The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-19
WORSE THAN WHISKY.
An Officer Tells of Some Drinks
Which Do More Harm
Than Old Rye.
The "Hootchenoo' Of the Alaskans
and How it Acts Upon
the Natives.
The Arrack Of the Malays Which Sets the
Drinkers Wild-Juice OF
White Grapes.

"People have remarks to make adverse to
whisky said a naval officer to Washing
ton Star reporter, "but there is many an
other drink in this world to which old rye or
Kentucky bourbon is as milk for babies.
For instance, there is the 'hootchenoo' of
the Chilcats of southern Alaska. Doubt
less the method of distillation of this re-
markable beverage was originally suggested
to the Chilcats by United States soldiers.
Any sort of vegetables made into a mash
is employed as raw material. The mash is
put in large tin can, which is connected
with another tin can just like it by the tube
of hollow vegetable stem that grows to
length of many feet in those regions.
A fire is built under the can that contains
the mash and the alcoholic properties
pass over into the other vessel. The
natives drink the liquor thus distilled, and
are driven wild by it. have seen some
thing of the way it operates i'll the course
of certain naval experiences on the Alaskan
coast. Very likely you have heard of the
style in which certain dwellers in that
cline celebrate their arrival at the maxim-
UNI of worldly fortune. Once in while it
occurs that big man finds himself in POS
session of $4,000, mostly in the shape of
blankets, such being the currency of that
part of the world. He has been working
for that end all his life, and he emphasizes
its accomplishment by giving a festival,
called .potlatch,' during which he spends
that he has gathered together in the shape
of property. Incidentally, the popular
drink is served ad libitum and the guests
begin the fun with the widest orgies, wind
ing up at length with general pandemon-
lao celebration, olawing and chewing and
H. ~
the best of their ability"
"And why does the drink produce such a
surprising ehect!"
'Well, my notion is that the awful results
of taking the stuff are in large measure
attributable to its being SO new from the
still. There is apt to be in any such alco-
holic beverage, new-made, certain consid-
known as fusil oil. Fusil oil is an alcohol.
People suppose, when they speak of alcohol,
that it is always one thing and one only;
but, as matter of fact, there are really a
dozen different alcohols. You can derive
alcohol from anything that is vegetable by
that is made into wood pulp and distill it
you have alcohol. Now, whereas properly
seasoned whisky is readily digested in very
moderate quantities., when new from the
still it will set the person who drinks il
fairly crazy, chiefly through the operation
Oh Uu0 luSl1 OIl Ill LIS lu6lA OlA ID Wei y
volatile, and it will escape by natural pro-
cesses fran liquor that is kept for time
but so long as it remains it is deadly. II
will induce temporary insanity hand"
HAS the freshness of the drink con-
sumed anything to do with the madness Of
tho natives who run amuck in the Mala,
PeninsulaY"
Decidedly. What the Malays drink il
popularity known all over eastern Asia Al
'arrack,' the name derived from the Arab,
'arrak,' signifying 'perspiration.' 1t is dis
titled, the best of it, from the unexpandet
flowers of certain varieties of palms, tn,
resulting juice being known as 'toddy.
Hence our name for a certain strong drink
This toddy is simply fermented and the re-
sulting liquor drunk.
"A vile kind of arrack is made from i'm.
pure molasses that is left over as refuse in
the manufacture of raw sugar, rice being
fermented with it and q percentage of palm
baleful intoxicant have known whole par.
ties of Malays to run amuck together, the
sport only concluding with the death of al
the participants as we'll as the destruction
OF numbers of innocent people. This, yor
know, is the favorite Malay plan of com
makes up his mind that he wants to die
and SO he fills himself up with raw arracl
and starts to run amuck, stabbing every on,
that comes in his way until he himself il
slain. Good arrack from palm toddy is no
Objectionable. The destructiveness of tn
inferior stuff, imagine, is mainly due t,
its being consumed in crude state befor
its more poisonous properties have beel
eliminated by seasoning. It is the sam
way with spisco.''
s'And what is that?"
ut is the distilled juice of certain sor
of white grapes, somewhat resembling tn
Malaga variety, which grow mostly in tn
neighborhood of Pisco, on the coast of Peru
The brandy-for such, of course, it is-thu
made is drunk raw from the STILL and i
sets the men who swallow it fairly mad
Usually they become murderously inclined
In the same way Mexlcans who get drum
on the liquor distilled from the cactus roc
and known as 'mescar become horribl
fierce and are ready to plunge their knive
into the most inoffensive people they en-
counter. The rawness of the beverage
mainly responsible for the symptom. Il,
convinced. l have known the crew of
ship on the Alaska coast, which was out ,
grog, to buy up considerable stock {
Jamaica ginger discovered in grocer
shop, and. having drunk it, to fall upo
another with knives and axes. There is
good sort of pisco known rs ITALIA whic
is not distilled from grape skins, and ha
had time to season."
Public Carriages.