Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-17
OFFICERS LOCATE
Continued from page 1

With this and other information the
officers have been investigating many
| places, some stores, some former saloons,
| some pool rooms. and some private houses
to which the goods have been shipped, and
where there was other reason to believe
that manufacture of liquor wasin prog
rcss. One result so far, has been num-
| Der of arrests, while much equipment,
| most of il very crude, has been discovered
and is now being held AS evidence IN
cases that are yet TO come to an issue and
| for use also in Investigations that are not
| completed.
| MANY CRUDE DEVICES.
All manner of devices have been used to
manufacture the liquor-tea kettles, I'M
provised retorts, lamps, gas fixtures,
| coffee pots. percolators and so on. One
| of the latest devices captured, taken tins
week, comprises a water bucket IN which
there is a spiral copper tube with the out
| let in the side of the bucket, near the bot
| tom. This tube is connected with tea
kettle. the spout of which is covered, so as
to prevent the escape of steam there.
The supposition is that tins Kettle was
! filled with raisin ''mash,' and was boiled
over stove. the steam passing out
through the spiral tube, running through
the bucket in which there was water,
causing condensation, the resultant
liquid flowing out the bit of tube which ex-
tended through the side OF the bucket.
4 PER CENT or ALCOHOL.
The authorities also have analyses Of
various liquor concoctlons, taken from
many places, which show percentages OF
alcohol ranging from eight to "A and a
fraction. These analyses were made of
D, taIec,, MI all hp
city. In some cases there have already
been arrests; in others, developments
awaited the result of these analyses.
! What the authorities intend doing, now
that they have the analyses, was not DIS
closed today Many of the liquids
sampled are brand new combinations III
which various ingredients enter.
LEGION OF LAwBREAKERs.
The exhibits in possession of the authori-
tics represent only those places of which
there is no actual knowledge OF attempts
TO circumvent the prohibition laws. No
body knows or can know how many more
places there are about the city where
similar attempts arc being made. Judging
from the crudcncSs of the equipment that
has been found and contIscated 1T Is
evident that people who insist on having
drink with a ''kic y are going to ex-
tromes to accomplish this purpose. Whlle
most of them appear to Int upon plans
that contemplate the use of materials
not actually poisonous, there is a suspicion
that this care may not always bc eyer-
cised, and it would be no great surprise to
hear of fatal results following the con-
sumption of some of the connections that
are being made.
LIVES ARE IN DANGER.
The situation is not only alarming from
the standpoint of law and order, but also
from the standpoint of public safety. The
health Of many persons, apparently, rs IN
jeopardy. unless they dcsist from this
practice that is being gradually uncovered.
The finding of this mass of evidence IN so
many sections of the city has served to
make the authorities even more vigIlant IN
their efforts TO compel observance of the
law. In many cases one discovery has led
10 another and it is known that n great
many places are under suspicion and OBJ
scrvation where the officers have not yet
the positive proof.
" hile IL is doubtless a fact that most of
these improvised stills are IN Wilmington,
there Is n strong suspicion that many
others are In operation all over the state,
some of the offenders probably selecting
secluded places IN the woods or otherwise
out-of-the-way spots The authorities
are not unmindful Of this, however, and
they are following every lead which gives
promise of success While the Federal
government is taking the lead in the mat
ter of infringement of the prohibition laws
and has large force available for duty IN
this city and State. the local authorities
are also cooperating. OF every clue that
has been dug up should result in prose
cution, there will he a lively time in the
courts in the next few months.