Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-02-25
GIBRALTAR PASS.
Interesting Features of q Famous North
western Highway for s~mugglers.

Interesting Features Of q Famous North
western Highway for smugglers.
In years gone by so many supersti-
tious and conflicting stories were cir
culated about Gibraltar pass. formerly
Deception pass, that il was difficult to
get any truth about it. Even the
width was not known, nor even ap-
proximated in the calculations, and it
was commonly reported that it was
but sixty feet wide. To settle this
question, George Lynch and Arthur
White took two skltfs and a line and
measured Gibraltar pass at the mar
rowest part of the throat, and found
it TO be 300 feet, and it may be widen
ed forty feet more by a shot of dyna-
mite in blasting off a point of rock.
The narrow portion Of the pass aver
ages 500 feet in width, and in re-
moving a small island between the
pass proper and the narrow channel
known as Canoe pass, the width of
Gibraltar pass can with but little ex-
pense be widened TO about 800 feet.
The narrowest part of Canoe pass is
80 feet. and the w.dest part is 200
feet. Fora considerable distance Glib.
raltar pass is already half a mile to a
mile and a half wide, with a depth Of
water at low tide of 100 10 200 feet,
and the walls are of solid and nearly
smooth rock. There are but few such
natural passes for shipping in the
world.
Twelve years ago one of the largest
scow schooners that has ever navi-
gated Puget sound being the one that
took the lumber 10 build Dungeness
buoy) was anchored outside of the
pass for three days. The captain was
a very careful man, and wanted to
take the tide at its most favorable
stage. The third night the tide came
while all on board were asleep, and
raised the vessel SO high that the an
Choir could no longer touch bottom.
When the captain and crew awoke
the next morning they were amazed 10
find that their huge craft had floated
through the pass, and hat they were
lying in the placid waters of Gibral-
tar harbor. The passage was SO smooth
that no one knew the vessel was not
at anchor outside.
The smugglers who infested these
waters since the earliest days have al
ways reported the pass To be a dread
full place. They had an object in do
ing so; il vas 10 deter the parties in
pursuit from entering here. At one
time the United States revenue cutter
was afraid TO undertake TO pursue a
smuggler's craft through and stopped
outside. At that time the head man at
the Utsalady mill was the head and
chief of a gang Of smugglers, and on
every island III this great archipelago
were the haunts of noted smugglers,
some Of whom were as willy aud AZ
crafty as any such characters thai
were ever portrayed in works OF tic'
ton. One Of the number, who now
resides on an island in Gibraltar pass,
and has a little fleet of sail vessel,
snugly ensconsed behind said island,
out Of sight of the daily passenger
steamer, tells us that he never snug.
gled for the profit, but was prompted
solely by the love Of excitement. liz
has long since retired from that bust
ness, and amuses himself nowadays in
fRshing. About five miles south VI
our Office is Ben Ure's spit, which
forms a part Of the southern protection
OF this harbor. This spit runs ouI
from "a claim of 160 acres ON WILDLY
Island, formerly the home of Ben IRE
who recently sold the ranch for 50, O0t
70 the La Conner bank crowd. The
name Of the former smuggler referred
70 is Ben IRE. He is a keen, qaicl
witted Scotchman, 60 years OF age
eyes wide apart, and indicative o
bright perception.
An old acquaintance Of Ben Or
tells us that sorne years ago, when BeI
was in the height Of his glory, a fed
eral evcnue cutter came on him una
wares aud captured him. The captain
OF the cutter ran a line from Ben's sail
boat TO the stern OF the cutter, and wa
towing nm toward Port Townsend Il
contiscste his cargo and imprison tn
owner. But the captain failed 10 siz
up his prisoner when he left him II
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