Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-11-22
Sponge Gathering Around Key West

/ remember using sponges in my
school-boy days without Il thought of
whence they came, how obtained, or
their previous condition. Although lit
tie, the sponges which we may find eN-
posed for sale in drug-stores and other
places, look unlike animals, yet by our
naturalists they have been classed with
the lowest order of the animal species.
The sponge may be found in the vari-
Gus sub-tropical waters of the world.
The principal sponging-grounds of the
United States are the waters around
Key West and along the western coast
of Florida, from Tampa Bay on the
south to Pensacola on the northeast.
The sponge schooners have two places
to clean their sponges when coast-spong-
ing. One at Anclote Keys, the other ut
Rock Island.
OF the sponge we have several varie-
ties, classed according TO their marketa-
BILE value as "sheep WOOL" "ycllow,"
90 fox glove" " grass" etc, besides one
class, the loggerhead," which has no
value, and is not thought worth picking
up. The first named is the variety most
ly sought, as it bears the best market
price. The most of the vessels engaged
in the sponge trade are owned and fitted
out Mt Key West. The outfit of sponge
schooner consists in Il number of long
poles with hooks fastened on the end
for gathering, and from three to seven
small boats called "dingys," from to
10 men-according to the number of
boats-with provisions for from s to u
weeks; water-glasses, etc.
Having Il curiosity to see actual
sponge gathering, last Monday morn
ing found me aboard the schooner
" Samfiler," spinning towards the bars !;
but owing TO light winds during the day
we did not arrive till after nightfall.
| Tuesday morning, however, sponging
commenced in earnest. Shortly after
sunrise the "dingys," manned by two
men each, with water-glasses, sponge
hooks, etc, set off in quest of sponges.
One of the men in the "dingy" sculls
the boat about here and there, while the
other, lying across the boats thwart
with his head in the watcr-glass, scans
the bottom for sponges. The water
glass used by the spongers is nothing
but Il common wooden pail, with Il cir,
cular pane of glass for bottom. Plac.
ing this upright in the water, and put.
ting the head in far enough to exclud,
most of the light, one can easily see ~
object on the bottom in 6 or fathoms
of water. The sponger, when he sees {
sponge, by the waving of his hand di
rects the sculler how to go, and when il
desirable position he thrusts his long
pole down and hooks his sponge.
The vessels usually remain out upoI
the bars from Monday until Friday even
ing of each week, coming into the Key
Friday night, in order to clean tn,
sponges which they had gathered tn,
week previous, put those gathered tn
present week into the crawls, put thei
wood and water on board, and prepar
for the next week. The sponges whicl
they gather one week are put in crawl
or pens, made by driving posts into tn
sand, where, at low water, they will b
quite or almost dry. Here they are let
until the next Saturday, To be washed b.
the tides. On the following Saturda
they are cleansed by striking them on
or two light blows with a paddle. Whe
the sponges are cleaned, they are takel
aboard the schooner and strung o.
strings usually about five and II half fee
long, when they are thrown upon tn
beach to bleach and dry.
, The number of vessels engaged j
sponging from Key West probabl
reaches l25, gathering sponges to tn
value of about 100000 annually. BC
, sides the Key West schooners, we hav
, about 40 or 80 fitted out from Ceda
! Keys and Oglockney.-Fdrner an
Fruit GrO,Uer.