CRUISER SEARCHED
SUSPECTED LIQUOR HOARD ANONYMOUS LETTER SEQUEL Acting upon anonymous information, Customs Guards boarded the United States cruiser Richmond in the North River and made a four hours’ search, but failed to find a single bottle of alcoholic spirits or wine. tpHE Customs officials decided not to search any of the other warships at anchor in the river. The letter which started the hunt for contraband liquor in the fleet was received at Prohibition headquarters. It bore a New York postmark. The writer declared that the United States Navy was "wet inside as well as outside,” and suggested that if the cruiser Richmond and other warships should be searched, a big haul of whisky and wines would result. The letter was turned over to Philip R. Elting, Collector of the Port of New York, who handed it to J. H. McGill, Deputy Surveyor, in charge of the Customs Enforcement Bureau. He ordered Inspector C. Schmidt and 10 Customs guards to search the cruiser. The detail boarded the Richmond, which was anchored off the foot of Ninty-sixth Street, North River, from a coastguard boat. Tbe men were taken by the duty officer to Captain Hugo W. Osterhaus, commander of the ship. After Inspector Schmidt had stated ■the nature of his errand, the captain said he would send an officer through the ship with the Customs men. “I don’t think that you will find anything of that nature on board, howover,” he said. "All men are searched when they come aboard from shore leave.” The cruiser was searched thoroughly above and below decks, and every nook and cubby bole where bottles or flasks might be concealed was opened.
The inspectors even looked into ventilators, the muzzles of the guns a hd the cook’s coal locker, hut not a sign of alcoholic liquor could he found. One of the Customs officials said the letter to the Prohibition agents had probably been written by some disgruntled sailor who had had his bottle taken from him tvhen he returned from leave.
The Richmond is a very swift light cruiser of 7,500 tons and carries a complement of 500 officers and men.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SUNAK19290610.2.146
Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 685, 10 June 1929, Page 14
Word Count
357CRUISER SEARCHED Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 685, 10 June 1929, Page 14
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