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(kids screaming)
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(siren)
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CHRISTIAN CIPOLLINI:
I remember watching clips
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of the John Gotti trial
on television.
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REPORTER: Gotti,the alleged Godfather,
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intimidating witnesses
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and running the nation'slargest organized crime family.
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CIPOLLINI: And you realize,
wait, this Mob thing is real.
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That's a real guy.
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(gunfire)
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That is the moment
that I decided
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I want to find out more.
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♪ ♪
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This thing called
organized crime:
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What is it,
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00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:47,960
how did it originate,
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and how did these guys
actually make money?
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The problem is the Mob
hates evidence.
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00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,600
But there's some things
they just can't do away with.
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So now we're finding
what they tried to hide.
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PETER STRAUB:
Why was there a truck
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at the bottom of the river?
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It was something that definitely
should not have been there.
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STEVE NAGIEWICZ:
This ship went down fully loaded
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with cases of whiskey.
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What happened to the men
who were on board?
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ERIK PETKOVIC:
It was not an accident.
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It didn't sink by an act of God.
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ANNOUNCER: He turnedan American metropolis
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into a bullet-scarredbattleground.
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CIPOLLINI:
These underwater discoveries
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have clear ties
to organized crime.
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(gunfire)
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The ultimate question:
Where did it all start?
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How did a bunch
of otherwise ragtag hoodlums
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become a national organized
criminal syndicate?
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How did they become the Mob?
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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NAGIEWICZ: I've been
scuba diving for over 40 years,
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and it's the shipwrecks
and the stories they have
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which have fascinated me
the most.
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They're exciting,
they're historic.
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00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,720
They are time capsules
on the seafloor.
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And of all the ones I dived,
one really stuck with me.
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♪ ♪
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It led me on a journey
into the heart of the Mob.
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♪ ♪
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Late 1990s,
a good friend of mine
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who's a boat captain like me,
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he told me about a strange site
he'd heard about far offshore.
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So we decided to give
this wreck a shot.
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It was a treat to dive something
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that we suspected nobody
ever had been to before.
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So we're excited.
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As you get further
and further down,
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the sunlight
just doesn't penetrate.
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First thing we see is what
looks like the top of an engine.
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We were excited,
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and as we looked around,
we saw wooden walls,
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which indicated
an old shipwreck.
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And we started to see
numbers of bottles,
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the necks just popping up
out of the sand.
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It wasn't until we went
up to the surface
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that we determined
they were full of whiskey.
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♪ ♪
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We looked at each other
and said,
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"Wow, this is really cool."
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♪ ♪
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I drew a sketch
of what we saw on the bottom.
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I think intrinsically
I knew it was valuable.
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It had the structure of an old
single-piston steam engine.
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It had a really thick
propeller shaft
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and a big propeller blade.
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This machinery was
more powerful than was needed
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00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,320
for a boat this size,
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so we looked at each other and
said: Could this be a tugboat?
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That would explain
the size of the engine.
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(ship horn blows)
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Tugboats under normal trade
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would have been towing ships,
towing barges.
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They're the work boats
that bring ships
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in and out of New York City
every day.
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Why would a tugboat be carrying
cases and cases of whiskey,
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25 miles offshore?
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♪ ♪
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For many years
I puzzled over my find,
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00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,680
although I never really got
the opportunity
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to investigate it further.
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(wave crashes)
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Nowadays I teach
marine archaeology
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at Stockton University.
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And it allowed me to have access
to the university boat,
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which has the necessary
technology to scan a shipwreck,
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to identify what that shipwreck
could have been.
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STRAUB: I'm a diver myself,
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{\an8}and part of my work
involves mapping shipwrecks.
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{\an8}So any new shipwreck to me
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is an exciting new adventure.
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00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,280
NAGIEWICZ: The first step
was to scan the seafloor
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00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:55,680
to find evidence of whether
the boat really was a tug.
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We had one shot to do this
given the cost,
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$1,500 in fuel to get there.
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STRAUB: I always love
a good challenge.
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NAGIEWICZ: Everybody was excited
when we got to the site
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and we started to deploy
the equipment
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to actually map the wreck.
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ROSS BAXTER:
First we have to find it.
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♪ ♪
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NAGIEWICZ: Anything?
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Where'd the wreck go?
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BAXTER: There's nothing there.
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NAGIEWICZ:
There's nothing there right now.
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STRAUB: We did not
find it right away,
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so we expanded our search area
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and we did about a kilometer
in both directions.
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BAXTER: Let me know when you
want me to end this line.
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NAGIEWICZ: And after an hour,
we still didn't have the wreck.
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And now everybody was getting
nervous; where'd it go?
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STRAUB: Are you sure these
are the right numbers?
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NAGIEWICZ: I said, yeah,
I mean, I know I've been there.
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There's nothing.
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I don't even see a seashell.
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It was like I was hit
in the face...
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with a pie.
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Where would a wreck go?
