The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-08-11
SPONGES.


From an article in the Ocala ella. }
Banner we gather the following inter-
esting details and facts relative to the
sponge business
The principal grounds are Rock Island,
scope of land thirty miles long by seven
miles broad, lying off Taylor county and
sixty miles northwest from Cedar Keys I;
then from the mouth of the Withla-
coochee, past Martins Reef to near Tam
pa Bay, a distance of, perhaps, three
hundred miles.
The number of vessels engaged is be-
tween seventy-five and a hundred, with
an average of from five to fifteen men to
each, and an average of three din
ceys" to each vessel. Dincey is the
small boat used to gather the sponge,
and is usually managed by two men.
There are about 600 men daily engaged
In gathering when the weather is fair.
Quiet weather and calm sea are always
taken advantage of. These "dinceys,"
when likely to be called into service, are
towed Indian file at the stern of the larg-
er vessel. Each sponger is provided
with sponge-hook," made of iron
with three prongs, socket fitting on
pole one and half inches thick and from
eighteen to thirty-five feet long f; also
"water glass;" q bucket with pane OF
glass fitted in the bottom. This adds to
the power of vision by excluding the
light from behind, enabling the sponger
to penetrate with his eyes mt least ten or
fifteen feet deeper into the water. The
"skuller" propels the boat along very
slowly in the meantime the sponger
cite ho, l,o c,I la Of tho 1Inpnu
with his head at the bucket held by the
hand and his eye penetrating the depths
below, taking in all that passes within his
line of vision. AS soon as he sees his
legitimate prey, he raises his sponge
hook with his right hand, in which he
is assisted by the sculler, still keep
ing his eyes on the glass, grapples the
sponge, then puts aside the glass and
hauls it in.
Frequently his sight is darkened and
view obstructed by the intervention of
the monsters of the deep. \ huge shark,
a saw fish, or, perhaps, an enormous
devil fish, very often large schools of
beautiful fish, "Spanish mackerel,"
Il" cavallie, 4" 4" sailors CHOICE" "pompe-
no." past beneath him in such numbers
as to seriously interfere with his occupa-
ton. Again his sight is RECALLED with
lovely coral formation, deep assures and
grottos, gen-hned within.
When dincey load is gathered, the
sponges are taken to the vessel, where
they are placed roots down, eyes up.
until they are dead. This part of the
sponge fishing is the most disagreeable.
and causes the vessel to be almost
unbearable, the sponge exuding q
bloody, Shiny matter OF most offensive
Odor.
The vessel, having secured full cargo,
puts for port, when the sponges are taken
ashore and buried in the sand in a place
technically called the "crawl." 1t is
generally constructed of paling of oak
slaves driven in the sand, and the lea of
some island is selected as the spot. The
sponges are left week or longer, when
the shiny flesh, as it may be called, hav-
ing rotted off, the sponger goes into the
crawl with bruiser "a small paddle),
and, with few strokes on the top of the
sponge, clears it from the filth and skin,
after which it is strung and ready for
market.
The sponge on the bar grows some
thing like bed of cabbage or mush-
rooms, and presents beautiful appear
ance, very dark and seemingly having
eyes. The sponge reefs in deep water
are called "feather BARS" from the
feather or fan. like appearance of the coral,
very often seen growing up through the
sponge, and ia such places the larger
sponges are generally found. The diff
ferent kinds of sponge found on the
coast are known as loggerhead,"
"sheepwool," "turtle grass and "yel-
low" The sheepwool and yellow only
are marketable. The latter is worth
25 cents per pound sheepwool averag-
ing 81 per pound.