Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-08
SMUGGLING.
The United STATES and Canada systr.
mattcaiiy Robbed.
Victoria Times


rled on between British Columbia An,
the United States. Occasionally a larp
haul Is inside, sneh as the selZure of th
steamer LsLe Fisherman a few day
/ ago, With more than a quarter OF a tO-
OF opium aboard, or the seizure of a 10
OF Iewelry. as WAS made by the custom
ofncers IN this city some time age. III,
most profitable smuggling. however. il
IN taking articles from British Colum
bia TO the States. Tnis can be don,
"ith more profit, as the duty on mos
articles Is Tar more IN that country thar
mere, and people engaged in tina. occu
patton nnd fewer obstacles in the way
customs officers In Washington Terri
tory are few and far between, and there
II little 20 hinder boat from landlnE
opium or anything else in any part OF
Paget Sound. A veil posted Officia
connected with the Dominion Govern
ment told representative of the Tine,
few days ago that he was surprised al
the vast amount of articles, such al
opium. manufactured tobacco, etc,
taken from this prOyiape to Washing
ton Territory.
" There is more brought into British
Colombia on the sly than is generally
supposed" said the captain. who. by the
Way, IL 10 the Government Marine Ser
vice, but il is usually landed around
the east side of the island, where there
are few people. and where customs sfii-
GERS are not 10 be found"
Did you ever come across any SNUG
Rlers during yonr voyages around these
waters = asked the reporter.
Yes, very often. | have seen boats
dOdeiDg around the San Juan Islands
many times. | knew very we'll what
they were doing, but have no authority
to capture them and investigate their
cargoes. The way most of the SNUG
Cling Is done is very simple. Goods
that they want to take to the United
States from British Columbia are taken
from Victoria to some of the islands in
the San Juan group under our flag, then
from such islands they are removed to
islands only short distance away
which belong to Brother Jonathan.
Then, of course, they are under the
American flag. and boats arriving at
ports in the lower Sound from Ameri
can islands go right along without be-
ing quest ioned or searched"
| suppose smuggling into British
Columbia is done about the same way,
is it not z"
"Very much the same" replied the
captain. They take such goods as are
at a premium in this couhtry to the
American islands in that group, thence
TO islands under the English flag. and
from there to the mainland and Van
couver Island. know that it is done,
and so do many other officials. but it
wosld take an army of officers to stop
it,"
"Do you think it paying business ~
Certainly; II pays them we'll, or
they would not engage in il. While
they are seldom oaHght at 1t, still more
or less chances are taken, and unless
there was big money in it no one would
care TO run the risks necessarily con.
nected with all illegitimate ecoupa-
tions.'
" Nearly every one sHpposes there is
some smuggling going on, but not as
much as you seem to think" remarked
the reporter.
"Weil," continued the captain, "as l
said before, there is much more taken
into the United States than is Snug
gled into British Columbia. Why, Just
thiuk of it. rhe duty on prepared
opium in the States is $40 per pound.
Now. a pound is very small amount,
so far as size is concerned. Suppose
they succeed in smuggling in ten
pounds, there is a saving of 500.
call that making money pretty fast.
don't YOU Look at the large number
Of Chinese in Washington Territory
and Oregon. They will have their
opium IL necessary food ia denied. and
there is no trouble in disposing of all
that is smugRled in"
Why don't the United States rev.
enue cutters head them of p
"Oh, they can't be everywhere.
These fellows who do the smuggling
keep pretty well posted as to where the
cutters are, and besides they do their
smuggling at night, when it is hard
matter to see small boat even il a
revenue cutter is near by. No doubt
the cutters try to capture all they can,
as they get salvage from the Govern
nent for all they seize, and It is an OBJ
ject for them to catch such people when
they have goods in their possession.
was coming around from the Gulf
tf Georgia not long since, when one
night, while near several of the San
Juan Islands, | saw two small boats
exchanging their cargoes. As soon as
my boat came in full view, aud they OBJ
served what it WAS. their boats put out
for the islands at lively rate, and we're
soon out of sight. knew very well
what they were doing. and could not
help laughing at their fright. II bad
authority To capture smueglers could
have easily picked them both mp, or run
them dowR."
II suppose more Cinnamon are smug.
gled from British Columbia into the
States, are they not p
Yes; plenty of them are taken
across. / know OF several instances
where two boats containing from eight
to ten Chinese have been safely landed
in Washington Territory. Cinnamon
will pay almost any price to be taken
across the straits. The fact that it is
against the law for them to 60 to the
States, makes them desire to 90 all the
more. Many of them think il is per.
feet paradise, and after they reach the
than on this side. OF course we have
no desire to stop them from going. It
would be a blessing il they were all
safely smaegled across"
IS Do You think there are many people
Cn&&&CA lu oAANkkttu& RVo0o ~ ntN
from the States who reside in Victoria 2"
Lets Of them. There are many peo-
pie right here in Victoria who do moth
ing else. People wonder what their oe-
capation is, and how they make liv
ing. They are seen around every day,
wearing good clothes and apparently
living high, occasionally dropping into
first class hotel and boarding day or
two. Then they suddenly disappear
and are not visible for two or three
days. That's their business. They are
smugglers. Ola! it's profitable employ
ment. You can make thousand dol
lars Smuggling prepared opium or Ii
quor into the States quicker and easier
than any other way know of.
IL suppose ssme of them have been
engaged in this pursuit for long time"
remarked the scribe.
MANY of them for eight or ten years,
or probably longer replied the seafar-
ing centlemsn. "whsn once operated
successfully, there Is fascination about
it that holds them 20 IL. The werk is
easy, the profit great, and there Is lust
enough excitement attached to IL to
make it interesting
"yon may safely say" said the Cap
tain in conclusion. ''that people in Vic
toria may think they know all about the
amount Of smuggling going on. bat IN
rAalfsw thav know little or nothing