How would it disappear?
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BAXTER: So, what
are we gonna do?
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NAGIEWICZ: I understand the
ocean giveth and taketh away,
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so it probably covered
the shipwreck over
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with currents and sand.
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My greatest fear was,
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now I'm never gonna know
what this shipwreck was.
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And then I remembered the story
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of a sunken tugboat
named the Lizzie D.
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♪ ♪
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The Lizzie D was found in 1977
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by a couple
of dive boat captains.
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It was fully intact,
upright on the bottom.
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Cases and cases
of whiskey bottles
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came off of it at the time.
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Were these two connected?
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It would be a long shot.
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The wreck site was 19 miles
to the northwest,
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but scanning this known tugboat
might provide me with the clues
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to help identify
my missing wreck.
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STRAUB: So we took a shot
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and we decided we would head
up to the Lizzie D.
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NAGIEWICZ:
Wow, that's a nice picture.
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After four or five passes,
we had collected enough data
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to give a pretty full
sonar image of the Lizzie D.
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And it revealed some
really exciting details.
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♪ ♪
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STRAUB:
The sides themselves are gone,
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but the ribs of the boat,
those are sticking up.
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There was a large section
of boiler that's intact.
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NAGIEWICZ:
The boiler was where the water
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would be pumped through
and heated with coal
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to make steam to run the engine.
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The engine was behind it.
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00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,840
Behind the engine
was the propeller shaft,
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then the propeller.
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STRAUB: One of the key things
that we saw on the stern
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was a large tow bed.
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This is where you attach
a towline to haul a bigger ship.
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It does confirm
that this is a tugboat.
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NAGIEWICZ:
Then I compared my sketch
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to the evidence from this scan.
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I saw all the machinery parts
in the same alignment
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as the boat we dove
in the late 1990s.
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It had all the parts and
the same general construction.
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(pencil scratching)
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And the similarities
convinced me
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my missing wreck was a tugboat.
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And there was more.
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NAGIEWICZ: Both of them sank
upright on the bottom.
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That tells us that they sank
in a way consistent with a ship
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that would take on
too much water
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and was too heavy
to stay afloat.
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Tugboats usually operated
around harbors.
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But loaded down
with heavy cargo, in open seas,
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they'd have been pretty
vulnerable to bad weather.
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(engine chugging)
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I needed information
about tugboats lost at sea
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and headed for the maritime
archives in New York City.
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♪ ♪
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I came across a book that shows
the transcript of a letter
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from one Agnes McCardle
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to the assistant
district attorney
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for the United States
in New York...
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00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,680
complaining about
her missing brother
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who was on a ship
owned by a captain
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who had a poor record
of maintaining his ships.
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His ship seems
to have disappeared.
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This captain also had
another ship
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that sank two years earlier.
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It turned out to be
the Lizzie D.
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00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:12,960
I was really struck by
McCardle's words in the letter.
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00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,920
"On or about November 16th,
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00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,520
the rum-runner tug
William P. Maloney was lost
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00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:24,000
with a cargo of liquor
and her 12 men.
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00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:28,560
We have reason to believe
we had a brother on board."
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I thought, wow,
did I finally have a name
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for my missing shipwreck?
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You had a captain
who owned tugboats.
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00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,040
You had tugboats,
similar construction,
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00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:44,720
both operating in the same area,
a couple of years apart.
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00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:46,360
So, given the circumstances
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00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,240
and especially having
this smoking gun
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00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,320
of a letter from Agnes McCardle,
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00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,960
we were almost certain the wreck
that we dove many years ago
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00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,920
was the William P. Maloney.
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00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,320
Rum-running meant smuggling
illegal alcohol,
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00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,160
and it was a pretty common term
in New Jersey.
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00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,840
This was very early
in the Prohibition era,
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00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,160
those years from 1920 to 1933
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00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,720
when alcohol was illegal
in America.
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00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,400
I'd found
a Prohibition era rum-runner,
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00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:25,080
and it made sense that smugglers
were using tugboats.
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00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,400
Who's gonna notice two tugboats
coming in and out of the city?
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00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,040
I should have been excited.
221
00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:35,920
After so many years I'd finally
identified my mystery shipwreck.
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00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,840
But instead, I was really
haunted by Agnes' words.
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00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,000
(engine chugging)
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00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,480
"The families of the men
are in want.
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00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,520
Please give your attention
and save this sorrow."
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00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:57,080
These guys died trying
to protect illegal alcohol
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00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:01,400
knowing that there was nobody
coming to save them.
228
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,480
They just drowned,
and nobody knew where they were.
229
00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,160
The big question is,
who paid these guys?
230
00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,680
Who were the men
behind the scenes?
231
00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,160
(chugging)
232
00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:24,280
♪ ♪
233
00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,040
CIPOLLINI: How did I first
get into Mob history?
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00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:28,200
Well, that's easy.
235
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,040
That started with growing up
in the household
236
00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,880
of an undercover narcotics cop.
