New Britain herald., 1925-07-28
RUM SHIP SLIPS
 PAST DRY GUARD
Dis20ssS ol S250,OOO Cargo in
 New York

New York, July :s tP,-The gov
 ernments rum blockade off the At lantic coast has been run by the largest liquor-laden vessel ever seiz- ed m New York harbor.
 Champagne, whiskey and Cordials Ivalued at $250,0o0 were landed and gobblcd up by bootlcggers before customs officials knew what was Happening. When they arrived at the busy dock at Dyckman street OH
 the Hudson river carly yesterday morning they found the 2,o00-ton
 steamship Augusta empty except for
 15 bottles of liquor in the officers quarters.
 The crew was lolling about the
 decks in kid gloves. Acting Captain Charles Wilson and 4 men were ar
 rested, The ship. $25o,00o twin screw freighter, was seized. | Edward Barnes, assistant solicitor
 to the collector of the port, said Will i son should haul down the American 1 flag and hoist the black banner of the pirate. The ship had no customs papers; none of the officers had a
 license; no log was kept and there
 were no ships articles giving the
 names of the crew.
 While a cutter lowed the ship to anchorage off the statute of Liberty, ithe helmsman foued the wheel in an attempt to beach the vessel off | Hohoken, N, !. The cutters captain, detecting something wrong, swung so sharply towards the middle of the
 river that the Augusta listed to an angle of 40 degrees.
 Customs officials described the landing of the 2,500 cases of liquor as the most daring rum running feat in the history of prohibition enforce lnent Two weeks ago they were tipped off that the Augusta had talk en on it's liquor cargo from vessel eight miles off New Orleans and was heading for New York.
 Despite precautions the Augusta slipped by the scores of coast guard blockade ships, through the busiest part of the harbor, transferred the cargo to an unidentified lighter and sold the liquor to retailers.
 At the court of inquiry conducted by MT. Barnes aboard ship Captain Wilson admitted selling the cargo.
 Tally slips found aboard confirmed
 his story. Other papers found show
 "d that the Augusta had been char
 tered from A. NJ. Eversole. Miami.
 Florida, by James Y. Williams New | York for Sl and 50 per cent of the 1 profits,
 The Augusta was g freighter en- gagged in coastwise trade. She is
 the second Coastwise ship seized in
 2 month, Customs officials indicat-
 ed that the seizures might result in
 the establishment of a customs in- 1 speCtlon service for coastWisc vessels
 which are now free from it. Meanwhile prohibition officials are
 taking steps 10 clamp down the lid
 more tightly. General Lincoln c.
 Andrews, assistant secretary of the
 treasury in charge of prohibition enforcement, is to confer here with United States Attorney Buckner, divisional and state enforcement of ficers, MT. Buckner has been con-
 ducting a grand jury investigation Of hootlegging ring that sent liquor inland from New York in trunks
 General Andrews is represented as especially curious concerning back
 CTS of the ring.
 Bargain day in federal court yes- terday for dry law violators cleared S56 cases off the calendar of 2,o00 cases. Of these 159 pleaded guilty and paid fines from $50 to $1O0, to- talling S16,290. Sixty forfeited bonds laggregating s45.000, and several, refusing to pay, went to Jail for three days, For lack of evidence IFS c7ca- u.sre dieD,ieeed