The Washington times., 1924-12-27
EXPERIENCES IN
RUM. FLEET
Barred
Scotchman Tells How Contra
band Cargoes Clear for
America
By HARRY R. FLORY.

canny Scotchman and one of the
hundreds of Britishers engaged in
the game"
Barry has been engaged in tn.
business for the past three years
but not until last June did he get
any real Rum Row experiences
Previous to that he acted simply
as an agent for a big American op.
orator. buying up English liquor to
stock the vessel which the Cd.
orator provided.
The operator" with whom Barry
last did business, an American
came over In de luxe style on a bic
transatlantic liner, stopped at 3
fashionable West End hotel and
passed as an ordinary rich business
man on holiday.
An agent bought up $1,000 cases
OF whiskey for the operator. and
the operator bought a single screw
steamer of 5000 tons to transport
the supply Of wet goods" across
! the Atlantic. Barry signed on as
second steward, being put down
| on the ships papers under that de.
scription, at wages Of Is cents a
month.
Clears for America.
The boat loaded at. Leith. and
sailing papers were made out For
Hamburg From Hamburg. by
some juggling OF maritime proce.
dure, the boat was able to clear
for America with her full cargo 81
whiskey, to which was added. from
the German port, extensive sun,
plies OF champagne, cognac, gin
and raw alcohol.
The operator followed proceed
ings until the boat left Antwerp
when he skipped back to Americs
on board the Berengaria, arriving
In New York ten days ahead OF the
heaving-to Of his srumship, thus hav
Ing time to make final arrange
ments with the rum.runners and
customers for the smuggled booze
After slow trip across the At
lantic the booze boat hove Il
thirty miles southeast Of Montanl
Point, Long Island
| On the third day, in answer to &
wireless from the boat to the OBJ
orator ashore. a motor boat an
preached carrying the operator, II
Jovial spirits. The motor boat tool
off two hundred cases, and the op
lerator promised that a schooner
would arrive shortly to transfer
more Of the cargo.
Schooner Shows Up.
Sure enough" according "a
Barry's story, "a schooner turned
up, out Of a Canadian port, and
understanding the whole game
thoroughly, she took off 5000 cases
OF liquor; and, while the Modified
crew were toiling at their task
who should come up but the Amer
ican revenue cutter Seneca.
"All she could DO that day was
to stand by and watch the trans
shipment of case after case Of
LIQUOR from our ship into the
schooner. She was SO near thai
could almost have tossed a biscuit
onto her deck. She could do moth
ing. We were outside the twenty
five-mile limit.
"All heard was one laugh-s
laugh that seemed to scott at The
uselessness of laws. You can buy
up the revenue men on land. They
make, in fact, nice little fortunes
for themselves. But the cutters
ARE Navy ships and are not to b.
Ibribed. They do their best, bu
even they have been got at; fol
one night, when I was in Run
Row, the Seneca, chasing a motor
Loaf, had her searchlights sudden
ly put out of action by someone OF
board"
On July 80 Barry's boat received
orders to proceed to Ambrose Chan
mel, still outside the twenty-five
mile limit, where the real Run
Row is located and where Barry
came into contact with the rea
rum-rInners.
In Rum Row.
"The fleet of booze ships thai
lies just out of sight Of American
land" continued Barry, Numbered
that day about twenty-five vessels
most of them steel cargo boats
tended by schooners.
1.-THE liquor operators find II
more profitable to unload a cross
Atlantic cargo boat onto a schoon
er or store boat and send her back
again for more booze, rather than
keep her hanging about outside the
limit for several weeks, while
motor boats take off their 200 cases
at time.
"As we steamed through the
fleet there floated across the
water to us cheerful halls from
the other buccaneers. The fleet
appeared to be in high fettle
Laws. cutters and revenue men
bullets and unsteady markets never
seemed to worry them.
THE rum-runners are the mos
: remarkable men 1 have ever met
They are a mixture Of American
business man, Barbary pirate anC
athlete. Their life is hard, profit
able,. lawless and dangerous, fol
the revenue cutters have orders Il
fire at sight of them.
Many of the rum-runners ar,
charming men. Some met wer'
university graduates, who find tn,
life healthier, more entertaining
and more profitable than sellinI
soap or shares"
Hi-jackers Appear.
Three rum-running pirates triet
to loot the stores from Barry's boat
They appeared in a motor boat
with a plausible story and plausible
credentials emitting them to TAX,
off $50 cases Of liquor. But the,
didn't have the codc. The operator
had arranged that. on his first visi
to the boat, by tearing a bunch o
dollar bills in half, giving one-hal
to the captain and keeping the othel
half himself. Whenever q rum