237
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,240
♪ ♪
238
00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,000
We'd play cops and robbers with
the other neighborhood kids,
239
00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,160
except we literally had
fingerprint sheets
240
00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,280
and search warrants to fill out
241
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,600
that Dad would give us
to play around with.
242
00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:51,480
That just took it
to a whole other level.
243
00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:59,040
Anything that is unusual
or steeped in mystery
244
00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,560
seemed to draw me in.
245
00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,960
{\an8}♪ ♪
246
00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,560
{\an8}What's exciting
about finding a shipwreck
247
00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,280
that is probably a rum-runner?
248
00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,760
Well, for an organized crime
researcher, this is great.
249
00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,920
This is physical evidence
250
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,280
pointing to an otherwise
mythological period
251
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,880
in American history
called Prohibition.
252
00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:32,320
My first question:
Where were they heading?
253
00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,920
NAGIEWICZ: These boats
were leaving New York Harbor,
254
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,840
and the orientation
of the wrecks and their position
255
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:46,240
indicate that they were making
their way offshore to turn south
256
00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,600
and, we think, to head
to the next biggest place
257
00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:51,800
for Prohibition:
258
00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:53,400
Atlantic City, New Jersey.
259
00:14:54,240 --> 00:15:00,920
♪ ♪
260
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:05,360
CIPOLLINI: Research showed me
bootleggers were bringing liquor
261
00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:10,560
into the most prime locations
they could find,
262
00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,400
one of which was Atlantic City.
263
00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,560
Why? It's an island.
264
00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:21,600
♪ ♪
265
00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,800
What was Atlantic City
during the Prohibition period?
266
00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,080
Sex, booze, debauchery.
267
00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:30,920
Atlantic City was a place
268
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,880
where the general laws of vice
didn't really apply.
269
00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:43,040
NAGIEWICZ: So, were these ships
part of a larger smuggling ring?
270
00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,360
In researching through
Coast Guard records,
271
00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,560
I found the link between
these missing tugboats
272
00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:53,280
to something called
the Bill Dwyer Syndicate.
273
00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:54,520
What was that?
274
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,640
And who was Bill Dwyer?
275
00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:58,080
CIPOLLINI: Steve! Christian.
276
00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,120
NAGIEWICZ: Christian, nice to
meet you. Thanks for coming.
277
00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,120
CIPOLLINI:
So, Steve, what I found,
278
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:06,000
this is one of the articles
from 1926
279
00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:10,800
relating to a giant indictment
on a rum-running ring.
280
00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:15,520
At the head of this ring,
allegedly, was "Big Bill" Dwyer.
281
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,920
Irish American, entrepreneur.
282
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:24,560
This ring was directly connected
to some up-and-coming mobsters.
283
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:31,600
I'm gonna show you
who "Big Bill" Dwyer
284
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,240
had some relation in funding to.
285
00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:39,560
That's Lucky Luciano,
286
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,960
creator of the infamous
Five Families of New York.
287
00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:44,600
NAGIEWICZ: Unbelievable.
288
00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:48,360
♪ ♪
289
00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,320
CIPOLLINI: The five
Mafia families of New York
290
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,040
control organized crime
in America even to this day.
291
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:59,600
Lucky Luciano named
the oldest after himself,
292
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:02,880
now known as
the Genovese family.
293
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,200
Prohibition and bootlegging was
probably the real kick starter
294
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,760
of what we now call the Mob.
295
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,040
NAGIEWICZ:
With Christian's information,
296
00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:21,120
we now link our tugboats
to Lucky Luciano.
297
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,600
And think about
the enormity of that.
298
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:26,440
We now have the people
behind the scenes
299
00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,120
who pulled the strings,
who were responsible,
300
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,240
who got away with it.
301
00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:35,960
It kind of makes you mad,
but at the same time,
302
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:37,360
their look at it is,
303
00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,640
we're providing a need that
everybody tells us they wanted.
304
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,800
It's just the government made it
illegal through Prohibition.
305
00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:48,480
CIPOLLINI:
Shipwrecked rum-running boats
306
00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:54,000
are just another piece of proof
that the bootlegging industry
307
00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,760
had a lot of risk
and a lot of reward.
308
00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,640
But was the risk worth it?
309
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:03,720
During the mid 1920s
310
00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:09,400
the risks of offshore
rum-running greatly increased.
311
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,480
The Coast Guard
was too involved.
312
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,840
There were too many hijackings
from other gangsters.
313
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:19,960
Rum-runners,
like any businessman,
314
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:26,480
want to look for not working
hard but working smart.
315
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,600
That raises the question:
316
00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:33,520
Where else could they bring
booze in from?
317
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:39,440
So, they started to look
at inland options.
318
00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,560
That led me to look
at other cities,
319
00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,960
in particular Detroit,
320
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:51,880
and another underwater clue that
explains the rise of the Mob.
