The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-12-04
Sponge Gathering Around Key West.

I remember using spOnges in my
schoOl-bOy days without thought of
whence they came, how obtained, or
their previous condition. Although lit
tie, the sponges which we may find eX-
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 at
Rock Island.
OF the sponge we have several varie-
ties, classed according to their marketa-
BILE value as sheep wool" ''yellow, "
% 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
! Iy sought, as it bears the best market
price The most of the vessels engaged
in the sponge trade are owned and fitted
out at Key West. The outfit of a sponge
| schooner consists in a number of long
poles with hooks fastened on the end
| for gathering, and from three to seven
small boats called g dingys,'' from to
Is men-accOrding to the number OF
bOats-with provisions for from to Il
weeks; water-glasses, etc.
Having a curiosity to see actual
sponge gathering, last Monday morn
ing found me aboard the schooner
g 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. living across the boats thwart
with his head in the water-glass, scans
the bottom for spOnges. The water
glass used by the spongers is nothing
but common wooden pail, with cir,
cular pane of glass for a bottom. Plac
inc this upright in the water, and put
ting the head in far enough to exclude
most of the light, one can easily see al
object on the bottom in 6 or fathOm:
of water. The spOnger, when he sees
sponge, by the waving of his hand di
rects the sculler how to 90, and when IL
a desirable position he thrusts his Ions
pole down and hooks his sponge.
The vessels usually remain out upO1
the bars from Monday until Friday even
inc of each week, coming into the Key
Friday night, in order to clean tht
sponges which they had gathered tht
week previous, put those gathered thu
present week into the crawls, put thei
= wood and water on board, and prepare
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 viii b.
quite or almost dry. Here they are lef
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. Whel
the sponges are cleaned, they are takel
aboard the schooner and strung Ol
; strings usually about five and half fee
l long, when they are thrown upon tn
; beach to bleach and dry.
l The number of vessels engaged i
sponging from Key West probabl
; reaches 125, gathering sponges to tn
l value of about S1O0,OO0 annually. Be
a.; sides the Key West schOOners, we Eav
! ! Keys and Oglockney.-Farnaer an
l F71sit GTO1Cer.
, Bismarck says of the late j. LOthro
> Motley: In the autumn of 1888, a
S we both passed from Gottingen to Bel
= lin, we took rooms in the same hOus
: and lived in the closest intimacy, takin
Y our meals and doing our exercises tC
e gether. Although he was a stubbor
1 dialectician, and often used to wake m
}, of morning to continue some discus
a sion, commenced over night, upon
:, point of science, he never for a momer
d lost his cheerfulness and amiability
: While at Frankfort he generally stage
: at my house, and was ever welcom
d guest to my wife. The most strikin
4 features of his handsome and mild couI
it tenance were his extraordinarily larg
o and beautiful eyes. He never entered
d drawing-room without exciting Il
Y sympathy and attention of all the ladit