The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-13
HOW SCHOONER
NORMA LANDED
8
HER OPIUM CARGO
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an American ship bound for Boston, ana ,
he landed there in April, 1852. Here lie
caueht the war fever and enlisted in the
Sixth Massachusetts Cavalry. He served :
faithfully at the front for eight months .
with this regiment, when, firing of a sol .
dier's life he deserted, made his way TO
Philadelphia and enlisted in the Navy.
Here he served till the close of the war
Since the war he had sailed in and. out
of every port in the known world, but
for the last ten years had been settled
lin the Sandwich Islands. The ship we
were now on-the Kenilworth, Captain
Baker. had just brought cargo of sugar
from the islands, and was loading
general cargo for San Francisco, from
whence she would go to Honolulu for
another cargo of sugar. l eagerly ac-
copied Curtis offer to use his influence
with the Captain to have me shipped as
an ordinary seaman. He was successful,
and when the ship sailed I was a mem
Der of the crew, on the understanding
that / should be discharged ana pald OIL I
in Honolulu.
i The voyage around the Horn and up
to San Francisco was devoid of anything /
of special interest and after discharg-
ing cargo we sailed for Honolulu, arr1v-
ing there in September, 1893. Here Cur
tbs and myself were paid off and estao- /
lished ourselves in bachelor quarters in /
a small house in the native quarter of |
the City close to the waterfront soon |
learned that Curtis was a noted charac- /
ter in Honolulu, and that he was under I
close police surveillance on suspicion or |
being an opium Smuggler. was mucn |
surprised at this, as / thought l en- /
ijoyed his close confidence, and he had
never mentioned this subject to me III
any of the long conversations We had :
during our long voyage. I accordingly (,
spoke to Curtis about it, and he smiling |
ly admitted it was true, and stated that
he was about to make me a proposition,
and that if had sand enough to take
it up and stay with it, it would put me
in a position where I need not bother as
to the future for several years to come
He then told me that the smuggling OF
opium was not looked upon as a crime In
, the Islands unless a person was caught
at it; that many of the rich and promi-
nent men in the Islands had laid the
foundations of their fortunes through
it, and if the truth was known that
many of the large importing firms of the
City were smuggling in opium IN every
consignment of goods.
/ He then said that No. l Hongkong
opium was selling in the Islands for thlr-
ty dollars a pound; that ne knew GER
tain rich Cinnamon who would take every
pound he could land at that figure ana
that he could procure the stuff In VIC
5 toria. B. c.. at ten dollars pound. He
: said he had made the trip to New YORK
3 and back to make the authorities beleVe
Z he had given up the business. but 1t
{ hadn't worked, and they were watching
s him sharper than ever. What ne pro-
s posed was this:
7 was TO leave him and go to work at
3 something in the City and not come near
& him. to give it out that 1 had broken
q with him. and to speak as badly ABOUT
s. hin, as I knew how. AT the end OF
IS couple of months I was to give up my
g work, take the steamer to San Francesca
q and saw that I was quitting the country
|. for good He would furnish me with
letters to certain parties in Victoria.
These parties had been getting large
Quantity of the drug together very graz
Iually so as not to attract afternoon, as
the Hawaiian Customs authorizes mao
spotters in all the Coast ports. ihey
: had written him that they would soon
have the amount that they agreed upon
to risk and had chartered loo-ton
schooner, which was to clear TOT the
Islands a fruiter, TO orins oacH
cargo of cocoanuts and bananas. faise
Ihottom had been built into her, ana II
this was to be slowed 5000 pounds o.
opium This false bottom was not io'
the purpose of deceiving the customs au
ithorities at Honolulu, but simply to nave
the opium slowed away out OF sign
while we were taking in our stores a
Victoria. There was certain place OF
the Island of Lanai where boats coul'
land safely on a sandy beach, the ON.
place on all the group where TINS coui'
be DONE There were but half a oozei
native houses widely scattered alon'
this whole stretch of beach. At the yer.
best landing place on this beach Their
lived Chinaman who was married to
native woman. This Chinaman was II
iCurtis' confidence, and had success1uii.
transacted similar business for him, pu
nothing of such magnitude as was nov
Contemplated. The location of thi
house was to be marked on chart
which / was to take with me for tn
guidance of the navigator of the schoon
Eer. Certain lights were to be dspiaye
on the beach near this house every hlsh
from the time it was calculated w
should be due, until we had safely land
led our precious cargo.
According to Curtis, there could be n
. probability of failure, and the proht
- would be something enormous,
Looking at the plan in all its bearings
i could not help but agreeing with hin
and the amount to be gained was S
large that 1 readily consented to pia
my part in the game.
Accordingly, in two months time sal
ed for San Francisco armed with M
letters and marked cnart. AliiNih
there 1 took the train to Seattle, Pre-
Iceeding from there to Victoria by boa
i readily found my man, we producin
mutual proofs that we were the rigf
parties and Immediately proceeded
business. / found that the opium We
already aboard the boat and that the
We're taking turns sleeping aboard an
watching it. All that remained to |
done was to take on our stores and g
clearance papers. This was easily a
complished, and in ten days from my a
rival in Victoria we cleared for the Is
i ands. l forgot to state that the opiu
/ was packed in twenty-four oblong boxe
4 each containing 250 pounds. As pr
caution in should be stopp'
and overhauled while beating about t
Islands, we had twelve large iron st
piles driven into the keel from the ste
to about amdships, and to each of the
8 We attached two doubled pieces of {
strongest kind of signal halyards, eaJ
fifteen feet long and easily capable