321
00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:04,040
♪ ♪
322
00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:07,520
MATT ZUIDEMA: I've lived
in this area my entire life,
323
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,280
right on
the United States border,
324
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:13,520
just a half a mile across
the river from Detroit.
325
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,640
I've been a scuba diver
and a diving instructor
326
00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,520
for over 25 years.
327
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,120
I was a broke
university student,
328
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,800
{\an8}and it was the only place
I could dive.
329
00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:31,280
{\an8}(wetsuit crinkling)
330
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:32,920
(snap)
331
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:39,960
♪ ♪
332
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,680
Because of wind and waves,
the visibility is very limited,
333
00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,200
so usually less than five feet
334
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,720
and sometimes as little
as one foot of visibility.
335
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,840
So when you can only see
this far in front of your face,
336
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:57,080
it's gonna limit the people
337
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,640
who are actually gonna
want to do that dive.
338
00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,800
There is a very strong current
in the river,
339
00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:06,640
and it can really drag you
down the river quickly.
340
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,560
Yeah, it's an extremely
dangerous environment,
341
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,360
to say the least.
342
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,560
I found that every single dive
was an adventure.
343
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,320
You could find bottles and cars
344
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,720
and boats and shipwrecks
and guns,
345
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:22,280
and it just hooked me,
346
00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:25,320
and I've continued to do it
till this day.
347
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,880
I was speaking
with a local diver.
348
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:37,120
He said he had found a vehicle
that was upside down,
349
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,360
laying in the middle
of the Detroit River,
350
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,640
and it was something
that definitely
351
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:44,560
should not have been there.
352
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,520
Since this was not something
that was well known,
353
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,080
I wanted to follow up
and see it for myself.
354
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:55,280
♪ ♪
355
00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:57,840
Now, remember, with only a foot
of visibility in the river,
356
00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,840
it's easier said than done.
357
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:01,160
I do a search pattern.
358
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,800
So, you just do a zigzag
on the bottom of the water,
359
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,640
just going back and forth and
just seeing what you could find.
360
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,640
♪ ♪
361
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,960
I actually saw,
coming out of the gloom,
362
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:19,200
wooden spokes for a vehicle.
363
00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,400
That told me this vehicle
was very early.
364
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,760
At that point I did not
know anything more
365
00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:27,800
about the history of it.
366
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,040
I didn't know what kind
of vehicle it was,
367
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:32,440
but I really wanted
to try and find out.
368
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:38,640
I dove a couple of more times,
369
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:40,520
and I used my underwater
video camera
370
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:41,960
with a high-powered light
371
00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,160
to really document and get
this evidence together,
372
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,120
just so I could try
to build a model
373
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,760
of what I was seeing underwater.
374
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,600
And what I saw was amazing.
375
00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,800
♪ ♪
376
00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,840
The vehicle was upside down.
377
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,320
It was buried in the sediment,
378
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,840
so all I could really see was
the bottom part of the wheels.
379
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,160
♪ ♪
380
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:17,480
I could see the engine
poking out,
381
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:18,920
but I really couldn't see
anything more
382
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,360
of the topside of the vehicle.
383
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,800
There was a wooden floorboard
and there was a truck bed,
384
00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,600
so very quickly I determined
that this was not a car at all.
385
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,160
It was actually a truck.
386
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,920
Lying close to the back
was a heavy chain.
387
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,120
We also saw a crank handle
on the front of the vehicle.
388
00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,680
You would actually have to crank
that motor to get it started.
389
00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:47,800
So, the truck was old enough
390
00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,520
not to have an electric
starter motor.
391
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:56,120
♪ ♪
392
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,600
But what kind of truck was it?
393
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:04,080
I visited a local museum that
specializes in older vehicles
394
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:08,640
to compare our video
and photo evidence
395
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,080
against some of the vehicles
they had there.
396
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,040
There was a Model T truck
397
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:17,920
dating from the early part
of the century.
398
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,880
The way that the leaf spring
was underneath the axle,
399
00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,800
it was very distinctive.
400
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:28,040
The leaf spring goes
from side to side.
401
00:23:28,120 --> 00:23:33,680
♪ ♪
402
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,600
I looked at the front axle
and wheel assembly
403
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:37,960
along with the leaf spring,
404
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:40,080
and it matched exactly
what I had seen
405
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:41,840
at the bottom of the river.
406
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:44,360
I was very excited when I found
out it was a Model T truck,
407
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,120
because knowing when
the Model T was manufactured,
408
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:52,040
around 1910 to late 1920s,
409
00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:54,240
it lined up perfectly
with a vehicle
410
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:56,960
that would have been used
during Prohibition.
411
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:05,280
♪ ♪
412
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:07,320
So what was
a Prohibition-era truck
413
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:11,800
doing upside down
at the bottom of the river?
414
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:13,760
The vehicle's in a very
distinctive location
415
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:18,400
because it is very close
to the Hiram Walker Distillery.
