Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-16
80 RUM-ROW SHIPS
CUT TO Z BEFORE
PERFECT BLOCKADE
Remaining Vessels hinged
and Every Inlet Guarded,
FoiIing SmuggIers.
SHORE BOATS TIED UP,
COAST TOUR REVEALS
Officials Plan to Wait Runners Out
Till Landing Organization Is
Completely Broken Up.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May l6.-A semi-offi-
cial observation cruise over the AT
lantic from NarraGansett Pier, r. L.,
TO Atlantic City, y. J., which ended
today, revealed only Il rum-carrying
ships in that area, which provided
anchorage for more than so rum yes
sells at the time the Coast Guard block
ade was inaugurated, May 5.
1t was further indicated on the
cruise, which took a party of news
paper correspondents to points be-
tween 80 and 40 miles from shore,
that virtually no contraband liquor is
being smuggled into'the country from
this area.
AS a result of the inspection, Lieut..
Comdr. Stephen S. Yeandle, chief aide
to Rear Admiral F. c. Billiard, Coast
Guard commandant, announced that
he considered the rum blockade in
his area entirely successful. Only IL
rum carriers were seen by the news
paper men. These were anchored in
widely separated berths and each YES
sci was closely guarded by various
types of Coast Guard craft, which
literally ringed them, keeping them
absolutely cut off from the shore. An
inspection of the inlets of the Long
Island coast revealed one or more
Government boats lurking in every
waterway that could possibly provide
an entry way for the shore-running
boats.
Rum Runners Tied Up.
The inspection also included a num-
her of rum-running centers on the
South shore of Long Island, revealing
scores OF rum boats tied up and in
d1suse with their usually busy crews
lettering their days away in in
activity.
This just marks the start of the
war on the rum runners by the Coast
Guard" Comdr. Yeandle said on COM
pletion of the trip.
The cruise which started at New
London, Conn.,, last Wednesday after
noon and ended off Sandy Hook this
morning, provided the first oonfirma-
ton Of the statements of Coast Guard
officials that the blockade was dis.
persing the rum armadas.
Three areas off the coast which
provided local centers for gathering
of rum fleets were inspected. These
were what long has been known as
the New YorkNew Jersey row, the
Block Island sector and the Montauk
Point area.
The once populous and popular New
York rum row, which had 3S rum
carriers in line on May 5, had but
seven there last night.
Three remained off Montauk Point,
and another two off Narrangansett
Pier, where 10 days ago there had
been 80.
Anchor Far Out.
Comdr. Yeandle, who was in charge
- l. =. ;al, IL Il
the Coast Guard cable-laying boat
Pequot, said that many of the van
ished craft had retired to positions
from so to $50 and 200 miles from
shore and had anchored there in the
hope of wearing out the patience Of
Coast Guardsmen.
Still others-he did not know how
many-had made for their home ports
in the Canadian maritime provinces,
Bermuda, the Bahamas and elsewhere.
All of the departing boats had been
followed by patrol or picket boats of
the Coast Guard until they had passed
Nantucket on the north or Atlantic
City on the south.
From these points north and south
Coast Guard officials said inshore
picket boats kept vigil over the fugi-
tive "rummies," as their pursuers
know the contraband ships, and saw
TO it that they didn't anchor close
to shore. None of the departed boats
were believed to have anchored within
80 miles of shore at any point.
Discouraged rum captains are get
ting up steam or hosting sails and
leaving their idle posts daily. Three
vessels, a steamer and two windjam-
mers were seen to depart
Chased by Patrol Boat.
The COMMUNICATIVE iDcpectio, cr,,;sa
included two interviews with men
aboard the besieged rum ships and
even a breath-taking trip aboard a
36-foot boat-to-shore rum runner, a
feature arranged by the newspaper
men themselves.
While inspecting Jones Inlet, the
correspondents had the Pequot's boat
place them ashore at Bay Shore, from
where they proceeded to Freeport by
automobile, and there arranged with
the owner of an idle rum-running boat
TO take them on the trip, most of it
covered at 35-mile hour rate.
The rum-runner had 30O-horsepower
engines, which developed speed far
in excess of any of the Coast Guard
boats except the few torpedo boat de-
stroyers in the fleet.
AS the boat streaked out of Jones
Inlet into the Atlantic a lurking patrol
boat of the Coast Guard was seen in
pursuit 2 miles astern. The rum
runner loafed and permitted the pur-
suer to creep on him. When less than
a mile off, the runners pilot opened
her engine and started to pull away,
whereupon two men aboard the guard
boat opened fire with Springfield rifles,
their bullets falling in the water sew
eral hundred feet behind the fugitive.
Double System Effective.
The rum-runner fed for 20 miles,
easily outdistancing the patrol boat,
and then permitted the grim pursuer
to catch up, whereupon the news
paper men made known their identity
The guardsmen departed after learn
ing that the little vessel had no con-
traband aboard
Through these maneuvers the cor
respondents learned the inshore vigi-
lance of the Coast Guard was equal
TO that displayed in the individual
blockade of the liquor ships,
The double system-the picketing
of inlets. bays and numerous small
boat rum lanes ashore, coupled with
the blockade up to so miles from
shore-seemingly provided an almost
impassa bic barrier to the shore-to-boat
runners, on whose ability TO get the
Continued on Page A, Column II