IS IT PELORUS JACK?

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 69, 23 March 1911, Page 3

IS IT PELORUS JACK?

A "FIND" AT D'URVILLE

.aSTORY OF HIS DEATH DENIED

SEEN ON MONDAY

"Pelorus Jack's dead carcase ashore at Now Harbor, D'Urville Island. Slightly eaten by sharks.'' This was the wording of a -private message . received from Motueka shortly after midday on Tuesday {states The Dominion). Late in the afternoon the following Press Association telegram was received from Nelson: —

"At 10 o'clock on Monday morning the body of a large fish resembling Pelorus Jack in maify particulars was washed up at Wells's property, on the south part of D'Urville Island, facing the Beef Barrels. Mr Webber, of the French Pass, Vho is familiar with the famous fish, says that the derelict i resembles Jack ia many ways, but he could, not pronounce definite opinion till the captain of the Pateeha can say whether he saw Jack _. or not tonlay. This day week ?Jack was seen by passengers to Wellington."

On Tuesday afternoon Mr G. Allport, Secretary for Marine, received a, letter'f rpm Mr Gv Webber, a settler at the French Pass, in which he said that Wells Bros., of D/Urville Island, found what they believe . to be the carcase of Pelorus Jack. Mr Webber, who has seen Jack many hundreds of tinies, was asked to identify the remains, and as a result the opinion was expressed that the color, size, and shape exactly correspond with what they had seen of the fish in the water* The length of the carcase is, they state, just one inch under 14ft., and Mie girth between 9ft and 10ft. "I should say," says Mr Webber, "that he has been dead for a week or ten days, and has been considerably bitten by sharks, probably after death." "'Pelorus Jack.is dead!" It was a little difficult to believe. He had been so long associated with the French Pass that • one might have jpardonably assumed that, somewhere in its waters, there flowed or sprang the elixir of life. Be that as it may, it is known that "Jack" Jias been sporting in the waters between Pelorus Heads and D'Urville Island for some twenty-one years at least, seldom omitting to pay his compliments to passing steamers by a ten minutes' gambol round the bows. A friendly fish this—so friendly and interesting indeed that Parliament issued a special Order-in-Council "under the Animals • Protection Act, protecting "him from the interference of men. Strangely enough, the time over which this Order extended ran out a few days ago, arid, as- far as can be ascertained, was not renewed. And, by the strangest of coincidences, a little before the term of the Order expired he had been missing from his customary haunts, and, during the .past six weeks, he only came out occasionally to wave p friendly flipper. It is reported that he emerged about a- fortnight Ago to see the steamer in which Miss Amy Castles passed, and Mile. Antonia Dolores was formally introduced to him as late as Wednesday last.

REPORT CONTRADICTED

The foregoing was the news avail- \ able on Tuesday afternoon-. In the, evening, however, , quite a, different, story arrived. The man who was on the look-out on board* the Pateena on Monday night, whilst the, vessel was on her Way. from Picton to Nelson-, states that he and several passengers saw the fish distinctly about 10 o'clock on the nigh>, in question. Also the officers of the Pateeha do not believe that their old friend is dead yet. ; •■ \ . Another seafaring man, Captain Vickerman, master o,f the Anchor line's steamer Alexander, when speaking to a reporter about the case, said that in all probability the fish that has been fou.nd is a large blackfish. He. states: that, recently, he passed a number of these fish dead in the vicinity ■ of, D'Urville Island, and some of. them were from 15 to 18 feet long. He added that .after they have been dead for a certain length of time this species of fish turns white, hence it is quite likely that one of these has been mistaken for "Jack." Then came a Press Association message from Nelson as follows-.—The Cplonist is in the position, to. contradict the report as to the death of Pelorus Jack. Mr W. T. Bond, of Nelson, who returned home by the Pateena yesterday states that he and others saw "Jack" in the water on Monday night, and that he followed the Pateena for miles. Mr Bond has seen him many times, but never saw him so frisky as he was on Monday night." •