416
00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,640
They've been producing
Canadian Club Whisky
417
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,800
and other brands for 150 years.
418
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:28,680
Many people were buying
whiskey in Canada
419
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,680
and bringing it
to the United States.
420
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,720
It's less than half a mile
to the US border from here.
421
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:39,120
And during Prohibition,
422
00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,640
the Hiram Walker Distillery
really became a focal point.
423
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:47,760
So, now I wondered:
Was my sunken truck
424
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,360
linked to what was happening
there at the time?
425
00:24:55,040 --> 00:25:03,240
♪ ♪
426
00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:04,640
MARTY GERVAIS:
I grew up in Windsor,
427
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:09,000
and, uh, and as a boy,
428
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,000
I heard stories
about Prohibition.
429
00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,320
And the stories were
in my own family.
430
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:19,760
My saintly mother was also
involved in it in a small way.
431
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,200
My mother was what
was called a spotter,
432
00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:26,640
sitting in a window, waiting
for the police to arrive.
433
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:30,960
If you were in Detroit
and looking across the river,
434
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:35,800
you actually saw
a huge, big neon sign,
435
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:37,360
"Canadian Club."
436
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,160
ZUIDEMA: It's almost like they
were making fun of the Americans
437
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,000
that, hey, we're producing it,
it's right here,
438
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,480
and there's really not a whole
lot you're gonna do about it.
439
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,360
GERVAIS: I mean,
this is annoying as hell.
440
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,240
I've been researching
Prohibition for years,
441
00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,960
and I once spoke to an old
Canadian customs inspector
442
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,480
from that era.
443
00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,200
He would stand there
at the export dock
444
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:01,760
and he would look
at this guy's paper,
445
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,560
and it would say that
these 25 cases of liquor
446
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,960
from Hiram Walker
would be going to Venezuela.
447
00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:10,440
And this guy would be
sitting in an open boat.
448
00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:11,640
There's no way that this boat
449
00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:13,960
could go all the way down
to South America.
450
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,040
There's no way.
451
00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:16,840
I mean, it was ridiculous,
it was stupid.
452
00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,680
He would watch this guy
cross the Detroit River,
453
00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:22,720
right over to Detroit,
454
00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,920
and he would be back
an hour later
455
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,680
with another boatload,
this time going to Cuba.
456
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:33,680
ZUIDEMA:
These boats would have passed
457
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,880
right by the location
of my truck.
458
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,920
So, now I wondered what
the smugglers did in the winter.
459
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,600
♪ ♪
460
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,280
When the seasons are colder,
461
00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:53,640
we definitely get
the Detroit River freezing over
462
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,840
for a certain period of time.
463
00:26:57,520 --> 00:26:58,800
GERVAIS: What they would do is
464
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:04,040
they would have a car
pulling a boat,
465
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:05,760
and the whisky would go
into the boat,
466
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,120
these crates would go
into the boat,
467
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:12,120
and they would, and the boats
had skis underneath them.
468
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,040
You can see the boat
and the little skids below it.
469
00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:17,880
The night was lit up
with these people
470
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,640
driving these cars
across the ice.
471
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,240
ZUIDEMA: Now I had
an explanation
472
00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,720
for the chain I'd found
in the river.
473
00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,560
It would have been used
for towing a boat.
474
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,640
GERVAIS: The Detroit River
was really a highway
475
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,320
during the Prohibition.
476
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:36,560
Four-fifths of all the liquor
477
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:38,200
that went from Canada
into the United States
478
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,760
went through this region
right here.
479
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,880
This was the place
in North America
480
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,920
where the liquor traffic
was largest.
481
00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,720
CIPOLLINI:
Detroit is a logistically
482
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,800
and geographically
interesting place
483
00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:59,440
for organized crime to operate.
484
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:03,120
It's so easy
to cross the border here.
485
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,040
And who was running Detroit?
486
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,200
Well, it's a group
called the Purple Gang.
487
00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,600
The most vicious group of
predominantly Jewish gangsters
488
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:18,040
in the Midwest in the 1920s.
489
00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:19,960
The smuggling that went on here
490
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,040
interested other
leading mobsters.
491
00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:24,800
New York's Lucky Luciano
492
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:29,800
looked for easy ways to bring
booze into the country.
493
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:34,120
What Luciano
and his allies believed
494
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:36,880
is that the main goal
is to make money.
495
00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,960
Less fighting,
more capital gain.
496
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:46,680
Does he want a war with
the baddest guys in the Midwest,
497
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,560
or does he want
to make an alliance?
498
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,840
They made an alliance.
499
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,600
So, where is this booze going?
500
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,320
Probably to every speakeasy
in the Midwest
501
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:06,480
down to Buffalo, New York,
to New Jersey and beyond.
502
00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,720
And the trucks like Matt found
503
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:14,000
were just a small part
of this national supply chain.
504
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,240
GERVAIS: So, this
might give you a clue
505
00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:19,440
as to what happened
to your vehicle.
