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Rumrunners in Glen Cove
Proclaimation by His Excellency Richard Earl of Bellomont, Captain Genera,l and Governor in Chief of His Majesties Province of New York ... [For the arrest of pyrates (pirates) and sea rovers." Given at Fort William Henry the ninth day of may, 1698
Musketa Cove had a reputation as a contraband haven since 1699 when Lord Bellomont, the Colonial Governor of New York, wrote to the Board of Trade in London citing the town amongst the top four ports on Long Island engaged in smuggling. Far from the watchful eyes of the Customs Office, but close enough to transport goods by land to Manhattan, Glen Cove was blessed with a harbor that was easy to navigate. From the beginning, spirits including wine, brandy, and rum were favored cargo.
Captain Kidd Legend
Captain William Kidd was a noted Scottish privateer commissioned by the English to confiscate or capsize French merchant ships in the late 1690s. In 1699, he was captured in Oyster Bay for the murder of a crew member, sent to London for trial, and hanged in 1701. Prior to his execution, Kidd stated that he hid a large amount of treasure in the area between New York and Boston. Mysterious sightings off the coast of Glen Cove during this time led many to believe this treasure was buried in the vicinity of Sheep Pen Point (presently Garvies Point).
W T Bell
During Prohibition (1920 - 1933), the city was a hotbed for rum-running, or bootlegging. On February 19, 1927, the rum-runner W T Bell, headed for Glen Cove, went aground at Bayville during a severe storm.
Rescue Effort
The two-masted schooner ran aground on the beach in front of the estate of Winslow S. Pierce, a wealthy lawyer for the Union Pacific Railroad. The Bayville Fire Department used a boatswain's chair - seat or plank attached to a rope by two straps, to rescue the crew of seven. The men were given food and dry clothing by the Pierce estate superintendent, but they soon slipped away not be seen again.
Law Enforcement
According to the New York Times on Feb. 22, 1927, “the villagers and two gangs of bootleggers from the Township of Oyster Bay removed about 125 kegs before the night and the arrival of County Policeman Edward De Mott stopped them. Each whisky keg contained twenty-five gallons, valued conservatively at $20 a gallon, while the kegs of malt each contained fifteen gallons, valued at $60 a gallon.”
Beneath the Lath
Purportedly, the W T Bell was transporting a cargo of lumber - plasterer's lath, from Nova Scotia to New York; however, it held a load of bootleg scotch and whiskey, that many believed were headed to gangsters in Glen Cove. Barrels marked "Blended Whiskey, Newfoundland" were hidden beneath the lath. The estimated value of the barrels - approximately 465, was $420,000.
Coast Guard - Explosion of W T Bell
W T Bell being blown up by a US Coast Guard
Pembroke
Upon the death of Joseph De Lamar in 1918, Pembroke, his waterfront estate in Glen Cove, was largely deserted by his heir. In the early days of Prohibition, gangs used the harbor to land smuggled liquor.
H.L. Pratt, Standard Oil Chairman Accused in Liquor Smuggling
“240 cases of champagne, which was trucked to the residence of Mr. Pratt at Glen Cove, L.I.”
NY Times Jan. 23, 1930
“Mr. Pratt was confronted with the charge of receiving smuggled liquor, which he admitted, and it is the writer’s understanding that he also admitted that he had purchased the liquor abroad for $25,000 and that he had agreed to pay the Go-bart company at the rate of $60 a case if and when smuggled into the United States and delivered to his home.”
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