The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-01

as tdDe 1Od. 90 Muen IL GbIlES "
speculation as to the probable career
OF this particular turtle the widest pos
sfble range is permitted
But alas and alack for the theories
and itineraries. He may have come to
America from Ascension island. He
probably did. But he was caught by
some rude fisherman, not aware of his
Columbian intentions, down about the
Florida keys somewhere, the mark of
doom placed upon him ana himself de-
posted aboard ship on his back as le-
Ultimate prey. The marks of the gal
leys We're on him. His fiippers, str
board and port, fore and aft, were
pierced with the fisherman's awl.
He was doomed to die, and he knew
1t. Hence his valiant, although unsuc-
cessful, fight to retain his liberty when
assaled by the men of Chicago. He
had been taken red-handed In the at
| tempted invasion of the peaceful
shores of a friendly nation, was con-
victed and ordered to the galleys until
a space has expired, and thence to the
block. His dreams of glory went out
when this judgment was pronounced,
and he preferred death in battle to slow
sizzling in the frying pan of the caterer
He Is old in sin, for many moons have
passed over his head. But the profess
sor who runs the fish and reptile end
of the big museum declares he never
struggled up the mighty St. Lawrence
and gives potent facts to prove his dec
laration.
In preparing the story which conveys
that turtle over the $4,000 miles of
salt and fresh water to Chicago the
young man who wrote ii backed up his
dissertation with a couple of noncom-
initial expert opinions on the "mys-
terry" The gentlemen who delivered
the opinions never saw the turtle and
hence We're wary. One of them fatty
sustains Professor Meek. The other
I,1Aes ~ hat i'm prnfaSEnt a
Lucas curator of the Smithsonian in
stitution, declares it to be his opinion
that the turtle could not force his way
up the st. Lawrence river. He could
not come up the Mississippi because of
the overland trip. He sees no reason
why sea turtle could not live in fresh
water if he could find food.
Professor r. FL. Bean, curator of fish
and reptiles of the American Museum
Of Natural History, calls the turtle
loggerhead, as he doubtless was for be-
ing caught a second time. He express
es the opinion that it is more than
likely the turtle escaped from a lake
steamer. He was unwilling to accept
the belief that the animal could not
find food to sustain it on it's long jour
ney to Chicago. Hear what Professor
Meek has To say
II went up to the city" said the GU
rator Of fish and reptiles of the museum
in Jackson park. Ito see that turtle. /
was interested to learn if such turtle
had actually made such trip. 1t was
a question of exceptional interest in
view of the fact that if / found these
animals could live in fresh water the
| lakes might be stocked. / don't know
/ now that it is possible. ] cannot tell
| how long this particular specimen was
| in Lake Michigan, nor now he got
/ there. / did decide one thing, and that
was that he never got into the lake on
| his own responsibility.
THE first thing ] did no seeing the
| turtle was to examine his fiippers.
| will explain the significance of this and
| then you will understand why he can
not be elassed with the great explor-
ers of the earth When a turtle of the
edible variety is caught, the fisherman
/ bores hole through eacn of his four
/ tlippers. Small ropes are run through
| these and IL couple OF husky men seize
/ the ropes and carry the creature
aboard ship for transportation to mar
/ ket. The presence of these holes is
/ conclusive evidence of the former cap
! tvity of the turtle possessing them.
1 You see what | mean"
We'll, when | examined this turtle |
! found the tell-tale holes in his fiippers.
| In one of the rear flippers there was a
! tear as if the rope had been dragged
/ through the flesh. There was a second
! hole This satisfied me that however
| he got into Michigan and off Chicago
/ he had been a captive doomed to die
and was transported within the shores
| of the lake. | say nothing concerning
] his ability to come up the St. Lawrence
and force his way through the Welland
canal. Until / have proof that one of
the species has accomplished this |
! will retain doubt of il. But in this
case the question of his power To make
thetrip is eliminated. lie never made
/ the trip that way
bn GOT fhnrBo
| fell from some lake steamer or escaped
from some warehouse after arriving.
/ That is my belief. lie WAS probably on
/ the way here as an article Of commerce
with u price ON his head lie may have
duly arrived as freight and have been
consigned to the dungeons of ware
house to await a purchaser and then
have wormed his way out. Nobody but
some dealer or shipmaster who hap
/ pens to be shy on large loggerhead tur-
4 tie can settle this. Natural science will
not help although natural causes may.
How long was he in the lake? 1t
j would be impossible to tell. 1t might
! lie that he WAS in the waters off CHI
cago or some other lake port a much
/ longer time than would be suggested.
/ As the experts quoted III the story OF
his long Journey say. he could live in
/ fresh water provided he could get food.
/ we agree that if he could be would
most likely be found there. His habit
! of sticking to salt water so far as
i known With certainty, entities us to
/ the belief that fresh water does not
contain the food necessary for his ex-
! istence.
But this alone would not furnish any
| clue IL the length of time the big fell
! low was in Lake Michigan or other
fresh water These cold-hlooded ami
mails can live a long time without food
of any kind. Fish, turtles and alliga
tors can live sometimes for months II
they happen to be in cool places. II
is my opinion this turtle might live in
fresh water of the kind found in our
lake for a full year and have no food,
He would be husky and belligerent al
the end Of that time. The mystery
consists in the question of whether OF
not he can find proper food in fresh
! water. how long he can go without food
and in this particular case how long
J ..1....--.....t..a Er.aalnna IL.