506
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:20,960
ZUIDEMA:
That is an amazing picture.
507
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:22,080
You can see all the barrels
sitting there
508
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:24,040
behind the vehicle as well.
509
00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,280
That is just a great picture.
510
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,560
I believe that this vehicle
511
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,480
tried to cross the ice
512
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:39,400
and ended up falling through.
513
00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,480
GERVAIS:
So many trucks and so many cars
514
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:42,680
were crossing the river,
515
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:44,040
and there were so many stories
516
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:45,960
of them literally crashing
through the ice
517
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,600
because the ice was thinning.
518
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:49,840
ZUIDEMA: It must have
been terrifying.
519
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,760
You imagine being
out in the dark, in the cold,
520
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,920
on the ice, and suddenly
you are submerged in water.
521
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,040
It just would have been
a terrifying situation.
522
00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,840
CIPOLLINI: The repercussions
of that happening are nothing
523
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:13,480
to an empire that's growing
into a national organization.
524
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,000
One vehicle, one driver
sunk to the bottom
525
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,240
with one load of liquor?
526
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:24,040
It's almost inconsequential
at this point.
527
00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:28,160
The Mob had figured out how
to use the Great Lakes region
528
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:29,840
between the US and Canada
529
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:34,320
to import booze
on an industrial scale.
530
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:35,920
The next piece of the puzzle
531
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:41,200
was understanding how they
sold it without getting caught.
532
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,040
(horns honking)
533
00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:55,880
♪ ♪
534
00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:57,160
PETKOVIC:
I used to be a special agent
535
00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,640
with the United States
Secret Service for 10 years.
536
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:02,400
I worked at the White House,
537
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,160
and before that I was stationed
right here in Chicago.
538
00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,440
Being a federal law enforcement
officer in Chicago,
539
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:11,960
the first thing you think of
is the Mob.
540
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,360
{\an8}I do know a lot
about the criminal world,
541
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:17,960
{\an8}the underworld,
and the characters
542
00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,760
that operate in that dark world.
543
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,720
One of my most fascinating
investigations
544
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:27,880
started with just a name.
545
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,520
I went out on a day off, and I
wanted to dive on a shipwreck.
546
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:36,880
A dive boat captain
mentioned Rotarian,
547
00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:37,920
a shipwreck he knew
548
00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,680
about 10 miles offshore
in Lake Michigan.
549
00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:44,960
And there was some sort of
550
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:50,600
mysterious/shady/criminal
undertone to this vessel,
551
00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:54,840
and that's all I was told,
and I don't like that.
552
00:31:54,920 --> 00:32:01,360
♪ ♪
553
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,360
{\an8}BAXTER: Erik picks up
the phone and says,
554
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,480
{\an8}"Hey, I got something.
Are you in or out?"
555
00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,080
So of course you say yes.
556
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,680
The thing about the Rotarian
story that really grabbed me
557
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:18,200
was all the mystery.
558
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,760
A lot of this stuff
that we dive was, you know,
559
00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,520
sunk in a storm or caught fire.
560
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:25,000
This was something
a little more nefarious,
561
00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,440
it added a little more
intrigue for me.
562
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:36,000
PETKOVIC: The water was very,
very hazy from the surface.
563
00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:40,000
And right around 54 feet
the visibility opened up.
564
00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:47,600
We knew at that point
that we had a wooden vessel.
565
00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:49,280
One of the most surprising
things that we found
566
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,400
were piles of bottles
567
00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,120
hidden under, under the decking
568
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,280
and hidden under boards.
569
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,520
BAXTER: They were literally
in the bilge of the ship
570
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:05,040
and very obviously
slid under boards.
571
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,240
PETKOVIC: The bilge is simply
to collect excess water,
572
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:12,400
and it's at the lowest point
of the ship.
573
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:16,760
So, why would anybody
place anything in a bilge?
574
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,640
And the answer is, you wouldn't.
575
00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:21,680
BAXTER: They had been hidden.
576
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,320
What was going on here?
577
00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,320
What was this ship?
578
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:30,440
PETKOVIC: As a wreck diver,
you're only looking
579
00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,760
at a small or segmented portion
of the wreck,
580
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,840
so you don't get
the whole perspective.
581
00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,040
So once we got back
aboard the vessel,
582
00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:41,320
the first thing that we did
was we prepped the ROV
583
00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:46,520
and we put it in the water, and
Ross piloted it over Rotarian.
584
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:47,800
BAXTER: It's in!
585
00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,360
(ROV whirring)
586
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,760
So our ROV has got
a 1,000-foot depth range.
587
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:53,880
(whirring)
588
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,080
We can document the wreck
in its entirety.
589
00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,200
PETKOVIC: What Ross wanted to do
with all the footage that he had
590
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,640
was to piece together
tens of thousands of photographs
591
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:08,320
into one image.
592
00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:09,960
BAXTER: We can recreate
that 3D space
593
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,600
and we can look at
the entire wreck at one time.
