Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1918-03-21
Traders Run Goods From Finland
Into Sweden, Bringing
Enormous Returns.
lftAparanda 10 the Dawson OF Sweden's
New klondlke Whore Gold and
Wine Flow Free,y--Typieal
Night Scene.

Tornea, Russla.-The Tornea river
lis frozen over again and business In
good Ia smugglers' haven. From far
up IN the Arctic tundra ~ Lapland
down 10 lceflllcd Tornen buy. 30
miles south Of the circle. siedgcs
drawn by reindeer. dogs and ponies
are crunchlng acro&1 the liver by
night. laden 10 the runners with tea,
coffee. rubber and sugar. all bound for
Sweden, where they ARE worth almost
their weight In gold.
Their sources nre Russia aud Fin
Hand. and their immediate destination
Haparanda. on the Swedish side Of the
TOrnca river, where cx-sallors, hotel
walters aud typical collection OF
frontier town types IRE making money
fhand over fist and drinking champagne
for breakfast.
Haparnnda Is Swedish. as different
from war distracted and revolution.
ridden Russian Tornca as II II were
hundreds OF miles AWAY. Instead Of
being separated only by ten.minute
sleigh ride In winter and n ten.mlnute
ferry trip In summer. across the mile
wide. salmon.fllcd river. HaparRnda
is the Dawson Of the new Klondike.
and Its gold comes from sledges that
slip by the Russian frontier guards,
full Of the commodities Sweden needs
II Ia nearly Arctic. and In the heart
of winter. there Ia daylight only i've
hours.
Frontier Customs Post
Before the war Hapanndu was q
tiny village. q frontier customs post.
The Russian frontier gcndnrmes were
vlgilnnt and those who slipped through
from Finland with struggled goods
were very few and far between. and
there was less Incentive TO smugge.
for Sweden imported freely from
across the seas. The war made Tor
nea the rival Of Archangel and
vladivostok ns port OF entry into
Russia. Hapnrlnda shared the gain.
Business buildings Of wood and n large
hotel that looks like typical Amer.
lean small town hall sprnng up almost
overnight. II II still growing.
The goose that lays the golden egg
that buys wine and keeps the poker
games going lives over In Finland.
which, although short of food Itself,
permits millions Of kroner worth TO
slip through every month.
year ago n Swedish preacher. on
an Innocent mission, was shot by a
Russian frontier guard. The trouble
that resulted led TO almost complete
laxity at the frontier. and now on
any dark night scores Of slcighs slip
across the river, unmolcsted. and de-
post their cnrgoes on the Swedish
side. Seine OF the goods go through
che Swedish customs houses. and the
duty Ia paid. Even with the Swedish
duty there Is tremendous profit ON the
shipments.
Coffee that the Finnish agents &C.
cure for ten kroner n kllo (2.D
pounds) brings 20 across the frontier.
Small boys. mufilcd In great overconts.
wnddle across the river on skis with
rubber tires for automobiles wrapped
around their wnists-nnd rubber IL the
most difficult Of all commercial prod
ucts to obtain In Sweden. Its export
from Russin Is forbidden.
Gay White Way" Always Filled.
The smugglers are the richest, but
Haparandas Gay White wny"-the
ihotel-ls filled always with other
;spcnders.
Here is n typical picture OF any
night in Hnparnnda when business Is
good on the Tornea. The coffee room
IL crowded early. A Serbian "kappel.
meistcr" tunes up his violin. A young
Austrian with a bass vlol and three
plump, smiling German girls, with
mnndolins. the rest of the orchestra
play American rngtimc, Swedish bar.
maids hurry about with champagne
ind other wines, just rs expensive.
A young Swede, with a blank.look
Ing fucs, who has Just made 10000