The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-29

are one experienced and inexperienced, tnc
nervous, the ignorant, the suspicious, the
affable, the surly, the conscientious and a
lot more. OF course it is physical impos-
slblllty to make rigorous search of every
article that every person brings, and even
If it were possible the American people
would not stand it, But in obedience to
some mysterious law the persons who are
really trying to do wrong betray them
selves by their manner, and those who are
doing so unintentionally are pretty sure to
tell 1t IN answer to questions
SO, as the passengers come up, they an
swer In all sorts of ways the plain, straight
forward questions asked by the officers.
Generally the dialogue ran something like
the following:
What baggage have you on board?n
well, have my trunks"
"How many trunks have your"
swell, there are three in the hold and
one in the stateroom and one by the door,
"How many in ALP"
"Four."
Are there only four?"
"Ohl no; there are FIVE"
Anything else?"
"Yes; l have Gladstone bag, and a
dressing case, and bundle of canes and
umbrellas, and hamper, and a hold
ALL"
This is necessary in order to fill out list
OF baggage, for which a printSd blank is
furnished. Then each passenger, for him
self or for his family, if they are travelling
with him, makes oath (Which the offfser is
authorized to administer that the trunks.
ETC., contain mo merchandise whatever
other than wearing apparel, personal bag
gage. or tools of trade; that they are all
the property of myself and members of nv
family who have lately arrived in the YES
sci named above, and are not, directly or
indirectly, imported for any other person
or intended for SALE"
When this statement has exceptions. as.
Tor instance, in case of articles purchased
for presents to friends, which most travel
ers bring, these exceptions are noted in
another column of the same paper, and the
passenger makes oath to the statement of
these articles and their cost.
This constitutes the GENTRY of baggage
which document the officer retains He
numbers it and gives the passenger paper
check bearing the same number. Each
officer can ordinarily take about forty of
these declarations before the vessel reaches
the dock, when it becomes the duty of the
inspectors to verify the lists and, in suspi-
cious cases, to make search for dutiable
articles which the passenger may not have
declared"
The tricks and attempted evasions of the
law are infinite in variety, and so many of
them have been described in print that to
repeat them would be idle labor. Only
one notable instance occurred on this par
ticular trip. A second cabin passenger
was matchmaker, who was travelling
with his wife. Something about her ap-
pearance attracted the attention of Staff
Officer Post, and he brushed against her
as if by accident. He said nothing at the
time, but when the ship reached the dock
he spoke to one of the female inspectors,
who took the woman to one side and de-
prived her of her hustle The hustle is
now in the Seizure room" at the custom
house. There are thirty-five watches sewed
up in it.
Such is the routine duty of the deputy
surveyor and his officers. 1t is not spe-
cially hard life, though it is a somewhat
irregular one. When vessel, as often &C.
ours, lies in the stream over night before
going to her dock, some one of the officers
has to remain on board of her all night.
ObueIWlSt JHt WOFh Is usually from SUM-
rise to sunset. The boats are comfortable,
though by no means luxurious, and no
charge of ''junketing at public expense"
is likely to be brought. Certainly smoking
was the only indulgence saw, and cigars
were in such demand as to forbid the no
ton that gifts from incoming ships officers
or from anybody else were common.
Occasionally, but rarely, some special
duty is performed by order of the treasury
department. An instance of this occurred
when General Sherman's son arrived in
port the day before the recent funeral.
He and his baggage were taken from the
ship by the tug Chandler, and carried to
the city direct without waiting for the or
binary formalities.
Of peril there is certainly some, though
ordinarily very little. Boarding must be
done in all weathers, and is often danger
Gus. But if danger is not common excite
ment is frequent. Only short time be.
fore / went down the Chandler was near
enough for her officers to see the steam
ship Havel run down and sink the bark
Mascot, killing two boys, and continuing
on her way without an effort to save any
body. Not seldom they see men fall over
board, being rescued or not, as the case
may be. DAVID A. CURTIS.
Sympathetic.