Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-09-13

Near the middle Of the last century
there was no thought Of prohibition
almost everyone drank, and thought
nothing Of Ii. These drinks ranged
from relatively harmless root beer
through homemade wines and cider
with q tang 70 ii, to WHISKY, gin, etc
There was, TO be sure, a growing con-
sciOusness Of the evils arising from
Over-induIgence Ia alcoholic liquors,
and an effort was made to exercise
'the demon rum" by means Of tenn
peranee societies and the signing Of
pledges, but otherwise the inaIienabIe
privilege Of the individual to get drunk
remained unquesti0ned-with one ex-
ceptiOn. Whisky, the government had
come TO understand, while IL might
agree with the white man, did not
improve the disposition Of our Indian
wards, and it became unlawful 10 sell
it to them.
Unfortunately, the Indians craved
it, and were willing to pay almost any
price to get it. At that time there
was an immense profit to be made in
this Illicit business and there we're
plenty Of white men who did not fear
to run the inspection gauntlet. 1t was
not uncommon for the Missouri river
boats to engage in this trade, so long
as navigation continued on that river
In 1843 the American Fur Co. sent
its annual supplies up the Missouri
on the Omega, with Capt. Joseph A.
Sire, master, and Joseph LaBarge,
pilot. With the supplies was what was
termed "the usual amount of liquor"
Among the passengers were Audubon,
and others of his company, bent on
scientific discoveries.
The boat passed the first inspection
point without any trouble, but shortly
afterward was called upon to submit
to a search by an army lieutenant,
who had been empowered to act in
stead Of the agent.
This order caused great consterna-
ton on board the boat, until Audu-
bon volunteered to aid the captain.
He himself carried liquor with him,
but had permit from the government
TO do so. This permit he showed to |
the lieutenant, and then suggested |
that together they visit the camp, his |
object being to give Captain Sires time |
20 conceal the whisky. The lieutenant, |
greatly honored by Audubon's evident |
pleasure in his society, led him to
lamp, where he entertained the nat
lralist for a couple of hours. Mean
while Captain Sires was not idle.
The hold of a steamboat of that |
period was divided by a partition ex-
ending its full length, the two sides
)eing connected by a curve under the
latchway in the forecastle. There be-
ng no windows in the hold the deck
lands used candles to light them at /
heir tasks as utter darkness prevailed |
/ short distance from the hatchway. |
During the absence Of Audubon, the
liquor was loaded on cars, and run
ar back in the hold on one side, and
he workers were instructed as to their
urther action. BY the time Audubon
nd the lieutenant returned, every
hing was In readiness for the latter.
,aptain SireS insisted ON a thorough
earch and demanded that one of like
trictnesS should be given other boats
hen the lieutenant was taken into
he empty side Of the hold, where, Of
curse, nothing was found. One side
xhaustively inspected, the lieutenant
vas led into the other, which was
lso empty, the cars with the liquor
aving been safely transferred into
he part Of the hold just examined.
is needless to say that the Omega
as released with clean record.
On this trip an amusing incident