Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-11-07
TIE UHLShEY VAR.

The raid upon the whiskey distilleries in
New York was well executed and thorough
piece of business. The continuation Of the
work on the second day is reported as follows
in the New York Evening Post of Thursday.
AT eight o'clock this morning the raid upon
the Illicit whiskcy stills, which abound in the
neighholhood called "Irishtown," near the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, was resumed by Super
visor butcher, Assistant Assessor Wass and
a large force OF Selling officers, assisted by
United States troops. Atthe hour mentioned
force fregulars, numbering between 400 and
l 800 soldiers and marines, under the imme-
diate command OF General Wedges and Col.
Brougham, were under arms, aad placed at
the disposal of the civil authorities.
Within half an hour from the time that the
soldiers marched out from the Navy Yard,
every street, alley, and almost every house in
the Precinct was occupied by them At all
the street corners groups of twenty or thirty
soldiers were stationed on guard in readiness
if any disturbance should occur, and across
the centres of the suspected sections cordons
were drawn, which it was impossible TO pass
without express permission from the officer on
duty at that post. Especial care was taken to
prevent the collection of crowd and when
ever two or three men were observed talking
together they were at once ordered to dispense
The rain which fell heavily at intervals, ma
terially aided the military in the preservation
of order, as no one, unless compelled by duty,
could wish to face the storm. Every window
was crowded with the heads of women, who
loudly complained Of the ''destruction of their
property" and declared that the whole pro-
ceeding was tyrannical. A number of rutfian-
ly looking lrshmen were also visible, and
oathS were muttcred when the soldiers were
ont of hearing.
The search was begun on Little street.
About ten o'clock some large stones were
flung by by hands invisible from the street
from the roofs of the houses upon the soldiers,
and by command of Gen. Wedges the roofs
wereimmediatey occupied by soldiers. Every
suspected house was also placed under sur
VIGILANCE, and it soon became evident that the
military force was far too strong TO admit of
any resistance.
One of the largest stills found was in United
States street, miserable alley, about one
hundred and fifty yards in length, that runs
out of Little street. There are two or three
dilapidated wooden novels in this alley, and
in one of the most wretched, W here the walls
threatened to fail to the ground, and the floors
crcaked and bent when any one walked over
them, while the wind and rain howled through
the open windows, the illicit still was found.
\ stranger, or any one unaccustomed to the
work, would have searched in vain for any
evidence of "A distillery in SO wretched place.
Supervisor butchers men proceeded at once
to take up the floor. Although everything
about the hut was in the last stages of decay,
the floor offered stubborn resistance to the
axes Of the working party. Two or three
Irshmen who stood near, steadily declared
that the men were only wasting their time and
ridiculed the idea of any discovery, At last
two or three planks were torn up, and in an
instant the powerful odor Of molaSes mash
filled the room. Eagerly the axes were piled
for few minutes longer, until two or three
large holes had been made in the floor, and
then the distilery was reached. Four circu-
lar watts, measuring at least ten feet in dame
ter, and fifteen to twenty feet deep were i'm
bedded in the ground, and were all full of
"mash" This was an important seizure, as
the liquor was not only in great quantities,
but OF good quality. The still itself was con-
eealed in subterranean cellar, to which the
light OF day had never penetrated, and was
removed TO the Navy Yard, The liquor was