Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1897-08-22

For 20 years after the passage Of the
| Neal Dow law there were many Illicit
stills in Maine. all OF which yielded Il
fair profit to the owners. The hard
times. which lasted from 1873 TO 1887,
drove most of the manufacturers out
Of the business. Soon afterward all Or
land genius discovered n way of maxi
ing whisky from alcohol by mixing IL
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 maj has been known under
various names. 1t was generally called
split" on account OF the way the al
cohol was divided, though the inventor
and his friends have always termed IL
"tcn-minute whisky" because of III"
short time in which il was prepared.
The cost and manner of making two
gallons OF tcn-minutc whisky are rs
follows:
To ono gallon of alcohol. valued ut one
dollar, add 20 cents worth OF croton
oil. Shake we'll for ten minutes and
add Il gallon OF pure water. The re-
suit is two gallons Of iU-rod whisky.
1T II cost OF GO cents Il gallon.
Three drinks OF this mixture would
make = good man GiSowu his parents.
The tcn-minutc whisky came into gen
rral use and the owners of the Illicit
stills moved over the linc into New:
brunswick in order To live. alcohol
came To Maine by the quart. gallon. bar
rel and hogshcad until the Boston deal
crs grew curious and SEM secret agents
down east 10 learn what became Of
50 much raw spirits. When they found
out ;hat it was made into tcn-minut.
whisky they doubled the price.
Meanwhile the price of grain went
lever and lower every day. Corr
which had generally sold for 20 cents
= bUshCl, and had not gonc below 50
cents since the days before the war.
dropped TO 30 cents last fail. held there
"il winter. and had Il downward ten
dcncy when the spring of 1897 opened.
According TO TIE Maine standard n
0ushel OF corn, when spToutcd. roasted.
ground up. ~fcrIucntcd and distilled. will
yield four gallons of whisky. and with
corn nj so cents II hushcI good corn
whisky should not cost over 90 cents
a gallon. AS long as alcohol was sold
at one dollar II gallon. it wa cheaper
10 make tcn-miHutc whisky than run
the risk of conducting n still; but when
alcohol and the internal revenue tau
on whisky went UP. and the price of
corn went down. the distillcrics started
once more and are reported to be doing
a good business.
Though some OF the Maine liquor
dealers are rich and prosperous, most
OF them lead sorry lives. and nrc glad
enough to get through the year with
ca, falling in debt. As their real bust
ness must be concealed. n majority oi
these men conduct cigar or candy
stores, or make prctrnsc of being victu-
alters and boarding house keepers. The
few who have saved money enough buy
farms in the country, which supply the
shops with fresh fruits and vegetables.
OF late these farmer saloon keepers
have engaged largely in stock raising.
keeping fat cattle and hogs on places
that can hardly support rabbits. Nat
uTally they have to buy grain; and
while they are ut il they might as well
purchase enough. So great quantities
are bought and consumed to fattcn the
stock md restore fertility to the rum
out farms. How much Of this goes to
fatty tissues for the animals and how
much to the Illicit stills nobody knows,
though when n nan who keeps two
COWS uses ten bags Of whole corn II
week il may hc inferred that the stills
get the larger portion.
Another method adopted by the men
Z y-In ,srnrn, - 'Tnrl o., - fnrn,G and
thus make their own whisky is Ia give
heavy patronage TO the men who pcddlr
spring water OF certified purity.
Though all tie Maine cities and most
OF the larger towns have public water
works there is no other state of its
population in the union where sn much
Eo-callcd spring water * sold. Every
place of 5000 inhabitants il supplied
.py three to ten water carts, represent
ing ms many springs. The teams call nj
houses and stores every day, l~caNin'!
fun jugs and taking away empty ones,
or late the liquor dealers have begun
to pntronizc hose water p"hdlcrs very
freely. buying ten to twenty-five gal
Ions a week. When asked why they buy
80 much water. paying from half -
ccnt to a cent and II half n gallon foi
IL. the dealers say that typhoid fever
is abroad, and they fear their customers
may catch the mnlady.-N. \. Sun.