594
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,560
PETKOVIC: We were pretty
shocked by what we saw.
595
00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:24,160
♪ ♪
596
00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:25,840
Usually, if a shipwreck
goes down,
597
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,320
there's going to be some
semblance of a ship there.
598
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,200
But all that was on Rotarian
599
00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:34,760
was basically the remnants
of the shell that broke apart.
600
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,800
♪ ♪
601
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,800
From the keel, it was
basically filleted open.
602
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,600
♪ ♪
603
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,800
The machinery is missing,
which is very strange.
604
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:52,520
BAXTER: We did see something
interesting, though.
605
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,960
We have a firebox.
606
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:59,680
We have the mount
for a walking beam engine.
607
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:01,280
This was an engine
typically used
608
00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,720
to drive a sidewheel
paddle steamer.
609
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:08,080
♪ ♪
610
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,880
So, together with
the wreck's size, shape,
611
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,800
I'm pretty confident
we have a paddle steamer.
612
00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:18,600
♪ ♪
613
00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:19,800
PETKOVIC:
I searched the archives
614
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,440
for paddle steamers
called Rotarian.
615
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,960
And there was really
an absence of documents.
616
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,440
But I did come across
some photographs
617
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,760
dating from the early 1920s.
618
00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:34,600
And it was a passenger ship
619
00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:36,840
that took people on
pleasure cruises in Lake Erie
620
00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:39,480
and in the upper lakes.
621
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,520
BAXTER: Looking for clues
on the wreck, it's difficult.
622
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:46,120
There's just so little left.
623
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,000
More interesting
is what we don't have.
624
00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:52,760
There's no wheelhouse, there's
no upper deck structure at all.
625
00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,920
♪ ♪
626
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,400
The Great Lakes are freshwater,
and there's nothing in the water
627
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,360
that eats wood,
compared to the ocean.
628
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,960
This wasn't stuff that
deteriorated in the lake.
629
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:11,320
So, something else happened
to this before it ended up here.
630
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,560
So, we find all this stuff,
631
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:16,240
and now it's time
for Erik to go to work.
632
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:19,320
♪ ♪
633
00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:21,320
PETKOVIC: I went
to Chicago Public Library
634
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:22,920
and started digging
into their archives
635
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,240
in old newspapers from
over 100 years ago.
636
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:28,880
(whizzing)
637
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,760
Going through racks and racks
and rolls and rolls
638
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:34,560
of microfilm.
639
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,320
The first article
that I was able to discover
640
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:41,160
was written in August of 1929
in the Prohibition era.
641
00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:44,680
And in that article there was
a picture inside Rotarian.
642
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:49,520
And the headline
was "Taxi Dancing."
643
00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:56,320
Taxi dancing was a way
for gentlemen to go to this ship
644
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,880
and pay females to dance with.
645
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:03,360
Whatever happens after that
is left to the imagination.
646
00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:06,240
And there was
another revelation.
647
00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:12,760
Rotarian was owned by the
Cook County Democratic Party.
648
00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:15,080
I mean, you can't
make this stuff up.
649
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:19,560
BAXTER: What is
the Democratic Party doing
650
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,360
owning a vessel
with taxi dancing going on
651
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:24,880
during Prohibition?
652
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:28,400
♪ ♪
653
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:30,880
CIPOLLINI: Here is a boat
that was basically
654
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:35,000
a floating brothel,
gambling hall, bar.
655
00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,680
How does that even happen?
656
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:41,040
In one of the articles, I notice
that it had been moored
657
00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:45,640
next to the private yacht
of the mayor of Chicago,
658
00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:49,280
William "Big Bill" Thompson.
659
00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,360
It was an open secret
that the mayor was in league
660
00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:57,080
with the most powerful
mobster in Chicago.
661
00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:00,440
(gunfire)
662
00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:05,760
It seems like Al Capone's
main political ally, or puppet,
663
00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:07,640
was Mayor Thompson.
664
00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:13,600
The only way
to make things happen
665
00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,520
was to have
political strings pulled.
666
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,040
♪ ♪
667
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,840
The underworld can't operate
668
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:27,080
without the upper world
cooperating.
669
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:29,200
And in the Rotarian's case,
670
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:32,840
the politicians kept the heat
off Capone's operations,
671
00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:37,880
and in exchange got
their illegal party boat.
672
00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:41,400
PETKOVIC: So, the next mystery
of it was how did the Rotarian
673
00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:44,560
end up at the bottom
of Lake Michigan?
674
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,760
Again there's something
shady going on.
675
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:49,960
The full story of the Rotarian
hasn't been told yet.
676
00:39:00,240 --> 00:39:03,280
PETKOVIC: The fact Rotarian
was a floating speakeasy
677
00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:06,040
explains the bottles
hidden on the wreck.
678
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,400
But not why so much
of the ship was missing.
