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Rum RunningRumrunning is the business of smuggling or transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally, usually to circumvent taxation or prohibition. The term usually applies to transport of goods over water, over land it is commonly referred to as bootlegging. The term most likely originated at the start of the US Prohibition (1920-1933) when ships from the nearby island of Bimini transported cheap Caribbean Rum to Florida speakeasies. But Rum's cheapness made it a low profit item for the Rum runners, and they soon moved on to smuggling Canadian Whiskey, French Champagne and English Gin to major cities like New York and Boston, where prices ran high. It was said that some ships carried $200,000 in contraband in a single run at a time when $50/week was considered a good wage.
HistoryIt wasn't long after the first taxes on alcoholic beverages that someone began to smuggle them. The British government had "Revenue Cutters" in place to stop smugglers as early as the 1500's AD. Pirates often made extra money running rum to heavily taxed colonies. There have also been times when the sale of alcohol was limited for other purposes, such as laws against sales to American Indians in the old west, or local prohibitions like the one on Prince Edward Island between 1901 and 1948. By far the most famous period of rum running began in the United States with the Eighteenth Amendment (ratified January 16, 1919) and the Volstead Act (passed October 28, 1919). Prohibition began on January 16, 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. At first, there was little action on the seas, but after several months the Coast Guard began reporting increased smuggling activity. This was the start of the Bimini-Bahamas rum trade and the introduction of Bill McCoy.
"The real McCoy"Captain William S. McCoy was a boat builder and excursion boat captain in the Daytona Beach, Florida Area from 1900 to 1920. He was also reputed to be a non-drinker. With the start of prohibition he began to bring rum from Bimini and the Bahamas into south Florida. The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring the illegal goods to just outside of the US territorial waters and let smaller boats and other Captains take the risk of bringing it into shore. The rum running business was very good, and McCoy soon bought a Gloucester knockabout schooner named Arethusa at auction and re-named her Tomika. He installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck and re-fitted the fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. She became one of the most famous of the rumrunners, along with his two other ships hauling mostly Irish and Canadian Whiskey as well as other fine liquors and wines to ports from Maine to Florida. In the days of rum running, it was common for Captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits, or to re-label it as better goods. Italian sparkling wines became French Champagne, unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never watering his booze, and selling only real top quality product. Soon all the swells of the "Roaring 20's" were looking for "the Real McCoy", and the phrase lives on to this day* On 15 November 1923, McCoy and Tomika encountered the US Revenue Cutter Seneca, just inside US territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board, but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. Tomika tried to run, but Seneca placed a shell just off her hull and Bill McCoy's days as a rumrunner were over.
The Rum LineMcCoy is credited with the idea of bringing large ships just to the edge of the three mile limit of US jurisdiction, and selling his wares to "contact boats", local fishermen and small boat captains at sea. The small, quick boats could more easily outrun the Coast Guard ships and could dock in any small river or eddy and transfer their cargo to a waiting truck. Soon others were following suit, the three mile limit was known as "the Rum Line" and the ships waiting were called "rum row". The rum line was extended to a 12-mile limit by Act of Congress April 21, 1924, which made it harder for the smaller and less seaworthy craft to make the trip. The rum line wasn't the only front for the Coast Guard, rumrunners often made the trip Canada via the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and down the west coast to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Gulf of Mexico also teamed with ships running from Mexico and the Bahamas to the Louisiana swamps and Alabama coast. By far the biggest Rum Row was in the New York/Philadelphia area off the New Jersey coast, where as many as 60 ships were seen at one time. With that much competition, the suppliers often flew large banners advertising their wares and threw parties with prostitutes onboard their ships to draw customers. Rum Row was completely lawless, and many crews armed themselves not against the government ships but against the other rumrunners, who would sometimes sink a ship and hijack its cargo rather than make the run to Canada or the Caribbean for fresh supplies.
The ShipsOn the government's side were an assortment of patrol boats, inshore patrol and harbor cutters. Most of the patrol boats were of the "six bit" variety, 75' boats with a top speed of about 12 knots. There were also an assortment of launches, harbor tugs and miscellaneous small craft. At the start, the rum runner fleet consisted of a rag-tag flotilla of fishing boats, excursion boats and small merchant craft. But as prohibition wore on, the stakes got higher and the ships became more specialized. Large merchant ships like McCoy's Tomika waited on Rum Row, but specialized high speed craft were built for the ship-to-shore runs, often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns and armor plating. Rum runners often kept cans of used engine oil handy to pour on hot exhaust manifolds to create a smoke screen to escape the revenue ships. The rum runners were definitely faster and more maneuverable. Add to that the fact that a rum runner captain could make several hundred thousand dollars a year. In comparison, the Coast Guard Commandant made just $6,000 annually, seamen made $30/week. The huge rewards meant the rumrunners were willing to take big risks. They ran without lights at night and in fog, risking life and limb. Often the shores were littered with bottles from a rumrunner who hit a sandbar or a reef in the dark at high speed and sunk. The Coast Guard relied on hard work, excellent reconnaissance and big guns to get their job done. To add to the problem, it was not uncommon for rumrunners' ships to be sold at auction shortly after a trial, often right back to the original owners. Some ships were captured three or four times before they were finally sunk or retired. Plus the Coast Guard had other duties, and often had to let a rumrunner go to assist a sinking vessel or other emergency.
Organized CrimeAs the profits from rum running grew it attracted many legitimate businessmen, including Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. father of the future President, who purportedly financed rum running operations from Canada and represented several British alcohol distillers. Large profits also attract less legitimate businessmen, and it was not long before the Mob got involved. Organized crime had no experienced seamen, however, so their involvement was largely in transporting the product from the dock to the speakeasies and running the clubs. Dutch Schultz was the king pin of bootlegging on Long Island, NY - a prime gateway to New York City and Boston. He was known to hijack other bootlegger's trucks and have the booze delivered to his own clubs. The drivers could either join his gang or be killed. Another area where the Mob came in handy was bribery and blackmail. Many a Police Officer or watchman was "convinced" to be absent when a certain boat docked and was unloaded. Policemen in the 1920's made between $20-$40 a week, and an envelope with a few twentys went a long way. Sometimes the bribe was a portion of the cargo.
The end of ProhibitionOn December 5, 1933 the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition, and with it the rumrunning business. Most of the rum ships were sold or scrapped, and their crews either went into the Merchant Marine or the US Navy, which was gearing up for WWII. Surprisingly, the Navy welcomed ex-rumrunners as skilled and experienced seamen (some with battle experience), often giving them non-commissioned officers ranks. The Coast Guard emerged from Prohibition a new service, larger and more effective. Many of the skills they learned battling the rumrunners went to defend the US coastline during WWII.
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