The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-12-29

How UneIe Sam Looks Atter WHISKY.
The man who creeps into drink
ling house by the back door. and
stealthily swallows his dram OF
liquor, little imagines the forms and
processes his drink has passed
through and how thoroughly Uncle
sam knows all about it. Capt
Charles Many, city gauger and
rectifier, talks Interestingly OF the
methods employed by the internal
revenue office to regulate the making
ard sale OF whiskies.
I The government regulation, says
! Capt. Many, requires that the dis
iiller make at least three and a hall
gallons OF whisky out of bushel of
corn. The distiller may make as
much more as he can get out Of 1t
With his better machinery. But the
minimum l. fixed
Every distillery has government
officer, known "a a store-keeper, at
tached, who receives government
! salary OF 81 day for seeing Just
| what goes into the liquor The
store keeper keeps the key to the
| bins and knows just how much corn
:. is used. The corn is first mixed
: with the malt and other ingredients,
, and allowed to ferment a certain
e number OF hours. Ii Is then placed
: in the still and cooked The steam
I arises from l., passes ont through a
worm tube and is cooled by passing
I, through a tub. The condensed
steam, as it drips from the end OF
the tube, i whisky.
The moment the whisky drips
from the still it becomes the proper
: ty of the government. The distiller
:. i not allowed to touch it until he
e sells IT to the wholesaler.
It If il is stronger than the distiller
II desires, he may dilute it in the
!. presence of the store keeper, by the
e addition Of pure water
e As soon as the whisky is barreled,
,r warehouse stamp containing the
: name Of the store-keep-r and gauger,
le i placed on the stamp head 1.-THE
le tax is paid immediately, the regular
Ie internal revenue stamp Is placed on
r the same head. But the distiller
2. may. if he choose, pay the tax any
le time before eight years, which the
to whisky is allowed by the govern
e, ment 10 remain in warehouses fol
to aging. At the end of that time he
10 must pay the tax, which Is $l.1O on
the proved gallon.
AS soon as the whisky is placed
in the warehouse the government
y euager is called. The guager
NJ weighs the entire filled barrel. the
weight Of the barrels themselves be-
ing shown to the storekeeper- From
the weight Of the barrel, filled. he
subtracts the weight of the empty
t, barrel, aud the result is the wine
a gallons" or actual amount OF fiuid
ID in the barrel. The proof is then
taken. Standard whisky is sup
a posed to be 100 proof, or to contain
0. SO much spirits in proportion to the
IS amount of water. If the proof is
W found to be over 100 the distilleI
may authorize the guager to reduce
il with pure water.
II. Barrels are frequently burned in
i side and the whisky in such barrels
gets rid Of every trace OF impurlty,
!. which j. absorbed into the charcoal
The wine gallons multiplied by the
proof gives the number OF proc
gallons, on which the tax is paid.
If the proof is below 100 the ia,
- - must be paid on the wine gallons
When the examination is finished
Sc the barrel is marked with the entIrs
an WEIGHT, tare, wine gallons, proof anC
:. procf gallons. An accurate record
n. Of all the barrels produced and Just
in. VIII re they are sold is kept In the
revenue offices.
rnis record is kept until the
on LIQUOR rea..hes the saloon or barre
nn house keeper who sells it, Th'
,st power OF the government extend'
even beyond the retailer to the con
IN sumner. but not enough revenue OF
:" ficers are employed 10 look after thu
he business this far down, but il it wers
he found that barrel in any saloon
did not have the sort Of liquor which
ld nd the marks on the stamp head In
dicated. it could be contiscated. \
~, couple of special revenue officer
went nosing around some Of th'
y, ~ downtown saloons few days ago
hut found all the barrels correct
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