Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-03-27
MAKE FORTUNES
BY SMUGGLING
Traders Run Goods From Finland
Into Sweden, Bringing
Enormous Returns.
AIDED BY FRONTIER LAxITY
Haparanda is the Dawson of Sweden's
New klondike Where Gold and
Wine Flow Freely-Typical
Night Scene.

Tornea. Russia.-The Tornea rive
is frozen over again and business il
good In smugglers' haven. From fal
up In the Arctic tundra of LaplanC
down to ice-flled Tornea bay, 81
miles south of the circle, sledge'
drawn by reindeer, dogs and ponies
are crunching across the river BY
night. laden to the runners with tea
coffee, rubber and sugar. all bound fol-
! Sweden, where they are worth almost
their weight in gold.
Their sources are Russia and Fin.
| land, and their Immediate destination
Haparanda, on the Swedish side of the
Torneaf river. where ex-sailors, hotel
frontier town types are making money
hand over fist and drinking champagne
! for breakfast.
| Haparanda is Swedish, as different
| from war distracted and revolution
ridden Russian Tornea as if 1t were
hundreds OF miles away, instead OF
being separated only by a ten-minute
| sleigh ride In winter and "a ten-minute
! ferry trip in summer, across the milk
wide, salmon-filled river. Haparanda
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.
1t is nearly Arctic, and in the heart
of winter, there is daylight only five
hours.
Frontier Customs Post
Before the war Haparanda was a
tiny village, frontier customs post.
The Russian frontier gendarmes were
vigilant and those who slipped through
from Finland with struggled goods
were very few and far between, and
there was less incentive TO smuggle,
for Sweden imported freely from
across the seas. The war made Tor
nea the rival of Archangel and
Vladivostok as port Of entry into
Russia. Haparanda shared the gain.
Business buildings of wood and large
hotel that looks like a typical Amer
lean small town hall sprang up almost
overnight. 1t is 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.
A year ago a Swedish preacher. on
an innocent mission, was shot by
Russian frontier guard. The trouble
that resulted led TO almost complete
laxity at the frontier, and now on
any dark night scores of sleighs slip
across the river, unmolested. and de-
posit their cargoes on the Swedish
side. Some of the goods go through
the Swedish customs houses, and the
duty is paid. Even with the Swedish
duty there is tremendous profit on the
shipments.
Coffee that the Finnish agents Sc
cure for ten kroner a kilo (2.20
pounds) brings 20 across the frontier.
Small boys. muff1ed in great overcoats.
waddle across the river on skis with
rubber tires for automobiles wrapped
around their waists-and rubber is the
most difficult of all commercial prod
ucts to obtain In Sweden. Its export
from Russia is forbidden.
"Gay White Way" Always Filled.
The smugglers are the richest, but
Haparanda's Gay White Way"-the
L., txfst hnr
spenders.
Here is a typical picture of any
night In Haparanda when business is
good on the Tornea. The coffee room
is crowded early. A Serbian "kappel'
melster" tunes up his violin. A young
Austrian with bass viol and three
plump, smiling German girls, with
mandolins, the rest of the orchestra
play American ragtime. Swedish bar
maids hurry about with champagne
and other wines, just as expensive.
A young Swede. with a blank-look
! ing face, who has just made 10.o0'
( kroner on coffee deal, is spending II
buying for every one who win accept
At corner table, tipsy but dignified
a group of Swedish officers stiffly re
ject such familiarity. At the othe
tables are Russian officers, in civilian
clothes, who have slipped across fror
prohibition Tornea TO make night o
l IT; Finnish smugglers, over for tn
same purpose, and perhaps doZe
Englishmen. Americans or Frenchmel
just escaped from Russia's trouble
and stopping until the night train fc
Stockholm, all glad for breath {
gayety in a neutral town.
This is any night-but on ''punC