Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-07-03
CANADIAN SMUGGLERS.
How They Get Their Merchandise
Across Niagara River.

A RsmunerAtive Business That HAS Been
Carried ON for a Number of Years
Undar the Noses OF CuS-
toms omcials.
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 to the New York Sun. THE
principal part of this border SNUG
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 80 much superior to the
oil made from Canadian petroleum in
every way, and II could be sold SO
much cheaper than the native prod
uct, that the Dominion government
levies heavy duty on it. Such is the
case, also, with our beer. The bust
ness Of smuggling these two articles
across the river Is not so extensively
carried on as it was four or Eve years
ago, IS the Canadian authorities dis
covered fhe ingenious method by
which It was made an easy matter to
cheat the customs officers, and estab-
lished q regular river patrol with In
structionS to keep an eye out entirely
for the detection of the oil and beer
free traders- But they still manage to
do profitable baSiness in this class of
smuggling.
1.-THE way the oil and beer are taken
across the river is by weighing 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 n
rowboat, which a skinful riverman
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
adritt, and The smuggler has nothing
In his possession for which tho officers
may apprehend him when they como
up. These lows frequently escape de-
lection by the government agents, as
the barrels float away in the darkness,
and watchful companions of the boat
man, who has cut them adrift, hover
ing about on the river, generally sue
coed in recovering them, and proceed
with them TO their destination. In the
early OAyS OF InlS OIL anu Deer SIuuESl-
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 smuggled
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.
xwsh,,AA khar, A,,11r- ha
man who take the chance in dealing
In them.
There rs no doubt but what there
are scores Of Canadian merchants who
regularly employ agents to smuggle
goods purchased on that side of tho
river 10 those who purchase them on
American side. The number of people
who go to Canada and buy dress goods
and Gothing, not TO sell again, but for
their own use, and arrange with the
merchants to deliver them duty free,
u surprising. The smugglers who take
| the chances OF delivering the goods al
the American points agreed upon work
ON commission, which is 9 division Of
the sellers profits on the articles.
There are miles of wild and unmatched
/ river front, and the agents are selected
their skill In strategy and watercraft-
They work only on the darkest nigh Is
and use very small boats. If they fail
in landing goods in safety they get nc
pay. So vigilant and expert are they
that the percentage of their failure tc
their success is very small. 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 duty to American pur
chasers.
Eggs and butter were formerly
largely struggled from Canada tc
American markets, even before they
were made dutiabla- 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 load:
Of hay that were sent over TO this side
The hay was subject TO duty, paymen
Of which could not we'll be avoided
but the eggs aud butter which tn,
trader succeeded In getting over free
hidden In his hay, moro than made W
for the duty on that Since q regulal
duty was placed on eggs more atten
tlon has been paid to loads of Can
sdian hay By customs officers, anC
these tmpoTtations do not afford tn,
safe hiding places for eggs they ono
did"