The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-16
EXCURSION TRADE SHAKEN up
TIRE tSIRY MEN KNOCK OFF MANY
UNLAWFUL DOLLARS.
some S.OOO surplus Passengers Han In
stay Ashore and Fifteen little Boats
We're Put Out Of CommIssio ON Grand
Republic Loses a Few Hundred Fare.

AnI
Republic Loses q Few Hundred Rares
Fifty men Of the customs service, under
the supervision of Deputy Surveyor Matt
Conoys, put in the most eighteen
hos's Of consecutive duty in their careers
On Sunday and until just before dawn yes
rerday. making an effort to regulate the
tendencies of certain excursion boat skim
vers IN the waters hereabouts. The Sur
vevor Of the Port, Gen. James s. Clarkson.
also took a hand in the game OF observation
Ne boarded the Sandy Hook steamboat
Asodry Park with Acting Deputy Surveyor
Alexander Mex con and went down TO At
lautlc Highlands and back. Thus he had
70 chance TO see a feet Of big and little steam
craft. bound TO ard from the fishing grounds
and most of the pleasure spots within the
metropolitan district. carrying all the
Ia-sengers that the law allows, and mavbe
.n3,s
ucn. Clarkson decided. after a round
'NT aboard the Asbury Park, that what
Nimiral Conveys needed was a navy to make
he law violators afoat realize that Uncle
sam is on the job. He saw many craft that
seemed To have too many passengers. He
got into communication yesterday with the
secretary OF the Treasury and explained
the situation. The Secretary authorized
mn TO charter a navy. or the nucleus of
uh', AT once. Before sunday one of the
sNlitcst launches in the harbor, iying the
Ip and down red and white bars of the
tustoms Service, will be out on the minor
seas making the dollar hunting privateers
conform with the regulations.
Admiral Conveys didn't get to bed until
after 3 O'Clock yesterday morning. He
was on the Iron Steamboat pier until .
h"lpIng TO supervise the men with hand
counting machines keering tab on pas
s'ngers That IL why nothing was known
.IuRhcly of the work Of the inspectors until
after the exhausted force got back to the
barge OAice yesterday afternoon. They
lut hiteen small power boats out of COM
mission and prevented probably 10 900
passengers from Tisking their lives cit her
IN o~rorcr1wded vessels or those without
i"cai rignt to carry eNcursionists. Next
!dtlrody and SunGay. when the navy will
d. ~ cohmlsslon, there will be doings
afpat.
Nobody wHs arrested last sunday. bur
several came pretty near il. Admiral
'oneys was on the point of cnlisting the
services of the nautical COPS Of the harbor
sIuad to help carry out the Federal laws
and he did call in four men of the near-sea
s'atOn at Canarsie. The cause of the
merging OF municipal and Federal power
vas the obstlnacy of the skipper Of he
:? foot propeller Frank and Helen McAvoy.
lie had been accustomed to sail go "a you
please from Canarsie TO Rockaway Point
and Barren Island. The boat. a double
decker, has no gangplank. and the skipper
'r the agent OF the owner collects fare after
the boat sails. The two inspectors dele
gated TO look after her were overwhelmed
by an nfiuN Of passengers over rails from
rn~boats and from the pier. The inspec-
tors check machines naturally were use
less. II was as much as tho uniformed
men could do to hold their feet. They
ordered the captain to hold the little shin
md telephoned for help.
Acting Deputy Surveyor George J.
Smythe responded. He saw that two in
tpectors wouldn't have a ghost of a chance
IN the mob aboard the Frank and Helen
McAvoy. and he called for local police.
They came-four strong-and began van -
ing men from the rails. lifeboats. and stan
rhions Of the propeller. Some Of the men
objected and got taps on the legs and on
spors in higher attitudes. About one
hundred Of those who were hanging on bv
~toenails INC teeth came down on the pier.
Those who put up fight got all they
wanted
Frank McAvoy. the owner of the shin
didn't like the method Of the cops or the
customs folk and roared q protest. He
declared that he would put the present
customs ADMINISTRATION out Of commission
So huIfuTdI NpntYH e1NF-H0u DTODDetl61 ]
that heads would fall when Mr.. Bryan got
U. Mr.. McAvoy said also that he was a
Tammany man and would be a power
under the Bryan regime. Notwithstanding
these predictions. the Frank and Helen
NcAvoy carried only 800 passengers when
she departed for the foreign port Of Barren
Island One hundred who were left behind,
some suffering physically. cursed the regu-
lations Of Uncle Sam.
Down az Timer Park. whence on SUNDAYS
MANY email rnu,Ar Craff coil for the Gahfn.
hanks with many more passengers than they
have a right to carry. there was consterna-
lion IN the fishing feet One skipper whose
will he furnished when the weary
asked for his license. He told the inspector
the document was in his coat pocket down
below and he would show II later. Acting
lleputy Surveyor Smythe was summoned.
He told the skipper he would have To show
his license before no could get under wBv.
AfteT rumms ging the ship the skipper said
believed that he had given the license M
ne mate 10 get framed, and unfortunately
tho mate wasn't around. Smythe said he
the skipper would have 10 tie up
went home, swearing AZ authority.
Ar Sheepshead Ray ready to sail for Plum
Reach the inspectors found a skipper who
wasn't even an American citizen He had
no lCense, because none hut American
.'itizens can have ON. but no thought his
wing was being interfered with uniustly.
lis boat, the Bertha G., was tie1 mp.
CAPT. Read, who owns n hotel AZ Rock
away Point had three propellers running
rom Shcepshead Bay to his place the Belle
the Rockaway and the Sheepshead.
The INSPECTORS found that each craft had
'hoard sp~venty-five passengers and only
fry life preservers. The Law requires one
Ife rreserver for each passenger on boats
'ot equipped with steam power and not :
unrelle1 10 carry lifeboats. Capt. Read !
diplomatic. He couldn't get any extra
20 preservers, but he agreed TO lay on
he Sheepshead and divide her fifty life p,
'reservprs between the Rockaway and the
Belle Harbor.
The inspectors did stunts OF the North
River. About 400 persons who wanted
n take the Grand Republic, bound for .
3ockaway by way of Coney Island, at her :
over North River landing, were debarred '
'ecause she then had her COMPLEMENT. 3, 700 ,
ionording 10 her license. Her skipper !
she really was entitled 10 take 200.
Surveyor Coney pointed to the Ii
'erse and declared that was what the Gov
.rnmant recognized and he was going to :
Nee hat not another soul boarded the big ,