The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-10-11
.ll,4S6 CASES OF
BEER FLOWS into
RED LAKE river
East Grand Forks Brewery POurs the
Contents of 36 Watts Into River
Retail Price $69,516

Grand Forks, N. D., Oct. IA foam
bedecked stream, stretching back thru
SO cellars, where, at it's inception, it
this morning trickled its way joyously
through the woods behind the East
Grand Forks brewery to the Red Lake
river, where, in the muddy waters of
that stream, it was lost to view. First,
it was slender thread of brown,
smelling Of ripened hop fields, moving
slowly down a runway, and then, out
into culvert, where it found it's way
to the river. Presently man waded
up the stream and threw open the
doors to the cellars, and the slowly
moving thread became a rushing, tum-
bling mountain of foam, dashing along
rapidly to the river, where it changed
4 narrow strip of the Red Lake river
TO a moving field of white.
All of which, gentle reader, is the
preamble to sad tale-the tale of the
destruction of II ,578 cases of beer It
was real beer, which, at Is cents bot
de, would cost the consumer $69,516,
and it was turned into the river with
cut the bat of an eye.
AS nonchalantly as though he were
draining a cup of tea, Deputy Revenue
Collector Aubol of St. Paul ordered
the watts opened so the beer could flow
into the river. Previous to that, with
the sang froid Of matinee idol, he
went from cellar to cellar making an
inventory accordance with internal
revenue regulations. He found that
there were 1902 eight barrels in the
cellars, while the revenue books show
cd 1866 quarter barrels. Each vat
must contain the number of barrels
recorded in the books, but, according
to Mr.. Aubol, it always is wise to have
slightly more than the books call for,
so that the East Grand Forks brewery
company was in excellent shape from
a revenue standpoint.
It was imperative, so far as the
brewery was concerned, to empty the
beer into the river at this time, as the
new war tax, the beverage and liquor
clause of which went into effect Oct.
4, raises the internal revenue from
$3.50 to $500 barrel. In order to es
cape the increased taxation, the beer
had to be destroyed under the super
vision of the internal revenue depart
nent, and it was for this reason that
Deputy Aubol was sent here.
So far as the brewery is concerned,
the beer was figured in cases, for no
keg beer has been manufactured for
some time. Brewery company figures
show that there were II, 1856 cases of
beer in the vats. Retailing at rs cents
bottle, this represents a value of
$69,516. The wholesale price, sold at
$500 case out Of the brewery, would
be $34,750.
The obsequies this morning were at
tended by very few spectators They
we're delayed for a few minutes until
the superintendent of the plant could
reach the scene, don his rubber boots
and open the faucets on the watts. AS
the pressure on the tanks was relieved
the doors were knocked and then the
beer rushed out in steady stream,
piling froth six and eight feet high
along the run.
The ubiquitous press representative
was there, of course. Smile not, gen.
tile reader, too easily facile. 1t was
duty that took him there today. But
he had with him 32nd degree Knight
Of Bacchus, past master IN the art
Of draining the flowing bowl.
This gentleman, as dignltied as
when in his cups, stood beside the
brown stream, silent, morose. 90 tenn
pora, O mores, O hades" he Grated.
''Has it come to this? There goes the
noblest Roman of them all! Many a
time I've stood at the bar and sunk
many schooner containing such con-
traband, but this beats me. I'd like to
help that revenue collector, but I'm
getting old and my bones creak; it's
too hard to stoop down and grab it by
the mouthful as it flows by. l wish
my wife could see me though. She'd