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rate of exchange so that the American visitor pays it at old rates. hence absurdedly high prices. Furthermore almost everything here is imported. mostly from the U.S. altho there are liners from Canada Glascow and London and some schooners from Jamaica "Sea king" is a large steel [[strikethrough]] house boa [[/strikethrough]] seagoing houseboat with two smokestacks planted on both sides. and belongs to Baron Bliss from Montreal or some other place in Canada. Flies the British Ensign but his nationality is not well established. Am told he is a cripple and a very able engineer has drafting room and workshop aboard and
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has designed his own ship for his personal convenience and provided it with every possible device for his own comfort and security.
Among the "beach combers" around hotel is a little swaggering man, who wears [[strikethrough]] s [[/strikethrough]] gold-shoulder straps and a gold-bedecked british Admiralty captains cap. and whose name is Hofman or Hartman. Says he is born in Pennsylvania but became a British subject during the war serving on tramp steamer etc. He is frequently drunk and brags considerably his last job was on one of the bootlegging yachts. He openly states is ready for any bootlegging job as long as they let him sell