The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-12-05
A SHARK THAT THINKS.


Got One Charge from a Man-of-war and
Now Won't Go Near One.
Several well spun sea yarns have
been told by old shellbacks regarding
what they had seen at sea-" said
Chief Officer James Brown, of the Pa
cific Mail company's steamer Acapul-
CO. to San Francisco Chronicle man.
but there is one thing certain, and
that is, have reason to believe that fish
not only have instinct, but also reason
ing power.
How do you come to these con-
clusions2' was asked.
well, let me tell you, Now, every
seafaring men who has frequented the
port of San Jose, at Guatemala, knows
that old San Jose Joe has been in and
about that port for the last thirty
years.
Joe is without exception one of the
largest sharks ever seen in the waters
of the ocean He is over thirty feet
in length. This was ascertained be-
yond a doubt by the officers of the
Acapulco on the trip before the last,
when spar measuring thirty feet had
fallen over the ships side and old Joe
came along, and after smelling of it
fioated alongside measuring exactly its
length.
'As to his age that is not positively
known, but the barnacles on his back
indicate that he has beer a resident of
San Jose waters for a number of
years. The barnacles are so old and
erusty as to repel rifle ball with the
same respective force as sheet of steel
on the side of a man-of-war.
Capt. Pitts, of the Acapulco, has
time and again shot at this monster
and without effect, so far as his back
is concerned. The balls glance off
the old fellows back without doing
him any damage.
Yet old Joe carries enough lead in
his carcass to sink an ordinary whale,
as almost every officer whose vessel
anchors in those waters takesa whack at
him when he runs his sides and belly
upward, but the bullets don't seem to
do him any harm"
"Well, about his reasoning capa-
city2"
''Oh, yes. Some years ago an Eng
lish manof-war, while lying at an
chor, undertook to destroy the old
brute by firing charge of dynamite
into him. Joe was hit on the side and
about fifty pounds of sharks flesh
torn away, but the shot failed to kill
him.
But now, mark you, since that
time he will not make his appearance
in the anchorage near where a man-of-
war is anchored But just as soon as
these vessels leave Joe comes to the
surface again.
He regularly meets the Apaculco
about fifteen miles outside and pilots
her in. Once anchored, he is satisfied,
and seems to delight in feeding from
the offal. But no matter how well you
bait a hook, Joe's reasoning qualities
variably follows that line of reasoning
AS to his capacity to stow away
grub, that was proved on one occasion
when the vessel was taking aboard
some hogs. One of ten hogs, weigh
| ing about eighty pounds, fell over
board, and old Joe, who is ever on the
watch, saw the prize, and with one
| plunge and a pair of extended jaws
the porker disappeared as though he
had gone into hole.
"On another occasion we had lot
of mules on board for the government,
and one of the number died and was
thrown overheard. Joe made the ac-
quaintance of the defunct mule, and
after the lapse of six hours the mule
was safely slowed thwart ships in Joe's
locker.
Eyes, Joe is the largest shark known
to us seafaring men. We have tried
to kill the monster by all possible
means, but so far have miserably fail
ed New York Morning Journal