The New York herald., 1922-04-09

Another is by rifle shots which are taken
up and which resound over the hills for
leagues.
Indisputably the "revenuers" have big
job on their hands. The mountaineers are
masters of wiles.
The case Of the old blacksmith is per-
haps not the only example of wholesale
metal working. Most of the stills are made
in the towns and settlements in the noun
tain country Hardware stores are pressed
to keep enough copper on hand. The
large metal container commonly used to
contain gasoline for distribution is excel
lent material for still, and is put into
use with very little alteration. Hundreds
of these have disappeared in the darkness
OF nights from gasoline stations in the
towns. Timers in the settlements are
growing wealthy from still making.
1t Is quite common for stills to be found
IL, the Government owned forest reserves
A large number of outfits have been seized
in the Holston Mountains Reserve by for
esters who reported their discoveries to
the district court officials.
The fact is, wherever In the South there
are mountains there Is moonshining. In al
most unlimited degree And wherever there
Is moonshining there is the hand of the
law reaching out to apprehend 1t and its
perpetrators. But that the law is having
a great struggle Is not to be doubted. The
millions Of gallons that flow from the hills
are not being effectually damned.
Quantity. Not Quality.
Slogan of the Moonshiner
The moonshiner of nowadays Is after
quick results No longer is he boastful of
the quality OF his output His aim is to
produce as great quantity In as short
time as possible. Perhaps this new atti-
tude toward the actual manufacture OF
moonshine will In time change the
methods. Already there is promise of new
and more eficacious equipment The
steam still has been invented, and has
proved its worth. A dairyman near Nash
vile found that a far greater profit could
be made by using his milk boiling appa-
ratus to make corn liquor And since his
discovery the steamer" has come into
pretty general use in Tennessee-particu-
larly in the foothills near the cities
The steam still offers a much quicker
method Of distilling the liquor, and indeed
assures some degree of quality since it
allows an overdose OF sugar to the mash.
The potency of new liquor made by the
steam method is greater than that distilled
In tho old np ptnt IN foo In
vats Also, it Is much easier to make.
The method is quite simple. In place Of
the copper still of the mountain a barrel
Is used. The barrel is filled with mash, a
lid is fitted so as to be air proof, steam
from a boiler is turned into the barrel
through hole near its top, and after the
steam has permeated to the bottom OF the
barrel 1t escapes through a worm which
cools the steam into pure corn Juice di-
luted with small proportion of pure water.
II the power OF the boiler Is great enough
two or three barrels may be operated at
once.
The use of these steam stills is only be-
ginning, but the growth Is fairly rapid.
However, the old copper still is in general
use and will be for decades perhaps. The
mountaineers-those perpetual pioneers OF
the real mountains-have never been quick
to accept modern ingenulties. They hold
the most utter contempt for anything for
eign. Their methods have not changed
with their attitude. But 1t Is not to be
denied that the possibility for change Is
among them. They are money mad now,
and, doubtless. any improvement which will
increase their power for profits will be
acceptable to them.
There are still few in the mountains
who have not been smirched by the money
tinge. But they are few indeed. Now
and then an old mountaineer will be found
who recognizes the immortality and the
illegality Of making moonshine whisky for
the market and still holds 1t his unalter
able. irrevocable traditional right to make
little liquor for his own consumption
But this moonshiner is of the old school;
his sons are more modern. II the father
consents to their going into business for
themselves they set up their still near the
home--somewhere In the vicinity and
plunge deeply into the game of moonshin-