Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27

lied on in attics and cellars. They
are making whisky from black strap
cents per gallon. 1t probably costs them
less than % cents to make a gallon Of whis-
KY and their profits are from 400 to 500
per cent.
This business is entirely different from
that of the moonShiners. Col. W. W. Col
quit. the chief of the special agents of the
Treasury Department, has given me the
details, and have before me the drawing
of one of these northern whisky stills,
which has just been received by the Treas
ury Department. The still was captured
only few days ago in one of the big cities
of the east 1t is Of the sort used in Rus
sia, and 1t consists of two galvanized iron
boxes or barrels with fire boxes beneath
them. The molasses Is mixed with water
end is fermented into kind of sugar beer.
1t Is then put into these boilers and cooked
into a vapor. This Is conducted through
pipes into a second still and cold water
from the city water " crks acts as the con-
denser. The sugar beer after two distilla-
tons comes out in the shape of whisky.
and as such 1t Is ready for the market
Such a still costs but a few dollars. It
makes practically no smell. and it can be
put up In any room where there are water
works. The only ways that the treasury
detectives can know Of its existence are
through the selling of the whisky and the
purchasing of the molasses and yeast A
large amount of yeast has to be used to
ferment the beer, and the yeast factories
OF all the big eastern cities are now being
watched by treasury detectives. Every
one who buys much yeast has to give an
account of himself. and all suspicious pur-
chasers are carefully 3hadowed.
1000 Whisky Stills.
The increase of Illicit distilling in the
southern mountains during the past year is
enormous. The stills are scattered through
the mountain districts of every southern
state. and the revenue department has
never had its hands so full as now Tie
commissioner of internal revenue tells me
that the agents have never been so well Or
ganized, and they have never done so good
work as they are now doing. Col Colquitt.
the chief of this branch was for years in
the field as special agent. He has the
moonshine districts mapped out, and there
Is black list at the Treasury Department
containing the names of the suspected
characters. Congress has set aside $50 coo a
year for the pay of spies and hired in
formers. and Uncle Sam is now spending
ell told. about 100000 annually 10 put
down the business. Still there are more
stills now than ever before. One thousand
were destroyed last year. The outlook is
that there will be nearly 1000 wiped out
during the coming year, and the number
destroyed last month was 1854. 1t Is hard
to estimate the loss which Uncle Sam sus-
tains from these moonshine stills A few
days ago wagon load Of whisky. contain
ing 100 gallons of liquor. was captured near
Greenvlle. s. c. The tax on this alone
would have been $40. Suppose the 1900
stills which will be captured this year to
continue in operation. 1t is a small still
which will not produce five gallons of
whisky daily. These 1000 stills would pro-
duce 10000 gallons day, on which the tax
would be $1,000. Eleven thousand dollars
a day is more than $4,000, 900 per year. This
will be the saving in revenue by the break
ing up of these stills There are, however,
in all probability, hundreds which are
Fever discovered, and the loss is incalcu-
liable.
The Notorious Redmond.
"Who is the most notorious moonshiner