Evening star., 1941-09-01

McLemore. the evacuation
Of Crete were patterned after the
boats which rum runners used to
land their wares from offshore ships
in prohibition days. Hundreds. per-
haps thousands, of British soldiers
owe their escape from that tortured
island 10 the fact that during this
country's noble experiment the
hootch handlers inspired the deyel-
opment of boats that could bring
their cargo through shallow water
TO the beach
To evade the revenue agents the
rum runners sought boats that drew
a minimum of water-boats which
would enable them to navigate al
most on equal footing with a gold
| fish. To catch them, the agents de-
manded even better boats. This
/ necessitated the rum runners pro-
ducing an even more advanced de-
/ sign unless they wanted TO go to
Atlanta or Leavenworth.
|
| II was an era of great progress,
and, without knowing it. the DCat
! builders were progressing toward the
/ super-landing boats Of today. Il
must come as comfort TO many an
old reformed rum runner TO know
that his game of tag with the Feds
has contributed to the defense of
the democracies. 1t is cheering. too,
to those who patronized the boot
leggers Of yesteryear TO know that
even as they burned out their pal
ates with the stuff they were doing
their bit toward furthering national
defense.
The best landing boat in the
world today Is the Eureka, J. 1t by
the Higgins Co.. Of New orleans.
They are being turned out by the
thousands and are standard with
the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
They were in use at Crete, and an
official of the company told me
that the 1871 design was Just a
super-dooper model Of the ones the
rum runners and Feds PLAYED hide
and-go-seek with in the 20s.
The Eureka does things that no
self-respecting boat should do. II
will climb a seawall, for one thing.
I know, because 7 was on one that
did just that 1t didn't sniff around .
trying to find soft place to climb
either. but charged in where the
cement was hardest and scrambled
up like cat up q tree. It kept
climbing the wall until nine-tenths
of it was out of the water, and its
occupants could walk off onto the
wall without vetting a shoe.
More amazing, 1t backed of the
wall as easily as it had climbed it.
A few shakes and trembles and it
was out in deep water again, show
ing no wear and tear. The hull
wasn't even scraped and it was
every bit as seaworthy as it was be-
fore it tackled the seaWall.
But the Eureka didn't really show
of until its pilot decided to beach
1t, high and dry, on the sands A
quarter of mile offshore he turned
/ the Eureka S nose toward the beach
and gave her the gun. A hundred
yards from shore. and travelling 80
miles per hour, the Eureka hit a
sand bar inches below the surface.
It hoped 1t as bird dog would a
log and kept going There was only
a slight jar.
The water got shallower and shall
lower, but the Eureka didn't seem to
need any water beneath it. We
drove on in past bathers, standing
where the water scarcely reached
their shins, and then right smack I'D
on the dry land. When I stepped
out on the beach only the propeller
blades were in water and they were
barely covered.
A good 10 feet back of the stern
of the boat the water was so shallow
that 3-year-old baby sat in per-
feet safety, in water that didn't
reach his chest.
Mister you're stuck" bather
said to the pilot of the Eureka.
Want lis to help shove you OFF,"
The Eureka didn't need any help.
1t backed itself off the beach and
into deep water as easily as 1t had
beached itself
The waters of Lake Pontchartrain
were fairly smooth, but the Eureka
doesn't require fiat water. In fact,
when there is good sea running
the Eureka beaches even more
easily. 1t rides the swells in. 1t
has performed in 15-foot seas with
out bubble.
The Eureka is designed to carry
SO fully equipped soldiers and
mounts two machine guns and a
gadget that lays a smoke screen.
And there are Eurekas that carry
tanks, field artillery and heavy
duty trucks.
To show the real Importance of
these boats that the bootleggers
gave us, it has been estimated that
a fleet of them at Dunkerque
would have been able to rescue
every living man on the beach.
I only regret that there isn't a
snake here to bite me so that l
might drink a toast to those far
seeing patriotS-the rum-runners
and the bootleggers.
Distributed by McNaught Syndicate, Inc)