tack’ had not been, seen for the two occasions he was expected. I mentioned the matter to several prominent men. They said I must- have been the last person to see ‘Jack’ alive. Some days later a large ‘white fish’ was found washed ashore in the Sounds and was thought to bo the remains of poor Mack.’ If ‘Jack’ was Sliot at all and the lady really did see the shooting, then it must have been front the deck of one of the foreign: whalers known to be in the vicinity at the time.”