The Washington times., 1930-01-07

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indulged, sometimes taking trips
with girls and bootleg rum in the
rum runners boat, sometimes TAX
ing auto trips to lonely cottages.
Rum row ships lie off the Cape
May Coast Guard base safe from
molestation, the district United
States customs inspector charged.
Coast Guard boats now patrol
ling the New Jersey coast are OF
a small, unseaworthy type which
must stay in shore, he declared.
The large off-shore deStroyers
working out Of the Staten Island
base, the official said, seldom
bother the rum ships off Atlantic
City and the rum runners hover.
ing opposite the Coast Guard
base at Cape May.
Base Destroyed
Rum row moved down to the
Atlantic City district, the Evening
Journal is informed, after the
mysterious official destruction OF
the great Coast Guard base at
Atlantic City, where q staff OF
more than 200 manned a score OF
boats capable Of running down
rum ships.
Admiral Billiard, commandant
Of the Coast Guard, asked by the
Evening Journal the reason for
the elimination Of the Atlantic
City Coast Guard base, said:
"It is not a matter that con-
Germs the public. take full re-
SpOnsibility for the act"
Surprised at Removal
A high official of the Treasury
Department, asked If the facts
could be made public, was aston
ished to hear that the base had
been removed.
Later after consulting Admiral
Billiard, he said that it had been
done as a simple matter Of
administration and that Admiral
Billiard would make a statement
The statement Of the customs
and Coast Guard District officers
charged with preventing rum
running is that the Coast Guard
with its present staff and equip,
ment is unable to patrol that sec
ton Of the coast properly.
It was the coming Of rum row
to Atlantic city, after the elm
ination of the Coast Guard base
there, that led to the corruption
of public officials and fostered
the growth of rum.vice gambling
rings and a reign Of terror.
Coast Guard Situation
Today's article. the fourth in a
series barring conditions in Atlantic
city, discloSes amazing facts about
the Coast Guard situation Later
articles will deal with the opera
tions of protected racketeers and
gangsters, the kidnappings Of
girls, the dope school fol young
men and women, and the open
operation of padlocked joints and
houses where indiscribable orgies
are offered.
When rum row had to move
southwark because of the exceS
sively high graft demands in the
New York area, the rum runners
| found very serious ObStacle-a
high powered well-manned, ade
quately equipped coast guard with
numerous stations along the
Atlantic City area.
At the Atlantic City base
Comdr. George Hemingway com
manded an efficient force Of 25C
men, two destroyers capable OF
pursuing rum ships across the
high seas, and tenable sub
chaSerS.
Feared Hemingway
The millions behind the great
rum running "mobs" tried to fine
way into the area. It was
possible to make arrangements
with some Of the captains at the
small stations but so long as
Commander Hemingway could
not be reached" the units from
his base were likely to pop up ut
just the wrong moment and spoil
everything.
His ships were also equipped
with powerful radio stations and
with the headquarters Commander
Hemingway kept great map on
which was charted the location
of every rum runner in the North
Atlantic. changed from hour to
hour as the result OF radio
adviceS.
They tried other methods. One
evening Commander Hemingway
was talking at the Coast Guard
station with a friend when sud
denly an ominouS-appearing char
acter sprang out of the shadows
and pressed two revolvers against
the commanders chest.
Threaten Death
''Let up on those rum ships
coming into Atlantic City or the
triggers will be pulled YOU
the hatchet man ordered.
Commander Hemingway's reply
was a blow that sent the gunman
Sprawling. There was a brief
tussle, ending when police sud-
denl popped in to view and took
both men to the station. When
the police refused to recognize
Commander Hemingway'S papers
and held him, he sent word to
his headquarters. and a Coast