Evening journal., 1897-08-03
MAINE MOONLIGHT.
Crooked Whisky as 1t Is Made in
the Temperance State.
A Liquor That Cnrves It's way Down
and Makes Man Disown
His Parents-DOdginE
the Law.

the Law.
For 90 years after the passage Of the
Neal Dow law there were many Illicit
stills in Maine, all of which yielded
fair profit to the owners. The hard
times. which lasted from 1873 to 1857,
drove most Of the manufacturers out
Of the business. Soon afterward an Or /
land genius discovered "A way of maxi
ing whisky from alcohol by mixing it |
with water and croton oil, and then the
revenue officers rested, believing there |
were no offenders in the state.
The compound which was put up by |
the Orland man has been known under
various names. Ii was generally called |
split" on account of the way the al
cohol was divided, though the inventor
and his friends have always termed it
"ten-minute whisky" because of the
short time in which it was prepared.
The cost and manner of making two
gallons of ten-minute whisky are as
follows:
To one gallon of alcohol, valued at one
dollar, add 90 cents worth of croton
oil. Shake well for ten minutes and
add gallon of pure water. The re-
suit is two gallons of 40-rod whisky,
at a cost of GO cents a gallon.
Three drinks of this mixture would
make a good man disown his parents.
The ten-minute whisky came into gen
eral use and the owners of the illicit
stills moved over the line into New
Brunswick in order TO live, alcohol
came to Maine by the quart. gallon, bar
rel and hogshead until the Boston deal
ers grew curious and sent secret agents
down east to learn what became of
so much raw spirits. When they found
out that it was made into ten-minute
whisky they doubled the price.
{. Meanwhile the price of grain went
I, lower and lower every day. Corn.
: which had generally sold for 40 cents
q bushel, and had not gone below 30
cents since the days before the war,
dropped 10 40 cents last fall held there
all winter, and had downward ten
dency when the spring of 1897 opened.
+ According to the Maine standard n
bushel of corn, when sprouted, roasted,
81 ground up, fermented and distilled. will
yield four gallons of whisky, and with
corn at 40 cents a lbushel good corn
whisky should not cost over 20 cents
n gallon. AS long as alcohol was sold
at one dollar gallon, it was cheaper
to make ten-minute whisky than run
the risk Of conducting still; but when
p alcohol and the internal revenue tax
} on whisky went up, and the price Of
corn went down, the distilleries started
a once more and are reported to be doing
I a good business.
= Though some of the Maine liquor
, dealers are rich and prosperous, most
of them lead sorry lives, and are glad
j enough to get through the year with
II out falling in debt. AS their real busi-
ness must be concealed, a majority OF
- these men conduct cigar or candy
stores, or make pretense of being victu-
~ alters and boarding house keepers. The
N few who have saved money enough buy
n farms in the country, which supply the
IS shops with fresh fruits and vegetables
OF late these farmer saloon keepers
C. have engaged largely in stock raising
e keeping fat cattle and hogs on places
,S that can hardly support rabbits. Nat
* urally they have to buy grain; anc
Is while they are at it they might as wei
25 purchase enough. So great quantities
25 are bought and consumed to fatten the
% stock and restore fertility to the run
20 out farms. How much of this goes Il
20 fatty tissues for the animals and how
~ much to the Illicit stills nobody knows
o5 though when a man who keeps tw'
OO cows uses ten bags of whole corn
90 week it may be inferred that the still
tie get the larger portion.
Another method adopted by the mel
y who cannot afford to own farms ant
OO thus make their own whisky is to Civ
o900 heavy patronage to the men who peddi
7S spring water of certified purity
Though all the Maine cities and mos
of the larger towns have public water
". works there is no other state of II
ITS population in the union where so muc
It's so-called spring water is sold. Ever
us place of 5000 inhabitants is supple
nr bv three to ten water carts, represen
70 ing as many springs. The teams call
houses and stores every day, leaVln
full Jugs and taking away empty one
OF late the liquor dealers have begu
TO patronize those water peddlers yer
freely. buying ten to twenty-five ga
III Ions a week. When asked why they bu
N so much water. paying from haif
cent 10 a cent and n half a gallon i'
it, the dealers say that typhoid iev'