The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-06
YAR1EGArED MAINE WHIsKEr.
Tho Ten-sllnuto Kind. the Kind In water
Jugs. ana Others.

me- hAtnu. " Ntuu IN Nphtor
Jugs, ana Others.
FRANKFORT, Me-, June 4.-For twenty years
after the passage OF the Neal Dow law there
were many Illicit stills In Maine, all of which
yielded n fair profit to their owners. The hard
times, which lasted from 1873 to 1877, drove
most of the manufacturers out of the business.
Soon aftcrward an Orland genius discovered a
way of making whiskcy from alcohol by mixing
1t with water and croton oil, and then the reve-
nue. officers rested, believing there were no Of
tenders in the State.
The compound which was put up BY the Or.
land man has been known under various names,
1t was generally called split" on account OF
the way the alcohol was divided, though the in
vcntor and his friends have always termed it
"ten-minuto whiskey," because of the short
time in which 1t was prepared. The cost and
manner Of making two gallons Of ten-minute
whiskey are as follows:
To one gallon OF alcohol, valued at 81, add
twenty cents worth OF croton oil. Shake well
for ten minutes and add a gallon Of pure water.
The result is two gallons of f~orty.rod whiskey
at n cost of sixty cents a gallon.
Three drinks Of this mixture would make n
good man disown his parents. The ten-minutc
whiskey came into general use and the
owners OF Illicit stills moved over tho
line into New brunswick in order to live, alcohol
Ntiho w ihihO ~ ~ quul, HhAioli. bttIIcl anu
hogshoad until the Boston dealers grew curious
and sent secret agents down East to learn what
became of 80 much raw spirits. When they found
out that II was made into ten-m!nute whiskey
they doubled the price.
Meanwhile the price OF grain went lower and
sold for 20 cents. a bushcl, and had not gone
below SO cents since the. days before the war,
dropped TO 40 cents last fall. held there all win.
ter. and had a downward tendency when the
spring Of 1897 opened. According to the Maine
roasted. ground up, fcrmentcd, and DISTILLED.
will Yield four gallons, OF whiskoy. aud with
corn " 40 cents a bnshe!, good corn whiskey
as alcohol was sold at 81 a gallon, it was
cheaper to make ten-minuie whiskey than run
the risk OF conducting 4 still: but when alcohol
and the internal revenue tax on wl.iskey went
| up. and tho price n: corn went down. the disii!-
lcries started once more and arc reported to be
Though some OF the Mnine liquor dealers arc
rich and, prosperous. most OF them lead sorry
lives, and are glad enough TO get through the
year without falling in debt. As their real bust
ness must I've concealed. n majority OF these men
I or being victuallcrs and boarding house keepers.
! The few who hav saved money enough buy farms
in the country. which supply. the shops with
fresh fruit and vegetables. OF late these farmer
saloon keepers have engaged largely in stock
T ISn, n;n SbSSGiinE ;n l"5 SH, ruSDG and hS9 snr on places tsSS
have to buy grain: and while they are At 1t thoy
may as well purchase enough. So great guam
stock and restore fertility TO the runOut farms.
How much Of this goes TO fatty tissues for tho
unlmhls ana now HluCn 10 inc lllClI StlllS no.
body knows. though when a man who keeps two
cows uses ten bags OF whole corn n week 1t may
be inferred that the stills get tho larger portion.
Another method adopted by the men who can.
not afford to own farms and thus make their
own whiskey,. Is to give heavy patronage to the
men who peddlc spring water OF certified purity.
Though all the Maine cities and most OF the
larger towns have public waterworks there is no
other State OF its population in the Union
where so much so.callcd spring water is sold.
Every place OF 5000 inhabitants is supplied by
three to ten water carts. representing as many
springs. The teams call ut houses and stores
every day, leaving full jugs and taking away
empty ones. OF late the liquor dealers have
begun to patronize those water peddlers very
freely, buying ten to twenty-five gallons II week.
When asked why they buy so much water. pay
Ing from half a cent to u cent and u half a gallon
for II, the dealers say that typhoid fever ID
abroad, and they fear their customers may catch
the malady.