The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-02-18
A SPONGE.
WHAT TT Is, AND WHERE 1T COMES
FROM.

"WHAT is a sponge made OFF" said
George, gisping, snufiing and wink
ing under his Croton bath. No one
near could tell him; and his nurse
said, Don't be askin' such foolish
questions, but just keep still and
be washed," and so the matter ended.
Now, listen, George, and l will tell
you what sponge is.
The very sponge which washes your
face was brought up from the bottom of
the ocean, and was part Of Il living ami
NAL
For long time sponges were suppos.
ed to be plants, but later observations
have decided them to be animals, and
they are placed in the class Protozoa.
the class most resembling animals.
When first found in the water their
appearance is very different from this
which you now see.
This is the skeleton only, the part
corresponding to our bones. When this
was complete living thing, deep down
under water, it was covered all oves
the outside, and filled in every one
OF these little holes with soft substance
something like the white of an egg and
this was like our flesh; it was fastened
tightly to IA rock, and its color was a
blush black on the upper side, and a
dirty white below. 1t was formerly
supposed to be a plant, because it was
always fast in one place; but for other
reasons it is decidedly an animal. All
through this mass is a regular circula.
tion, like our blood, and our food. II
has been seen to absorb nutritious mat.
ter-that is to eat, or rather drink. You
see all over its surface orifices or holes;
these communicate with each other
throughout. Into the largest of these,
called pores, the sea water is constantly
entering; and out of the small ones.
called vents,it is regularly spouted out;
and it doubtless finds in the sea water
minute animals which serve it for food
and increases its bulk.
And this strange animal produces
Others like itself; l will tell you how.
From the soft part little globule is
seen 10 float, and after moving about 6
while very briskly here and there, as i
looking for place, ,fastens itself to som,
rock. Next, gradually begins to bt
seen the more solid skeleton (what We
have hcre;) the soft part increases, and
so it grows; not very slowly, either
for the divers find it at the end of three
years large enough to bring away.
To get these spOnges from the bottom
of the ocean furnishes occupation for ,
great number of people. One thousan,
men are busy in the Grecian Archipel
ago alone; and thousands besides, wit
many hundred boats, ARE engaged in tn
Gulf of Machri, on the Barbary coast
ande lsewhere; 50 that in many village
there, from May toSeptenber-the be-,
diving time-only old men, women ant
children are to be found,
The finest kind is brought from tn,
Aegean sea. At daylight there, in tn
summer time, when the weather i
pleasant-fOr it requires smooth water
the boats, each with six or eight mel
and pair of oars, will leave the shor
and proceed to where the water is eigh
or ten or even thirty fathoms deep; fu
those found in shallow water are yer,
inferior.
Here they stop, and the divers pre-
pare to descend. Each one puts hooI
f around his neck, and to this he fasten
a bag, in which the sponges are put a
they are gathered. In very deep waite
the diver uses rope with stone to il
lie sinks the stone to the spot he in
tends to reach, and this holds the rop
steady, which he uses to assist him il
coming up again to the surface.
After being busy thus till noon, the,
return to some of those pleasant littl
hooks which abound on the shores @
the Arc hipelago. TO prepare what the,
have gathered fit for sale.
The first thing is to press out the sol
part of the animal, and then to bleac
out the remainder in the sun; so the
beat them, and stamp them, and tram
pie them, till there is no more lie lcf
The skeleton part is then washed AN
spread in the sun until it is quite clear
and grows to be this dull yellow colo
, then it is packed in bags, and sent [
market for sale-sent to all parts {
Asia, Europe, and America. Phrene
iOgicdt JO'0mdi.