Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-18
PUGET SOUND SMUGGLING
a Correspondent Tells OF San Francis
co.'s Anxiety

tacks which have been made on the
custom house officials of this sound,
principally emanating from San Fran
cisco, lead one to suppose that the SER
vice is far more corrupt than a search
ing investigation will prove. The Ia
coma Ledger, the Seattle Post-Intelli-
gencer and recently the San Francisco
Chronicle have published articles un-
der glaring headlines within the past
few weeks which have contained
charges of the most corrupt character
The reports have in almost every case
had an origin in San Francisco, and
point to u desire on the part of some
body at that port to divert attention
from their methods and center the eyes
of the treasury department upon Puget
sound or Portland.
The last and most viTulent of the at
lacks is contained in the San Francisco
Chronicle of the 18th, and is made up
from report of a man named Noyes,
who apparently wishes TO make him
self appear as valuable man to the
new administration, as later reports,
from San Francisco, say he had no
standing with United States officials
while in San Francisco, and his asser-
tons were not usually taken ser
iOusly.
The charges, among other things, say
that Cinnamon and opium are illegally
brought across the border and that GUS
toms officials are in league with the
smugglers.
Now nobody acquainted with the con-
dtions of affairs in this portion of
the country believes that the small
force stationed in this district can pre-
vent illegal importations across the
boundary, although frequent seizures
are made.
The writer has had several years
acquaintance with the customs service
of this district and can give the intelli-
gent reader few items of information
that will prove that the force here is
entirely inadequate to the proper
guarding against such importations,
and some facts contained herein may
be of use to the officials at Washington
it, by chance, this reaches their ewes.
The district of Puget sound includes
stretch of the International boundary
800 miles long, between the supports
of Little Dalles and Blaine, and coast
line of 800 miles along the shores of
Puget sound and the Pacific ocean.
To properly guard this district the col
lector at Port Townsend has force of
fifty-two men, including all office
men, Chinese and emigrant inspectors.
Deducting the office force at the vari-
Gus supports of entry, whose business
require their presence inside, there re-
main twenty men for outside work, of
whom three are at all times detailed
upon the steamers which daily ply
between the United States and British
Columbia ports. In San Francisco,
we are told, there are l16 men attached
TO the surveyors office, whose business
is entirely outside, and when a vessel
arrives from a British Columbia or
Puget sound port eight officers are de-
tailed to watch her carefully until the
entire cargo is discharged, which, to-
getheT with the fact that they often
receive information of suspected pack
ages or vessels, makes it possible for
them to make frequent seizures of inn
portance. Combined with this is the
fact that San Francisco being the
natural market for opium and the
Mecca of all Chinese immigrants, it
appears commendable, rather than
otherwise, that seventeen men can so
carefully guard a boundary 300 miles
long, touched or crossed by three trans
continental routes, and protect the in
terest of the customs department so
well that the opium is forced to go to
San Francisco for an entrance into the
states. The steamers on which opium
is most often found, on arrival at San
Francisco, touch at British Columbia
port after leaving American ports on
Puget sound, nevertheless any opium
found on board is charged TO the negli-
gence of Sound officers. At Blaine,
where vessels often first touch, on
entering the United States from Brit
ish Columbia, there is but one employee
stationed and his duties are in the
office. The port is not furnished with
a corps of inspectors to examine the
hold Of vessel for contraband goods,
and while the deputy collector is at his
office signing the necessary papers for
the entrance of a vessel there is nobody
IN sight TO guard against smuggling
goods ashore, and doubtless those who
are DESTROYS Of doing such work ARE
well aware Of this fact and have taken
advantage of it.
Another large loop hole the govern
ment has left open for smuggling,
which is charged to Puget sound Off
GERS, when goods are found ON arrival
in san Francisco; there are hundreds
Of vessels loaded on the Sound every
year. at one of the way ports where no
customs house employee is stationed,
and As they are sailing on coasting
papers and do not have to report at the
customs houses, either arriving or de
parting, there is no reason why they
cannot receive contraband goods
brought across the imaginary border
in small sail or steam vessels by night,
and stone them away beyond the proba-
bility Of detection. There is no patrol
by sea on this Sound beyond the old
craft called q revenue cutter which
did succeed in overhauling a sloop
moored to buoy in Hale's passage
last year, but cannot overtake a sailing
boat with a fair wind and in shallow
water, rs has often been proved. The
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