The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-04
MOONSHINING In new YORK
An Industry Riyaling That of the
Great Smoky Mountains,
The Makers of Illicit whisky in the
Big City and Their CunninE-Lurge
Profits Make the Risk Worth
WhiIe-StiIIs in Tenement Houses.

When William l. Strong, as Mayor Of
New York. visited the Atlanta Exposition
q few years ago. with a delegation Of
New York business men, he was escorted
one night by his Southern hosts to d far
of mountain top, that he might moisten
his lips with q drop Of the original noun
tain dew. distilled by the famous moon
sinners of Georgia and Tennessee. The
trip I'd the dark mountain side to the
little distilery, tucked away in the
CreviCes Of huge rocks. was made with
ell the mystery and secrecy with which
tradition has surrounded such a pilgrim
age, and the mayor was much impressed
Upon his return TO Atlanta ne tre-
quentIy referred to the expedition Final
Iy one OF his feIow-townsmen suggested
that, after all, the affair, so far as the
colonel. as mayor of New York was
concerned, very much resembled the car
rying Of Goals TO Newcastle. You can
get the Same stuff distilled with the
same disregard for the Government. ne
asserted. right in your own town-al-
most, in fact, under your official nose
~ hats the use OF breaking your back
climbing around rocks and up slippery
mountains"
That's just it. precisely" rctOrted the
mayor I never yet knew man bred
and brought up ia New York who had
the slightest regard for the eternal fit
Eess Of things. OF course 1 could get it
IL New York. but where would the sport
come in2 ! could go up 10 Central Park
and shoot grizzlies and lions and tigers,
but that wouldn't be hunting big game,
would il? There is not one Of you fellows
that has any sense of the prophecies"
To those who have always associated
this ancient work Of moonshining with
double-barreied shotguns poked through
the crevices in remote mountain fast
nesses, with a picturesque old outlaw at
the butt end Of the gun ready to ami
hiIate the Government officer who has
been Iured within range by the tiny
wreath Of smoke curling upward from the
| STILL New York does seem to be lacking
| in the proper stage setting.
! That metropolitan moonshining should
/ be carried on at the present day almost
! exclusively by Russian and Polish Jews
/ would seem to be almost sufficient provo
/ cation for the late mayors comment re-
! garding the prophecies. And yet New
/ York-iacking as it apparently IS in al
( the essential detaiIs-can furnish some cx-
! cellent sport for those whose business il
/ Is TO hunt mOonshiuers-in the Tunways
/ OF the native mOonshineTs these hunters
/ are known as them fed raj haounds''
IN the capacity Of its Illicit Stills il
! fact. and in its modern methods Of re-
] ducing solids to spTituous liquids. New
/! York is far in advance of the 0Id-fash.
/ toned school In the mountains the Stills
/ are almost universally constructed up0T
( a small scale, with the object Of moving
! them on considerably less than a mo-
n1~ut's notice They are all portable aus
I can be taken from one place to another
/ almost by hand. In this city on the con
| trsry, the plants are evidently put VI
! with some idea of permanency. They wary
in capacity from 100 to LOCO gallons. Ere
| quently four and five tanks have beer
found by the Government officers linked
| together. each tank having capacity o
1000 gallons The most elaborate moon
| sinners plant ever discovered in New
! York was in West Fifty-ninth Street Tn,
| camp occupied the entire upper stories O
| a large building. and contained. besidei
all the necessary modern utensils for dis
! tiIinR three large tanks, with a capacit!
Of 1890 gallons each. From the plant /
| was possible 10 turn out 800 gallons daily
The boss moonshiner Of this still wa!
! a Russian Jew-a man looked upon b,
the outside world is an eminentIyr prope
and prosperous member of the commun
ity- The seizure of his plant meant
loss to him of several thousand dollar
in money and a number Of years of lib
erty. Few of his local moonshining con
temporaries, however. cherish such am
bilious plans for dCfrauding the Govern
menJ. The vast majority of the illici
stills are found in the Easements Of Eas
Side tenement houses. 1t is necessar.