Evening journal., 1919-12-30
WHISKEY ship
MAY BE DELAYED
Baltimore Stevedores Talk of
Refusing to Load Cargo
For Export
THEY RESENT
LIQUOR EXODUS

BALTIMORE. Md, Dec. 3O.-Slnce
they planned TO spring American booze
on the Bahamas Baltimore steyedores
have planned to spring something on
the booze-a sort OF ''curfew-shan-net-
ring-tonlght" surprise.
It was announced last week that The
steamer Lake Ellerslie was going to sail
from Baltimore with a full cargo OF
hquor for delivery at Nassau, the cap
ital Of New Providence, Bahama Is
lands. This cargo was to consist OF
5000 barrels ef liquor on the hoof and
10000 eases Of bottled goods The
steamer was engaged the Trlaca Com
pany, or Baltimore had contracted TO
hand over The cargo. and the J. c.
Whitney Company was TO attend 90 the
exporting. Al that had 10 be done
was TO put the stun on board The ship
and set up steam in the boilers.
There probably VIII be no trouble
about getting up the steam, but about
the little matter Of loading the liquor
on the Lake Ellerslie there h. likely TO
be a good deal Of tro~ole That's where
the slevedores come in Sievedorcs are
not dry" and this proposition OF send
Ing shiploads Of liquor 20 the Bahama
Islands looks 90 them like a prohibition
plot. They were talking yesterday down
around Locus Point Of refusing to have
anything 10 do with 10.
There was even strong feeling that
the stevedorej union would take a
stand In the matter. backing them up
m their refusal to help cut down the
supply OF liquor IN the United States
As one Of them said yesterday:
There seems 30 be little enough real
booze IN the country with people dy-
ing Ike files from this bootleg stun.
suppose they lift the ban before jan
uary i69 Where Will we be with every
thing that's No 70 drink being sent TO
the Bahama Islands or Borneo or somo
plsco llfo thstf In the soupr
The same thing they recalled had
occurred IN Glasgow, Scotland. Just
after the armistfne, when a shipload OF
llquor was all ready TO go TO Montreal
Canada The liquor was on The dock |
and the shin was waiting, but the |
steved0res balked. Their kick was that !
as they had to be satisfied with a daily |
ration OF Scotch, 10 wasn't giving them |
a square shake 90 send ehlploads OF /
liquor out OF The country. The very |
basis OF the ratlonlng scheme was That
liquor was scarce In Scotland, they |
claimed, and they didn't propose to let
70 get any scarcer
Now. IN Baltimore, the steved0res
say. they don't get a ration OF Scotch.
They don't even get ration OF vee-ho
or lemorade. And they roll under their
tongues the sweet morsel OF story
that the Glasgow shippers finally tried
10 sneak the liquor Off to Liverpool
that the Glasgow stevedores sent the I
word on to the Liverpool stevedores.
and that the Liverpool stevedores put
up the same row. And that for several
no llduor was shipped TO Can
ada at all, until the shippers finally
consented TO let the stevedoreS take as
many drinks a day as they pleased.
That's the finest prohibition story the
stevedores have heard for
some time. But they are not flghtlng
for the right 10 hold the dansants at
the loading piers They haven't any
particular hope that by refusing to load
LIQUOR cargoes they viii help TO estab-
lish a series OF stevedore llfe-saying
stations around Locust Point.
They have two Ideas in mind. One
Is that booze can't continue to go TO
the Bahama Islands by the shlpload and
still remain in the United States for
use In case an army Of rattlesnakes
should suddenly bite the whole nation.
The other Is that II a barrel Of liquor
falls from the loading sllngs and breaks
somebody will be out $500. And that
II one ingenious stevedore finds way
Of getting a hatful Of rye land there
are ways) the rest viii be out OF luck.