Pass the Bottle: Rum Tales of the West Coast

by Eric Newsome

When the United States Government, with the advent of Prohibition turned off the tap that supplied alcohol to the thirsty masses, a determined group of men rose to the challenge- the Rumrunners! These men dared the sea and the might of the U.S. Coast Guard to pass the bottle from mother ships waiting in international waters to their accomplices on shore. Initially seen as a respectable crime, the rum trade evolved into cut-throat competition where the unwary smuggler was just as likely to lose his cargo to hijackers as he was to the Coast Guard. These are the stories that bring that time to life. From Johnny Schnarr, who spent twelve years outwitting the authorities, to the notorious Eggars Brothers and on to Roy Olmstead, the acknowledged King of the rumrunners, Pass the Bottle tells the stores that have become a part of the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest.

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995