Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-09
OPIUM SMUGGLING.
INGENIOUS TRICKS BY WHICH ILLICIT
TRADE is CARRIED ON.

Slowing Contraband Opium-yarious
Other Schemes.
1t Is believed by those who are acquainted
with the subject that at least two-thirds of
the smuggled opium brought TO this port is
carried by the transpacific steamers, of
which there are two each month from Hong
Kong. Thousands of pounds Of the contra
band" are slowed away in the steamers
before their departure from Hong Kong, and
are carried ashore under the noses, so to
speak, of the customs officers. A reporter
who has made study of this branch of opium
smuggling, has been so successful in discover
ing the means adopted for keeping "the STUFF
hidden from the eye of the searcher as to be
able to give an extended report on the sub
ject The list will, however, be confined to
only the more peculiar and interesting plans
of secret stowage.
For years what is known as the "shaft key
trick" has been worked on one of the steamers.
A shaft key is made of polished steel, and is
about one foot wide at the top and tapering
down to about eight inches in width at the
bottom, being of proportionate thickness and
about three feet in length. The key used in
the propeller shaft is of solid metal, but the
smugglers employ hollow dummy of exactly
pounds, or about $500 worth Of prepared
opium The cover is carefully adjusted and
the sides are held together by rivets having
sunken heads. To look at the dummy key
one would think twice before undertaking to
lift it, and yet it could readily be raised by
one man. With two customs officers at tho
end of the gang plank, however, the dummy
has been known to task to its utmost the
strength of four able-bodied men.
SLOWING CoNTRABAND OPIUM.
On the steamer City of Toxic there were
holes drilled in the iron floor and covered
with sheeting, which were used for many
years for slowing contraband opium. The
holes would contain in all about 500 pounds
of the drug. Although the searchers fire.
quently passed through the long alley, and
sometimes beat the ends of their sticks over
the cached" goods, no discoveries were ever
made. A steamers shaft alley is a dark, nar-
row, low-roofed and altogether uninviting
place in which to conduct official inspections,
and for this reason, although frequently used
for the purpose mentioned, the finding of
opium there is of rare occurrence.
From the shaft alley opium is frequently
taken ashore by means of carpenters saw
horses A hole running nearly the whole
and covered with piece of wood which fits
tightly into its place and is held by two
screws. From eight to twelve pounds of
opium may be carried off the steamer in this
manner, and there have been few instances of
detection.
A ''boiler stick as it is sometimes called,
is employed in a similar manner. The stick
is a heavy piece of wood, used as "rest" or
lever in repairing boilers 1t can be easily
duplicated by hollow stick, in which small
cans or intestines containing opium may be
placed and taken ashore as often as ten times
a day. This means of smuggling the drug
ashore was extensively employed, until on
one occasion, a few years ago, a boiler maker
carrying a stick down the gangplank stum-
bled, and, the opium falling out, was quickly
pounced upon by the customs officers.
VARIOUS OTHER TRICKS.
After that "stick smuggling" was aban-
doned, but changes in the customs forces
about the docks have encouraged its employ
ment recently. 1t is looked upon as one of
the safest means of getting opium ashore,
next to paying duty or standing in" with
the searchers. If discovered the smuggler
can throw his stick overheard, when it sinks
from the weight of heavy metal placed in the
ends. Then, too, if the governments
watchers are observed to be unusually
anxious about making a seizure, a sound
stick may be allowed to pass through their
hands, and, having disarmed suspicion, the
smuggler may, half an hour later, take an
opium stick ashore.
On the side-wheel steamers extra paddles"
were always taken along, to be used in case
of the breaking of any of those in the wheels.
Although none might be broken on a trip,
the persons having opium secreted aboard
and who were desirous of getting it ashore
would break or splinter some of the extra
paddles" and by following them out and
filling them with "cOntraband" would secure
the safe passage of their contents by throwing
them overheard, when they would be picked
UP by confederates in small boats.
Sometimes when boiler tubes are being re-
placed by new ones quantities of opium are
taken ashore after having been packed in the
middle of the tube. When a large number
Of tubes are to be taken from a steamship
this system of smuggling is found to work
very well, for after having inspected the first
two or three lots the searchers naturally re-
lax their vigilance, and twenty or thirty
"fxed" tubes are then easily passed.
Only few of the thousand and one means
of eluding the watchful officers have been
mentioned, but enough has been given to
show to what an extent smuggling is carried |
on, even with the employment of these means
described.-San Francisco Chronicle.