SAD END OF SAN JOSE JOE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 48, 26 February 1913, Page 7

SAD END OF SAN JOSE JOE.

San Jose Joe is dead. This is the best bit of news sailors on the west coast of Central America and California, between Panama and San Francisco, have heard in many years (says the New York Herald.) For San Jose was a shark fully 28ft in length in death, although ? guesses about Ms size in life ranged from what ho really was up to 40ft. The news of Joe’s death was brought by an officer who has boon for many years in tlio employ of the Pacific .Mail Steamship Company. The taking off of the terror of Central America was tragic—for the terror. His home port was San Jose do Guatemala, and his cruising ground from Ohamperico on the north to San Juan del Sur on the south. All that came to his maw on that long stretch of coast was legitimate prey. According to sailors, who dreaded him, any one of their number who happened to fall overboard when the shark was near had little chance of ever again walking a deck. Greedy Joe, In fact, everything that fell within reach of San Jose belonged to him by right of might, and it was this greediness that finally cost him his life. The tragedy occurred at San Jose, the terror’s home port. A certain small succulent fish abounds in these waters, and to secure an abundant supply of the delicacy is one of the first objects of the crew of any ship arriving there. Seme do it one way, some another, but the captain that unwittingly caused Joe’s death had an original scheme all his own. Dynamite was what ho relied on. He had sticks of the explosive about 2in. in length and of the circumference of a lead pencil. To these a time fuse was attached, and when the small fish, hundreds of them, gathered close to his vessel after a meal and the leavings were dumped overboard, he would throw one into the very centre of tlio school. The explosion that speedily followed resulted in a concussion that stunned the fish, and caused them to float on top of the water as though dead. Then it was an easy matter to put off from the vessel in a small boat and with a not dip up as many as was desired. Of course this was not sportsmanlike, but it was highly satisfactory to a lot of hungry sailors. SwalHwetf the Dynamite. At the time Joe died the fish were there—so was the captain, so was the dynamite, and so were the sailors. It was soon after breakfast. The explosive had been thrown overboard, and all hands were waiting for the result. Suddenly there was a great commotion in the water, a ; ; i:rr. icy of the small fish in every directum, and directly off tlio port gangway appeared Joe, his vindictive Ihtie eyes hungrily blinking at the sail .. ; !i ing the rail. With a .v.vidi of i.i,> tail ho turned over on Ids kick, sum. toward the slowly singing ii we of dynamite, opened Ids great jar. swallowed it. That was nis death warrant. Ho hardly had got down die stick before it explod. d. Thera wasn’t even a struggle or a go As a sailor would say, "he was ripped j from stem to stern,” and his great ; bulk of a body floated on top of Ate water.