The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-05

Ingenious Tricks OF Sailors for Smuggling
Liquor Board ship.

| Ono OF the most arduous tasks devolving
upon the officers OF a war ship is that OF pre-
venting the men from smuggling intoyicants
aboard the ship. 1t is task that perhaps no
Captain has yet performed with complete and
long-continued success. 1t involves u con-
| slant contest OF ingenuity between officers and
the crew. the latter devsing al! manner OF
schemes to get the coutraband luxury aboard
and the former cndeavoring to ferret o 1. and
illustrate the plans. 1t Is a contest in which
| the crew are often successful. While the ship
is at sea the mems brains arc busy with
schemes for smuggling LIQUOR on board that
keep the officers brains busy when she gets In
port. Tricks that were old when the American
navy was young are perenDially practised by
the sailors. and tho officers. however smart and
alert. cannot wholly deleat them. why" said
an old Captain. :" Pve almost come to he SUPER
stitious OH this subject. I'm prepared to be-
lieve that If my shin were at sea without
drop OF liquor aboard and we sailed anywhere
within sight, even OF land. half the men In the
forecastle would soon find the means for get
ting gloriously drank. I'm sure OF 1t. Liquor
is simply spirited aboard"
When ship is in home port tho trouble Is
greatest. Some day clever capture will be
made. the men be dcploIing the failure of n
new scheme and the officers chuckling over
Its discovery. and YET the next morning will
drunk tho night before. When n boat load OF
men return from shore leave; the bogt is stop
officer drops into it from the boat boom and
makes n thorough search for liquor. lie prob
men apr appear as innocent as dcSns: but tie
next night half that boats company will per-
haps be upSy.
4 company of half dozen men on one OF the
war ships here during the naval review last
sprlng had Young parrot for n pet, housed in
cess"r of severa! that had occupied the same
Gaze Turing , stay at a tIonieaL port port The
pets. which lived onlr.a, short time. The one
they brought here. which had stood the VOYAGE
well. died soon after the shin arrived in pot.
othor kind of bird. Tnat also soon died; and
30 Gid four or iiyo Others in succession within
n few weeks: Finally the officers noticed the
noticed ths great frequency with which tho
drunk aboard ship suspicion ,dawncd upon
thom nrl they seizeh The bird cage hey
several quarts Of whiskey. and also that tHs
food tins. aud even tho thick bars. We're hol-
low. The mon had killed their, cheap pet
when oihor schemes for obtaining liquor wore
ioran"'hCr cam" hack with IL new bird ana
hall gallon or 20 Of whisky.
An old scheme. often tried with moro or less
sn,rSss. Is 1otHw nottirT OF liquor behind the
then, !, short distance from tho vess1l. 6uoySI
aud Amch"red IN such way MS 20 10 rccovera.
Me, Ins Is Usually DttemE,ed at night Each
long line with weight on The end attached to
1t so ms to keen it from floating On tho sur ace
and also to keep IL beside the shin. The length
of tho anchor cord is easily gnuged hy Tie
amount OF chain out with the ships anchors
Another light cord attached TO the bottle has u
dimnutivs float attached.
Whom lose under tho ship's sIdethe bottles
are let 20, and tho men 20 iemUrev aboard
alter IN" hoat has hcen searched wthi" ana
without lurln. III" night II man Will nn@io
for m" bottles with sharE ho j.. o' WI dfnp
from = mt near whore tho .o'i"' ~" A.
cluip 'hNlnE ms chance, al I'll iF''f'U ~ ll
nlilccI~ and rn'nN"r lhrm iY a.. ,1h' ~ mo
iloal, nr perhaps means hnvr. f." y lhNrA l"r
fastening 10 some part ui the -hip : 81 20 y
thread attached to the lloai. ~ means OF
which the bottles can be hauled in at Avor-
able opportunity.
The sailormen might tell columns OF stories
OF clever schemes for smuggling grog aboard
ship. but naturally they do not care TO reveal