Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-28

would seem to indicate.
Pipe Went Out Long Ago.
Her maJesty's admirers may be Of good
cheer-her pipe" has been out for forty
years. although 1t can be seen yet by the
curious. Few people do see it. however,
and, beyond those who work around it.
few even know where 1t is.
The queens pipe Is a mysterious old
square furnace down in the underground
recesses of the customs building in Billings
gate, on the Thames. Until about 1858 it
used to be charged and lighted once year.
All the tobacco that INSCRIPTIONS folk at
tempted to bring into the kingdom without
the formality Of paying duty thereon and
which was bounced upon by her ma1esty's
alert customs officials, was dumped into
that furnace and burnt offering made Of
1t. The customs people Of today sail all
with perfect gravity. and they shook their
heads severely when l frivolously limited
that some brands occasionally might have
been saved from the burning for the pri-
vate delectation OF their predecessors in
office.
There used to be some absurd old formal
ity that had to be gone through with when
the tobacco was burned-just what, nobody
now can tell; but the whole business was
done away with long ago, and the captured
smoking mixtures, which last year
amounted to 6,115 pounds, are put to better
use Lunatics and bugs get the benefit of
them. The first are in the government
asylums for the criminal insane, the latter
have their local habitations among the
plants In the Royal Botanical and the Kew
gardens Neither the lunatics nor the bugs
get cigars-these are sold at public auction
in Mincing lane; but the best Of the cap
tured smoking tobacco is served out to the
inmates Of the three great British institu-
lions mentioned. Why the criminal insane
are thus especially favored by the govern
ment could not be satisfactorily explained
I, until IN cd
but they volunteered the information that
the best of the tobacco was poor stun, leav
ing the happy Inference that no one but a
lunatic could be induced to smoke 1t. AS
for the bugs they are even less to be
Wed. for they get the tobacco that is re-
garded as absolutely impossible from
smokers viewpoint. That doesn't indicate
any lack of courtesy on the part Of the gov
eminent, for 1t doesn't care very much
about the bugs. anyway. and use this to-
bacco only for the purpose OF destroying
them.
Struggled Tobacco.
The greater part of all this tobacco, prac-
tically the whole Of 1t, in fact, comes from
Holland and Germany. and Is brought by the
lowest class of common sailors. who try to
run the tobacco, either for their own enjoy
ment on land, as gift to friends. or to sell to
small dealers, and it's almost invariably Of
the poorest quality. The sailors methods
of hiding the tobacco are frequently original
and crafty, but the customs ''rummagers."
as they are called. have proved themselves
even more astute bringing the carefully Sc
GREETED stores to light with SO much ease
that the army Of petty smugglers is grad
ually becoming discouraged. OF course,
every one Of the detected men is brought
up and fined, and. while ten years ago the
yearly bag of seafaring men with
righteous proclivities used to be nearly
4 800 it has now shrunk to 2, 200. Although
$50 900 worth Of tobacco Is captured for
1.-The queens pipe" the government doesn't
make much X anything. out of the transac-
ton, for 1t has to keep perfect army Of
officials boa tmen. ETC., to attend to the job
ship that comes into England, no matter
from what port she halls. or who is aboard
Of her, Is searched for smuggled tobacco
and spirits, and the majority Of the culprits
Folk estone. Gravesend and the other ports
of merchantmen from the continent. Ships
from America rarely offend in this direc-
ton.
The customs "rummagers' and their
sturdy boats crews are stationed all along
the tattered coastline, and no ship has more
than anchored before they are aboard, un-
yelling the sanctity of the mems "sea
chests" poking under their hunks, and even
probing the funnel and smokestacks II the
and crows nest. II the suspect is a SAILING
vessel, all these localities being frequently
chosen by the erring salts to conceal their
unlawful boards. The searching operations
are guided by reports received from the reg
ular detective force allied to the rum
magers." who have the delicate duty Of
mingling, disguised. with the sailors in their
shore haunts. and surprising their secrets
double reflection that 1t not only takes a
tremendous number Of men to an the
queens pipe. but that the lunatics and
bugs Oh England are smoking tobacco that