Giggle Water on the Mighty Niagara: Rum-Runners, Homebrewers, Redistillers, and the Changing Social Fabric of Drinking Culture during Alcohol Prohibition in Buffalo, N.Y., 1920-1933

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Timothy Olewniczak

Abstract

During the nighttime hours of Monday, April 6, 1925, the Arcadia vanished without a trace from its location along the Niagara River. The crew had allegedly stocked the ship full of illegal ale. As a result U.S. officials blocked the passage of Arcadia into the country. The U.S. Coast Guard observed the boat heading toward U.S. shores from the city of Fort Erie, Ontario, on Saturday, April 4 at 3 p.m. A standstill ensued when the U.S. Coast Guard set up a blockade to force the boat to drop anchor. During the evening of the sixth a thick fog set in over the Niagara River. The Arcadia dimmed its lights and escaped to an undisclosed location. Two U.S. Coast Guard ships, commanded by Captain John J. Daly, followed the Arcadia downstream. With his own ship among the fastest of the U.S. Coast Guard Captain Daly assured the Buffalo populace that he would catch the missing ship. Captain Daly continued trailing the rum-runners to prevent them from reaching U.S. soil but he described his pursuit as an ongoing game of "cat and mouse."

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