Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-03
A TALE OF sMUecLeRs.
The Cos Iy Experiment Of Two Young Hen in
Yacht Tomahawk,

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following: The days of the smuggler.
are supposed to be long gone by in thi:
quarter Of the world. Yet only las
summer, a smugglcr's craft entered
Portland harbor, landed her goods
within a stones throw of the revenu.
cutter, and got away
The facts in this case are Just leak
ing out. The craft in question was the
yacht Tomahawk. The Tomahawk
was a cutter yacht. that is, a single
sticker, built after the English style
and rugged with short mainmast and
long tOpmast. She used to be quite a
famous craft among American yachts.
One day, last summer. when the
pleasure crafts of the rich men were
coming and going in Portland harbor
every day, the cutter Tomahawk came
in. In response to the hail, Where
FROM" she replied. THE Eastward. -
All the yachts came from the eastward
or the westward, and no one thinks of
sometime about the LIST of July that the
Tomahawk came. She was here on
the 4th and 5th Of that month. Indeed,
she lay at the anchorage off the yacht
club for about three weeks
No one noticed anything unusual
about the yacht, or thought of her as
anything else than a pleasure boat
with her owner aboard.
One day the small boat from the
Tomahawk brought some packages
ashore, landing them al the yacht club
float. This is a privilege accorded all
visiting yachts. which have free access
to the wharf and the club house
Those bringing the packages ashore re-
marked accidentally that they were
clothes belonging to the owner. for
which an express team would call. In
due time the express team did call and
take them away.
Smuggling was the farthest from
the thoughts of anyone about the
yacht club. The revenue cutter lay at
the next wharf, within a stones throw:
and of course no one would land SNUG
gled goods in such a place.
1t was not until some of the officials
of the yacht club were summoned be-
fore Collector Deering, a few days ago,
that anybody realized what had gone
on. 1t did not take them long to sat
isfy the collector that no one about the
yacht club was a confederate to the
smugglers. Indeed. the collector him
self is an honorary member of the
club, and he knew how easy it had
been for the smugglers to abuse the
courtesy of the club.
The Tomahawk. when she sailed into
Portland. came from Nova Scotia. She
did not advertise that fact. however The
simple statement from the eastward"
10 y,xad bow tsrc,,
eryone, since it means in nine cases out
of 10. Boothbay or Mt. Desert. There
have been various rumorS as to what the
Tomahawk had aboard. 1t has been
thought by some that she had 5000 worth
of opium. on the smuggling of which
there would be large profit. But 1t is
learned that what she really brought was
$500 worth of phenacetine. This is the
drug which is patented, and on which this
government levies SO high duty that
the rate on what was brought in would
count up to about $500.
1t appears that the young man on the
TOmahawk was of a prominent and
wealthy Rhode Island family. He in some
way got the idea that with the yacht he
could do a profitable business smuggling.
So he selected phenacetine as the article
and Portland as the place of landing.
From here the drug was sent by express
to Rhode Island. where it was received
by a confederate.
But phenacetine. being patented ar
ticle, was about the worst kind of goods
to dispose of after it was struggled This
fact, combined with another. brought the
enterprise to a disastrous conclusion
financially.
The Tomahawk sailed from Portland
for Providence. or Highland Light she
was wrecked. Her owner had on her an
insurance of $500 or $500.
1t is understood that the complications
about the phenacetine have also prevent
ed the collection of this money from the
insurance companies. The phenacetine
became a dangerous and troublesome
commodity for the two young men. 1t
was much like the duck that Tom Brown
and Harry East stole while at Rugby
They couldn't get rid of it. and every day
it was in danger of getting them into
trouble.
Harrassed by this state of things, they
went to the United States authorities it
is understood owned up and paid such
sums as would satisfy the treasury Off
Gals.
1t is understood that meanwhile the in
surance company learned that the Toma-
hawk had been smuggling and refused to
pay the loss.
So with the loss of the yacht and the
phenacetine, together with what it has
cost to settle with the government. the
venture is understood to have cost about
$4,000.