During a snowstorm in late November 1922, a yacht carrying hundreds of cases of whiskey ran aground off Miller Place during the height of Prohibition.
The incident was reported in The Port Jefferson Echo on Dec. 2, 1922, under the headline “Whiskey Laden Yacht at Miller’s Place.”
According to the newspaper, the yacht Virginie, of New York, struck rocks and went ashore on Miller Place Beach during the storm on Monday night. The paper reported that approximately 350 cases of whiskey were aboard the vessel.
Also click here to read our story “Rum Runners and Speakeasies: Long Island’s Secret Prohibition History“
The following morning, the vessel’s commander, identified in the paper as Capt. D. C. Williams, and a crew of five arrived soaking wet at the Port Jefferson Hotel after making it ashore.
After briefly resting at the hotel, the captain and several crew members reportedly left for New York City by automobile.
Federal Prohibition agents did not arrive at Miller Place Beach until Tuesday night. By then, according to the paper, most of the whiskey cargo had already disappeared.
The article stated:
- “Local residents secured the greater part of it.”
- Several people were reportedly relieved of “salvaged hooch” by federal agents upon their arrival.
- The yacht itself was stripped of nearly everything valuable.
The story ended with one final detail that reflected the chaos surrounding the wreck.
After being stripped, the abandoned yacht was reportedly set on fire.
The newspaper noted that the wreck site became a local attraction on Thanksgiving Day, drawing hundreds of visitors to Miller Place Beach.
The article appeared in Volume XXXI, No. 23 of The Port Jefferson Echo, published Dec. 2, 1922.
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