Washington sentinel., 1898-01-01
subtt rfugss oc Portland Merchants
in the OiG Days.
BonLorl's ~ az s6IriL ciyealar.

otherwise of the strictest probity
This was shown by a story oi
whisky seizure, Of which the mar
rator was the victim, being laugh
ingly told by a well known Front
street business man.
"It was in the early days of
Juneau" said she merchant when
Portland had almost entire control
ofthe Alaska trade. Once a month
the steamer California would
leave here for the north, her hold
filed with goods sold by Portland
dealers. There were, if remem-
Der rightly, twenty three saloons
in Juneau at the time speak OF,
1881, and, OF course, they had to
haYe whisky to conduct business.
The same old organic act prohib-
iting the importation of liquor into
the country existed then as it does
now, and as a consequence we
were forced to use all manner Of
devices and subteriuges to get the
whiskey into the country and keep
our customers supplied.
kerosene oil cans answered for
quite a while, until the receipt of
Kerosene at Juneau grew to such
dimensions that in sheer self-de-
fense Old Man Webster, the Jun
eau customs officer, was compelled
to plug and seize the stuff, Then
canned goods skeletons properly
labelled were put in use.
"The shipment OF these whiskeY
filled corn and tomato car S was
rapidly outgrowing any relsona-
BILE demand fer corn or tomatoes,
when / was called upon to make a
trip to Juneau. Here was a chance
tor me to make a big shipment Of
whiskeY and go along with il to see
it safely through. After much
consideration l decided on using
ham tierces. Each barrel was
carefully bottomed and lined with
hams, then in the centre was placed
ten gallon keg of whiskey, hams
were placed on the top OF the keg
and the tlerce headed up.
II had fifty of these ham whis-
key barrels fixed up, aud as the
California steamed away from the
dock without break from the Gus
toms offi:ers here, / smiled salts.
6ediy TO myself to think Of the turn
l would make with those 500 gal.
Ions of good red liquor delivered
to Juneau.
"But l counted without my host.
AT Port Townsend there was
shipment OF sawmill machinery for
the California to take aboard which
necessitated the unloading and re.
storing OF portion Of the steam
er's cargo. Among this freight
was my fifty tierces Of hams. Had
[ known what was to follow /
would have given the mate a $40
gold piece and bought barrel Of
beer for the crew rather than have
the goods putashore, but knowing
of no danger, l complacently
watched the hams swung out of
the hatch and onto the dock. Inn
agine my dismaY, however, when,
with the landing of the third sling
load, saw.a big burlY fellow
armed with bayonet fastened to
~ pole approach the tierces and be-
pin prodding into them. Well, 1
WAS over the side of that steamer
4 and onto the dock in minute.
"'What the---are you doing9'
l demanded.
Looking for whiskey,' he
coolly replied, preparing to make
another prod.
"'Who are you and what have
you got to do with freight passed
by the inspectors of Portland1' l
ansrily inquired.
"Oh, - Portland and her in
spectors, too. Freight's on tn
dock here at Port Townsend.
Treasury Department ruled that
all Alaska shipments must be
searched for liquor, he answered,
and with that he rammed the bay
onet in through one of the air holes
in a tierce. 1t struck fairly on a
keg.
Whats that9'he queried, look
ing at me with a sardonic grin.
"'A ham bone; anybody would
know that, l answered, slipping
him a $40 note.
'HumP he mused, pOcketing
the money. Didn't know what 1t
might be-
Everything would have been
all right but at this moment the
Collector for the port came up, and
possibly noticing my flushed,
angry look, turned to his assista Mt
and asked: What have you struck
here, Tom7
Nothing but hams, sir, re-
piled the inspe ctor, standing true
to the $40 he had received.
"'Well, better push your tryer
into another or two of these bar
rcls, to make sure, said the Col
lector.
"The Inspector was true blue,
He had taken the $40 and wanted
to protect me. Having struck the
whiskey keg before in prodding
through the side of the tierce, he
thought this time TO avoid it by
going TO the head. He ruined me
as far as my shipment was con
cerned. Thinking to push the
bayonet clear of the keg, ne struck
Just high enough to hit the small
plug in the head of the keg. II
was not fitted tight and gave. The
next instant there was a stream o
whiskey pouring out from between