The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-30
CANADIAN SMUGGLERS.
How They Get Their Merchandise
Across Niagara River.
A Remunerative Business That Eas Been
Carried on for Number of Years
Under the Noses of Gus
toms Oaiciais.

toiA3 o1-ithaAs'
| "There has always been more or less
! smuggling carried on across the Mag
ara river. and all the watchfulness of
government agents seems powerless
! to prevent it, said a customs officer,
according 20 the New York Sun. The
principal part of this border sInug-
Cling is from Canada to this side. The
only articles there is any profit in get
| ting from this side into Canada free
are kerosene and lager beer. Our
| kerosene is so much superior to the
! oil made from Canadian petroleum in
every way, and it could be sold SO
much cheaper than the native prod
uct, that the dominion government
levies heavy duty Oh it. Such is the
case, also, with our beer. The busi-
-aess of smuggling these two articles
across the river is not so extensively
carried on as it was four or five years
ago as the Canadian authorities dis
covered the ingenious method by
which it was made an easy matter to
cheat the customs officers. and estab-
lished a regular river patrol with in
structions to keep an eye out entirely
for the detection of the oil and beer
free traders. Bat they still manage to
do profitable business in this class Of
smuggling.
''The way the oil and beer are taken
across the river is by wcighting the
| barrels or kegs on one end so that only
the head appears above water, and
that only for an inch or two. A tow
of barrels thus sunk is attached to
rowboat, which slzillful rivernan
rows across at night. If the river
patrol discovers the boatman, and the
latter is likely to be overhauled, he
! cuts the ropes that fasten the tow to
his boat. The barrels are thus cast
adrift, and the smuggler has nothing
in his possession for which the officers
may apprehend him when they come
up. These tows frequently escape de-
lection by the government agents, as
the barrels float away In the darkness,
and watehful companions of the boat
man, who has cut them adrift, hover
ing about on the river, generally sue
ceed in recovering them. and proceed
with them to their destination. In the
early days OF this oil and beer smuggl
ing the points from which it was chiefly
carried On were Lewiston and YOungs-
town. The goods were taken to st.
GATHERINGS and other places on the
Canada side. Nowadays the srDpggled
goods can be landed only at out-of-the-
way localities where landings may be
made secretly, and all sorts of sub
terfuges have to be adopted to dis
tribute them successfully among the
men who take the chances in dealing
in them.
''There is no doubt but what there
are scores of Canadian merchants who
regularly employ agents to smuggle
goods purchased on that side of the
river to those who purchase them on
American side. The number of people
WHO go to Canada and buy dress goods
and clothing. not to sell again, but for
their own use, and arrange with the
merchants to deliver them duty free,
is surprising. The smugglers who take
the chances of delivering the goods at
the American points agreed upon work
on commission, which is division of
the sellers profits on the articles.
There are miles OF Ts-iit and unmatched
river front, and the agents are selected
for their knowledge OF the country and
their skill in strategy sa1 watercraft.
They work only on the darkest nigh Is.
and use very small beats. If they fail
IN landing goods IN sa fey t?:ey get no
pay. So vigilant and expert are they
that the percentage Of their failure 10
their success is very sulsfi. There are
numerous citizens of the Canadian
border conspicuous for their prosperity
who owe The foundation Of their com
petencies to the commissions they
gained in delivering safely CANADIAN
goods free Of daty to American par
chasers
Eggs and butter were formerly
largely smuGrled from Canada to
American markets. even before they
were made Gutiabie a small entry fee
was collectable on them. but the Can
adian traders objected To that. and
were in the habit OF packing large
quantities of eggs and butter in loads
of hav that were sent over to this side
The hay was subject to duty, payment
of which could not well he avoided
but the eggs and butter which the
trader succeeded IN getting over free.
hidden in his hay, more than made up
for the duty on that Since regular
duty was placed on eggs more atccn-
ticn has been paid To loads o. Can
adian hay by customs officers. and
these impOrtations Do not af5ord The
safe hiding places for eggs they one
did