After a fair period has passed, he
reappeared to ask for clearance "in
ballast" to an American port. His
previous cargo, he explained, had
been discharged. The officials is
suing clearance papers gravely ac«
cepted this statement and made out
the new documents.
9 o o
Showing An “Innocent Voyage/*
So the turn ship put to seg, ready
for all emergencies and with a few
risks involved to the gambling ring
interested in her cargo. If over
hauled at sea, she could present per
fectly regular papers showing this
to be an "innocent voyage" between
two foreign ports with innocent
cargo, including, mostly, if not en
tirely, liquor. She could not be ap
prehended or interfered with. The
British flag and the international
practice of centuries protected her,
however certain it might be that her
real purpose was to shatter Ameri
can laws. *
Once the rendezvous was reached
and the liquor all put overside at sea,
beyond American jurisdiction, to be
sneaked ashore by waiting small
craft, the rum ship changed character
and boldly sailed into an American
port to restock and refuel. She pro
duced the duplicate clearance papers
to prove that she had sailed with
out cargo from the Bahamas for the
port she was making and still was an
innocent toiler of the sea. There
was no ground for her seizure, what
ever well-grounded suspicion rested
against her.
British officials have said such
abuses as these would be looked into.
Perhaps they have been checked. At
least, more recently our reports show
that the rum ships are taking aboard
their fuel and stores at sea to a large
extent, making ready for the return
trip. There is a regular industry
among the bootlegger rings along
the coast to supply these vessels.
