San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-18
BY JUNE HADDAwAY.

BY JUNE tfADDANA1.
.byrisht, 1928, by The San Antonio Light.
New York, Jan. 1S.-Life aboard a
% ship is not all beer and skittles, nor
the career of a rum-running brigand
Sogether a bed of jack roses.
IAN officer of the fleet which has
en- keeping Highlands, n. j., and incl
ntally the prohibition enforcement
tits, in a state of pleasurable excite
Int for the last week admitted this
hay. This officer who earnestly re-
ested that his name be withheld took
Z opportunity of coming ashore in one
the highpowered rum-running motor
ats and is making the best of a very
+ lited shore leave.
lie cleared up some of the mystery
grounding the operations OF the whoie
[ers who bring the "stuff"-for that
the name it is best known by--to
hints off the shore where the residents
I'M get it to sell. He has been off New
brk City on several occasions in the
III six months, but this was the tirst
ne he had been able to come ashore.
|"Topping" is his way of describing
profession of rum-running.
|"But you have to keep your SKY
zee busy" he continued, because u
| u get just a few yards inside OF the
Iyal limit and the revenue boats can
you, it is all off. That and being
Ia sick through tossing on the waves
Il Sandy Hook, is the chief Of your
|bubles.
In for Quick Money.
"Most of the runners are English ana
,ench. The boats of course, all carry
gular papers, being under foreign reg
Terry. A few of the customers L mean
fellows who, come in motorboats to
| { the stuff are a bit rough. There's
| few of them / would hate to meet
| ter dark. But a lot of them are very
cent chaps indeed, we'll educated, and
that, YOU know. They are in the
me for the money that is TO be made
st as I am myself, TO get n lot OF
oney in a hurry and then retire to
me thoroughly respectable business
hore. 81,
Imagine my surprise when ] looked
er the rail of my ship yesterday and
W chap looking up at me, an Ameri-
n. am of course, an Englishman,
last time / saw him he was a top
|rgeant in one of your outfits and he
'hs helping me TO get lorry out OF the
'ud slough in road near Chemin Des
hines.
aside from the money / think the
ason a lot of chaps go in for rum
Inning, to the American coast is be-
Iuse it gives them n thrill just a bit
Se the war. You know the war made
tople a trifle wild and ready for ex-
tement and all that sort of thing. Or
narily / don't suppose I'd have gotten
| to il myself, even for the cash. l
how my folks would jolly well. fade
gay if they knew what / was doing.
,<--Supposed to be on sugar planta'
Ibn in Cuba"
According 10 this pink checked rather
|ish looking youngster, who carries a
| st engaging grin, the crews of the
| fleet contain a good percentage oil
|mericans and of these a considerable
|lmber hail from New York. Some of
e supply ships even have American
plains and usually there is a first Of
|cer, or pilot who is thoroughly ac--
|iainted with the New jersey. coast and
rries papers to prove 1T from the
|eamship inspection service.
Good Berths for Sailormen.
|@You mustn't imagine that we sling
| e stuff" he proceeded explaining what
lie aboard one of these craft actually
cans. at is too precious to be vast
4. OF course the crew have their
|ruor rather regularly. Possibly that is
Inv Americans like to join our crews.
"Then the pay too, is good, far better
ham most crews receive, and on our
| yp vessel, after n particularly good
lin. the owners or the old man usually
lin us a bit of a bonus. That's good
blicy, of course, the idea being to have
contented and consequently loyal
Few.
"Food is better than the average too,
|nd there is less severe discipline and
| lore or less conradeship such. / sup
bse, as prevailed on the old pirate
hips. Not that we kiss the crew good.
light, you know, but there's a brotherly
brit of bond.
sour vessel is equipped with phono'
Eaph and q radio set, and we pick
h the shore stations and listen in on
Be concerts. Checkers is the favorite
6me, although some Of the boys play
hess. But the vessels keep in the go.
"No sooner are we rid Of one cargo
han we rush back for another, some
| mes to Canada. sometimes TO Cuba.
Imetimes to other points. 1t usually
from ten days to a fortnight tn
hload. And there seldom is shore leave
b this end and that is what makes the
|aS-mad. Newspapers. tobacco and all
bat are fine, but New York is place