The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1892-08-06
GIBRALTAR PASS.
Interesting Features Of Famous NOrth-
western Highway for smaggIers.

tious and conflicting stories were cir
culated about Gibraltar pass, formerly
Deception pass, that it 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 skiffs and line and
measured Gibraltar pass at the mar
rowest part Of the throat, and found
" TO be 300 feet, and il may be widen
ed forty feet more by shot OF dyna.
mite in blasting off a point Of rock
The narrow portion OF the pass aver.
ages 800 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 70 about 900 feet
The narrowest part of Canoe pass il
so feet, and the widest part is 200
feet. Fora considerable distance Glib
raltar pass is already half mile to
mile and half wide, with depth Of
water at low tide of 100 to 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 TO build Dungeness
buoy was anchored outside OF the
pass for three days. The captain was
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 50 high that the an
chor could no longer touch bottom.
When the captain and crew awoke
the next morning they were amazed to
find that their huge craft had foated
through the pass, and that 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 dread
full place. They had an object in do
ing SO; it was to 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 gang of smugglers, and on
every island in this great archipelago
were the haunts of noted smugglers,
some of whom were as willy and as
crafty as any such characters that
were ever portrayed in works of fic-
ton. One of the number, who now
resides on an island in Gibraltar pass,
and has a little fleet of sail vessels
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. He
has long since retired from that bust
ness, and amuses himself nowadays in
fishing. About five miles south of
our office is Ben Ure's spit, which
forms part of the southern protection
of this harbor. This spit runs out
from claim of 100 acres on WILDLY
Island, formerly the home of Ben Ure,
who recently sold the ranch for s., 900
to the La Conner bank crowd. The
name of the former smuggler referred
to is Ben Ure He is keen, quick
witted Scotchman, 60 years of age,
eyes wide apart, and indicative of
bright perception
An old acquaintance of Ben Ure
tells us that some years ago, when Ben
was in the height of his glory, fed
eral revenue cutter came on him una
wares and captured him. The captain
OF the cutter ran line from Ben's sail
boat to the stern of the cutter, and was
towing him toward Port Townsend to
contiscate his cargo and imprison the
owner. But the captain failed to size
up his prisoner when he left him in
his own boat. Ben put his wits to
work; he decided that he would not
60 to Port Townsend. The night was
very dark. A lantern had been hung
on the bow of Ben's boat. This. light
Ben transferred to the top of cask
that he fastened to the tow line; then
he cut the tow line between the cask
and his own boat. When day dawned
the captain of the revenue cutter was
greatly chagrined to discover that he
was towing a cask with his lantern on
it, and that the contraband cargo and
its crafty owner had escaped amid the
mazes of the archipelago of this Medi-
terranean of the New World. Ben had
quietly slipped through Gibraltar pass,
where the cutter dare not attempt to
go, and proceeded to enjoy himself on
his ranch.
We are informed by people who live
at the pass that there is scarcely
night that smugglers do not sail
through Gibraltar pass, taking large
quantities of contraband goods both
north and south across the British
boundary. The government stations
revenue officers at Port Townsend and
Blaine to intercept smugglers, but it
has no one here, where the most of the
smuggling is done. The smugglers
can not go through Swinomish
Slough, because it is almost certain
that they would be caught, so they
Gun regular line through Gibraltar
pass. Washington Farmer.
The German emperor has inaupurated \