The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-26

troll duty along the Georgia and
Florida coasts.
Regardless. however. OF whether
these boats, to be manned by rcgu-
lar navy crews, under the direct
charge Of federal enforcement
agents, viii be put into use or not,
plans for the breaking up OF the
smuggling on n larger 9ale than
ever before are being matured and
Will probably be put into effect Inn
modiately, It is stated. Already the
vanguard OF the prohibition enforce.
ment army, consisting of The picked
men of the force from scvc raj states.
Is being thrown along tho Georgia
coast, heavily armed and with dcfi-
rite Instructions TO get tho rum run
nors at any cost.
Ship Gordon Along Coast.
They will throw Gordon along
the entire coast from the Ian dside in
an effort to seize tho liquor after II
n landed, depending for success
largely on force OF numbers and un-
Ccasiug vigilance. If the boats re-
quosted are made availanle by the
government these men will also he
put In charge Of them IN an cndoav-
or to scotch the whisky snake" at
its head, before the liquor has been
landed.
TO date, according 20 tre consen-
sus of opinion, the rum runners, who
appear to be legion, have appar-
emily had things pretty much their
own way, without serious .nconvcn-
ienee from the interference of fed
Cral or state officers.
Their system, though effective. Is
simple. Boats hauling liquor oN-
ClusiVcly or as a side line dock I'm the
Bahama islands, mostly at Nassau,
where there are large warehouses
maintaining huge liquor stocks i'm
ported from European countries.
These islands, being under the Brit
ish flag, arc Of course without pro-
hibition laws When the liquor
boats from the states dock there and
purchase n cargo OF liquors, they
are enabled to load and clear with
out interference. They put out to
sea. meantime having sent word all
along the line to their various GUS
toners that the boat WILL be at GER
tain points along the ocast at GER
tain times. when they arrive at n
given point a signal is put Off Ex.
pecting the arrival OF the boat, the
runners, concealed in a smaller boat
IN one OF the coves or inlcts, put off
to the incoming vessel, which has
dropped its anchor, usually well out
side the three-mile limit.
Seldom Scizo Shipments.
Federal agents, being few and
with a large territory to cover. sell
dom are able to make a seizure at
the initial landing place unless they
have been tipped off by n stool pig
con-" or n member of the gang,
which occurs sometimes, but not
often.
on n few occasions recently fed
eral agents have essayed to hunt the
| smugglers on water by the use of
customs boats and other vessels, but
with little success. Practically all
of these agents, being landsmen,
knowing nothing of boats or naviga-
| tion, have to depend upon the crew
! of the vessel they use. in case OF
| private boats, as Olson as not some
Of the crew are apt to be N cahoots
with the rum runners and see to 1t
| by plausible excuses as to unfavora-
| bile weather conditions and other
| matters, the falsity OF which could
| be known only to an experienced
navigator. that the agents arrive too
| late TO interfere with the smugglers,
In addition, the speed Of the boats
! which the federal agents can secure
/ IS usually far below that of the boats
| used by the smugglers, who, having
| the best, easily outrun the pursuing
| agents,
/ While n large percentage OF the
/ Illicit whisky traffic along the Geor-
gia coast is carried on within a few
miles Of Savannah, comparatively
little is brought through the city
itself. Apparently II is considered
unnecessary by the rum trafficker'
to tempt fate too much by landing
their Cargocs too close to the city
especially since there are so many
better places along the coast itself
where they can work more effec
lively and with less danger