Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-01-23

the towering cocoanut palms. Bimini
Is wet almost to the point of satura-
ton. Unlimited supplies come from
England and from Cuba and S5OO,OOO
worth of "red licker' from America
was shipped here just before the Vol
stead act took effect. A couple of
people went to Jail in connection with
the shipment, but the whisky came
under the protection of the British
flag and here it has remained, waiting
for thirsty Americans to come and
drink it up. But the Americans have
not come in any great numbers. de-
spite the fact that Bimini is only 40
miles from the Florida coast.
Why Bimini, with Florida Wet?
The answer is plain. Why go to
Bimini when Florida is soaking wet!
Echo the answer, Why? Yachting par
ties have cut into Bimini from time to
time and adventurers seeking new
thrill have flown across the Gulf
stream from Miami, filling boats like
the one that was stranded week ago
on a nearby coral reef, but the great
army Of hard drinkers, the old corner
saloon brigade, has been conspicuous
by it's absence.
Hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
have been invested here in the build
ing of a reinforced concrete hotel and
club house, the construction of docks
and the dredging of a shallow water
channel. The shareholders In the BIZ
mini enterprise, however, are waiting
for drier days in the United States be-
fore they begin to collect dividends.
Honest john Kelley, Of New York,
was here last season. running the Ca
sino" with its costly roulette, faro and
other gambling layouts, but he went
away shaking his head saying:
'.BiInini would be great place-if
prohibition were enforced in the United
States"
Bimini has an embargo on the ex-
portation of whisky to the United
States and so far as one can judge.
that embargo is lived up to religious
ton of liquor from the United States.
This seems silly regulation, but,
| nevertheless, very grave English
resident commissioner meets every boat
putting in from America and demands
| to know if there is any liquor aboard.
The commissioner admits it is a sort
of silly question and all that sort of
| thing, but the regulations of This ma
jesty" demand that he ask it and he
| does-without a smile.
Nearly Key in Rum Haven
The secret of the evil fame that has
come to Bimini as rum running port
lies couple of leagues to the south
| ward where another coral strip,
Gunkey, juts up from the ocean bed.
Kunkey has lighthouse on it and,
inasmuch as the key shelters a sort
of open sea harbor where bootlegging
thrives in all its sudden glory, it is
rather appropriate that the light from
the lighthouse flashes red at times.
Approaching Gunkey from the north
or east one behold veritable forest
of masts behind the protecting bit of
| coral rock. Rounding the headland
beyond the light house. you turn into
| the open harbor and behold a scene
suggestive of the old pirate days. The
waters are fairly clogged with weather.
beaten two masted schooners = all
gin. On the decks of the schooners
are black men in dirty white sailor
clothes and broad picturesque straw
| hats. They are British negroes Of the
| West India islands.
| About each schooner there clusters
swarm of little motor boats The
motor boats load by day and set sail
| by night. They run to the Florida
| coast without lights and with engines
so successfully muffled that they slide
| through the water with little more
] than "swish'' of the parting waves
| to mark their passage.
There apparently is no way of break
ing up the bargaining and transfer al
Gunkey. The place is not a port and
there are no officials Of the govern
ment there except the lighthouse keep
er-and his daughter. The harbor is in
the open sea and the traffic wakes
| great at this season Of the year when
the thirsty tourists are in Florida
| BiInini wants to attract thpse
tourists and if it could, would put
every Florida bootlegger out of bust
ness. But Mimini asks Is cents for
cocktail lover the bar.
1--WE can get 'em for that in New
York" declared an overseas adventur,
er here today.
So why pick on Bimini.