The New York herald., 1922-10-02

blishment in st. Pierre Of American
ects to move American distilleries to
liquor and transfers of ship registries,
romantic tales of rum runners, the
Rum Runners Club, description of the
colony, its people, it's reaction to re-
viving trade and st. Pierre's night
life and its character are set forth.
Special Dispatch to The NEw YORK HERALD.
ST. PIERRE, Miquelon, Oct. 1.-lf
your fancies should take the same or
even approximately the same course
as this reporters, you, as you ap-
preached these islands, would say as
he said:
well, if there isn't plenty of boot
Logging, ruin running, piracy and the
like going on here lot of appropriate
scenery is going to waste. What an
elegant place for rough stuff of all
sorts!"
You will be shown in this and fol-
lowing stories Of the Miquelons and
St. Pierre that not SO much as one Of the
granite rocks which compose this stark
and dismal outpost of France is stage
setting misplaced. The gentlest soul
that ever lisped gospel hymn might
hum the risque chansons Of st. Pierre S
Cafe du Havre. The pinkest Pome-
ranian pup that ever snoozed on silk
might very well turn upon any two
or three of the countless Newfound-
land dogs that are forever mangling
each other along the waterfront at st.
Pierre il once he got the spirit of the
place.
The Pro Patria, tub of a paquebot
that carried me from North Sydney
Cape Breton Island, to this microscopic
clump of treeless islands, distance
Of about $50 statute miles almost due
east, fused UP to the quay. All st
Pierre fused on the shore speculat-
ing on the reasons that were respon-
sible for the presence in this all but
forgotten colony Of the twenty widely
assorted men punched in the Pro Pa
tria's bow.
These twenty men are tremendously
conscious of the fact that about 90 per
cent. Of st. Pierre's attention concen-
trates upon them. The other passen-
children returning home from Cape
Breton. Nova Scotia proper. New
Brunswick and observation-disclosures
vociferously and scream French en-
dearments to their relatives (who, too
are in various stages of hysteria) on
the shore.
Introd ucing Sir John.
Everybody knows these women and
children and why they are on the
Pro Patria. They are coming home
But these strangers forward! Regard
them. First there is a large, beefy
En- nglishman who, in spite OF the Pro
Patria and her lack of stewards and
cabin space, has come through almost
immaculate and has managed to ap-
pear comfortable. Only an English
man can do this, il seems. The great
majority of us twenty. looking as we
do, would not be allowed south OF
Manhattan's dead line after nightfall
This Englishman has been some
thing of mystery to all Of us. He
has been un-Britishly garrulous about
his wanderings in India, China, the
Sudan, Port Said. the North Afri-
, can ports, the South Seas. Some
how or other we think him an insur-
ance man. Well. maybe he is. Later
We find out that he is particularly
interested in insuring rum cargoes
from Glasgow and warehouses bulging
with booze. Not knowing his name
we have dubbed him Sir John.
"Sir john" laughs the man on his
right, would Lloyd's be game enough
to insure a three masted schooner
carrying 4,500 cases of Scotch under
the French flag to points south and
west?"
Maybe. replies Sir John, "pro-
vided you're game enough TO pay the
premiums"
The man on Sir Johns right has all
the physical attributes Of a profess
sional heavyweight wrestler. He talks
in Middle Western accents of moving
whole distillery from Kentucky to
st. Pierre. Further, he says that he
has unlimited financial backing to
erect in st. Pierre large hotel and
gambling casino. lie is n very inn
pressive rerson and seems TO know
all about liquor laws, liquor making
and who of consequence in Washing
ton drinks liquor in apprecisble guam
titles.
His pal is a bit more reticent. He
is tall and spare and has photographed
all of us at least twice. His contribu-
tions TO the general conversation on
the trip over have consisted in fire.
quent injections OF 'yes" into the
opinions of his fat and volatile chum.
"I1l never forget the night the
Continued on Page Three.
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