The suburban citizen., 1901-09-07
GOTHAM'S MOONSHINERS
AN INDUSTRY RlVALLlNc THAT OF
THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS.

ahe wy moouhnluefs and Inelf cunning
Big Profits Until They Are Found
Out - Capacious Stills in Tenements--
How the Liquor Is Sold.
When William L. Strong, as Mayor
Of New York, visited the Atlanta EX-
position few years ago, with del
egation Of New York business men,
he was escorted one night by his
Southern hosts to n far-off mountain
top that he might moisten his lips
with a drop of the original mountain
dew, distilled by the famous moon
sinners Of Georgia and Tennessee, re-
lates the New York Post. Tho trip
up the dark mountain-side to the little
distillery tucked away in the cpevices
of huge rocks, was made with all the
mystery and secrecy with which tra-
dition has surrounded such n pilgrim
age, and the Mayor was much inn
pressed. Upon his return to Atlanta
he frequently referred to the expedi-
tion. Finally one Of his fellow-towns-
men suggested, that after all. the af-
fair, so far~as the Colonel, as Mayor
of New York. was concerned, very
much resembled the carrying of Goals
to Newcastle. you can set the same
stuff distilled with the same disrc-
gard for the Government" he as
serted, "rlght in your own town-al-
most, in fact, under your official nose.
What's the use of breaking your back
climbing around rocks and up slip
perry mountains"
"That's just 1t, precisely" retorted
the Mayor. 81 never yet knew a man
bred and brought up in New York
who had the slightest regard for the
eternal fitness Of things. or course
I could get it in New York, but where
would the sport como in? could go
up to Central Park and shoot grizzlies
and lions, and tigers, but that
wouldn't be hunting game, would IT.?
There is not one Of you fellows that
has any sense Of the prOprleties."
To those who have always asso.
ciated this ancient work OF mOonShn-
ing with double-barrellcd shot-guns
poked through the crevices in remote
a.
] esque old outlaw at the butt end Of
the gun ready to annihilate the Gov
ernment officer, who had been lured
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 metro
politan moonshining should be carried
on at the present day almost exclusive
| ly by the Russians and Poles would
seem to be almost sufficient provo
cation for the late Mayors comment
regarding the properties And vet
New York-lacking as 1t apparently
is in all the essential details--can fur
nish some excellent sport for those
whose business 1t is to hunt moon
| shiners-in the runaways OF the ma
| tive moonshiners these hunters are
known as "them fedral haounds." In
the capacity of its Illicit stills, in fact,
and in its modern methods Of reduc-
! ing solids to spirituous liquids New
! York is far in advance Of the old
| fashioned school. In the mountains
the stills are almost universally con-
structed upon a small scale with the
object of moving them on consider
ably less than n moments notice,
They arc all portable and can be
taken from one place to another al
most by hand. In this city, on the
contrary, the plants are evidently put
up with some idea of permanency
They vary in capacity from one hun
dred to one thousand gallons. Ere.
quently four and five tanks have been
found by the Government officers
linked together, each tank having
capacity Of one thousand gallons. The
most elaborate moonshincrs' plant
ever discovered in New York was in
West Fifty-ninth street. The camp
occupied the entire upper stories Of
large building, and contained, besides
all the necessary modern utensils for
distllling, three large tanks, with a
capacity Of three thousand gallons
each. From the plant it was possible
to turn out nine hundred gallons
daily.
The "boss" moonshiner of this still
was a Russians man looked upon by
the outside world rs an eminently
proper and prosperous member of the
community. The seizure Of his plant
meant a loss to him of several thou
sand dollars in money and a number
of years Of liberty. Few Of his local
moonshining contemporaries, how
ever, cherish such ambitious plans
for defrauding the Government. The
vast majority Of the Illicit stills are
found in the Easements Of the East
Side tenement-houses. 1t is neces-
sary that the Illicit distiller should
have at least one "inside" confeder-
ate, and he generally works in col
Iusion with the ianitor. Years ago
the Irishmen had n practical monop-
oily of the, moOnshining industry and
the whisky then was distilled from
r1olasses. Nowadays it is made al
most altogether from sugar. The
nverage-szed mash is made from 100
pounds of common granulated sugar
mixed in a barrel of hot water and
with enough yeast added to produce