The Delta independent., 1893-11-22
CANADIAN SMEGGLERS.
How They Got Their Merchandise
Across Niagara River.
A Remunerative business That Has Been
Carried for Number of Years
Under tho Hoses Of Gus
toms Omcials.

toms Omcials.
"There has always been more or less
smuggling carried on across the Mag
ara river, and MI tac wntchfulness OF
government agents seems powcrlcss
to prevent it." said a. customs officer,
according to the New York Sun. ''Thc
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 SO much superior to the
oil made from Canadian petroleum in
every way, and i. could be sold so
much cheaper than the native prod
uct, that the Dominion government
lcvies n heavy duty on it. Such is the
case, also, with our beer. The busi-
ness of smuggling these two articles
across the river is not SO extensively
carried on as it was four or five years
ago, as tho Canadian authorities dis
covered the ingenious method by
which it was made an easy matter TO
cheat the customs officers, and estab-
lished n regular. river patrol with il
btructions TO keep an eye ont entirely
for thc detection of the oil and beer
free traders. But they still manage to
do 4 profitable business in this class of
smuggling.
''rhc way the oil and beer are taken
across the river is by wcightin- the
barrels or kegs on one end 20 that only
the head appears above water, and
that Only for an inch or two. 4 tow
of barrels thus sunk is attached to a
rny.-lnrs ,-liat s1rtl1f,1 ~
rows across ut night. II the river
patrol discovers tho boatnal, and the
latter Is likely to be ovcrhaulcd, he
cuts the ropes that fasten shc tow to
his boat: The barrels arc thus cast
adrif;, and the srnuggler has nothing
in his po3Scssion for which the officers
may app-Hhcnd him when they como
up. These tows frequently escape de-
lection by the government agents, rs
the barrels float away in the darkness,
and vatchfrl companions of the boat
'ncn. who has cut them ndrift, hover
ing about on the river, generally srs-
.cca in recovering them, and proceed
with them to their destination. In the
early Gays OF this oil and beer snuggl-
inF the points from which IL wa chiefly
carried on were Lewiston and IounCs-
town. The goods were taken to 81.
Catherine and other places on the
CnGada side. Nowadays the s.nugglcd
goods CA bc landed only ut out-of-thc-
way localities where landings may be
made Sccrctly. and all aortS of sub
tcr:uTcs have to be adopted TO dis
trioEtc item successful; among the
men who take the chances in dealing
in them.
There l. no doubt but what there
arc scores of Canadian merchants who
regularly employ agents TO snugglc
goods purchased on that side of the
river to those who purchase them on
American side. The number OF people
who 70 TO Canada and buy dress goods
and clothing, not TO sell again, but for
their own rsc, and arrange with the
merchants 70 deliver thcm duty free,
Is rgrp.isinr. The si2ugglcrs who take
the chances OF delivering the goods Mt
the American points agreed upon work
on commission, which Is n division of
the sellers profits on the articles
There are miles of wild and unmatched
river front, and the agents are selected
for their knowledge of the country and
their skill in strategy and watcrcraft.
They work oaly on the darkest nights,
and usc very small boats. Ii they fail
in landing goods in safety they get no
pay. So vigilant and expert are they
that the percentage OF their failure TO
,hs,r ,.ueecas Is very small. There arc
numerous citizens of the Canadian
border conspicuous for their prosperity
who owe the foundation OF their com
pctcncies to the commissions they
gained in delivering safely Canadian
goodG free Of duty to American pur-
chascrs.
Eggs and butter were formerly
largely smugglc1 from Canadn TO
American markets, even before they
were made dntiablc. a small entry fec
was collcctablc on them. but the Cam
aaian traders objected to that, and
were in the habit of packing large
quantities of eggs and butter in loads
of hay that were sent over to this side.
The hay was subject to duty, payment
of which could not we'll be avoided,
but the eggs and butter which the
trader succcedcd in getting over free,
hidden II his hay, moro than made up
for tn, duty on that. Since q regular
duty was placed on eggs more uttcn-
tion has been paid to loads Of Can
adiaa hay by customs officers, AID
these irnpc rtations do not afford the
safe hiding places for eggs they once
did"