679
00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,320
♪ ♪
680
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,320
Dive deeper into the archives,
681
00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,440
and we discovered
another picture
682
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:25,960
of Rotarian half sunk
in the Chicago River,
683
00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,120
right where it had been moored.
684
00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:32,480
In the article, they stated
that there was a fire
685
00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:35,360
in the pilothouse,
or the wheelhouse.
686
00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,160
And when asked why it started,
687
00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:41,680
the police officer
who was watching Rotarian
688
00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:43,840
stated it was a ghost.
689
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:48,960
Right, well, the first thing is,
right, ghosts don't start fires.
690
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:51,080
So, what happened?
691
00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:56,160
CIPOLLINI: There's a clue
in the newspaper article dates:
692
00:39:56,240 --> 00:39:59,920
1929 to 1930.
693
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,920
♪ ♪
694
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,560
It's not difficult to pick out
695
00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:11,880
the perhaps most prominent,
brazen, violent act
696
00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:17,040
of the Mob's history
in the 1920s.
697
00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:20,520
And that was the
St. Valentine's Day Massacre,
698
00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:24,680
which took place
in Chicago in 1929.
699
00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:27,960
Seven people murdered
in a warehouse.
700
00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:31,120
It was a battle over booze.
701
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:33,320
Allegedly, there was
a booze shipment
702
00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:37,000
that got hijacked
or went missing.
703
00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:38,640
Who was the prime culprit
704
00:40:38,720 --> 00:40:42,000
suspected of arranging
this murder?
705
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:44,080
Al Capone.
706
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:46,640
The massacre triggered
a crackdown
707
00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:48,680
from the federal government.
708
00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:53,640
It got so bad that Lucky Luciano
called a Mob summit meeting
709
00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:55,400
in Atlantic City.
710
00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,600
What Al's friends and colleagues
told him,
711
00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:04,160
"Al, we got to get
the heat off of us.
712
00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:09,520
Why don't you take
a lesser rap somewhere else?
713
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:11,800
Spend maybe a year in prison,
714
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:17,200
let the press and the police
kind of die down
715
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:22,640
with their interest in the
St. Valentine's Day Massacre."
716
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,520
And that's basically
what he did.
717
00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:29,440
PETKOVIC: Capone's not around.
718
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:30,960
There's no more
police protection,
719
00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:32,760
they can't do the illegal
activities they wanted to
720
00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,040
in broad daylight anymore.
721
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:39,400
Somebody purposely
set Rotarian on fire
722
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,520
because they didn't want
the evidence of the Mob
723
00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,440
being discovered.
724
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:46,960
It was an eyesore for not only
the city of Chicago
725
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:48,400
but for the new mayor,
726
00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:54,200
who vowed to clean up the city
and all of the Mob post-Capone.
727
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:57,280
So the hulk that remained
of Rotarian
728
00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:00,480
was completely stripped
of all the machinery
729
00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:04,000
and any of the charred remains
that were there were removed.
730
00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:06,960
BAXTER: The bottles
under the floorboards,
731
00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:11,200
I don't think they'd even know
to look for at the time.
732
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,040
PETKOVIC: The city decided
that they were going to tow out
733
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,880
the vessel into the middle
of Lake Michigan
734
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:18,400
and sink the vessel,
735
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:20,840
where Ross and I dived on it.
736
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:24,680
♪ ♪
737
00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,560
CIPOLLINI: Just one month after
the Rotarian's final sinking,
738
00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:31,960
Al Capone gets jailed
for tax evasion.
739
00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:36,560
PETKOVIC: He was a coke addict,
and he was very violent,
740
00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:40,160
and he was just,
he was a bad guy.
741
00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:46,720
CIPOLLINI:
In 1933, Prohibition ends.
742
00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:49,880
You might think that was
a problem for the Mob,
743
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,480
but it wasn't.
744
00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:58,040
♪ ♪
745
00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:02,520
The Mob used Prohibition
as a giant stepping stone.
746
00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,680
It was almost like an education.
747
00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:07,080
It was school.
748
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:09,840
It taught them
how to make the money,
749
00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,520
like the rum-runners
in New Jersey;
750
00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:14,840
how to get things
into the country
751
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:19,520
that aren't supposed to be here,
like at Windsor, Detroit;
752
00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:23,080
and it taught them how
to corrupt politicians
753
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,000
as with the Rotarian.
754
00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:30,480
Most of all, Prohibition taught
them how to work with each other
755
00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:35,400
{\an8}because it was
all about the green.
756
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:38,440
{\an8}So they took the money
they made, millions,
757
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:40,160
{\an8}and they simply transitioned.
758
00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:43,360
{\an8}Like any corporation,
they transitioned
759
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,080
{\an8}to what supply and demand
is dictating.
760
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,640
{\an8}By then it was narcotics.
761
00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:57,280
{\an8}Prohibition's legacy is what we
know as the American Mob today.
762
00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:01,040
{\an8}♪ ♪
59474
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