Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-11
APALACHICOLA.
Something About the City aud the In
dustries of its Inhabitants.

Something About the City aud the In
dustries of its Inhabitants.
Correspondence Of the Morning Nelcs.
APALACHICOLA, Jan. S.-This little city,
once the leading shipping port in Florida and
for many years an important cotton market,
is on the coast Of West Florida on a shore of
beautiful but very shallow bay. Beautifully
situated, with a salubrous climate and an in
dustrious and cultivated people, yet It's want
OF deep harbor and distance from the great
arteries of commerce have caused this once
bustling. progressive city to gradually fall
back, and the levee which, in its prosperous
days, would compare favorably with Bay
street, Savannah, is now a storm beaten,
desolate looking, lonesome spot. The mer-
chants Of those days have nearly
all left for other parts, or rest in the
little neglected cemetery, which partakes
of the general appearance of stagnatlon and
decay. However, it must not be supposed
that old ApalachicOla Is dead. New industries
have sprung up. and change Is gradually
taking place. Fish packing has assumed bust
ness-like proportions OF these the more i'm
portant establishments are A. J. Murat's and
Picket's. The former has an extensive trade
in the interior, and with his picked mulet,
trout, blue fish and mulet roe, put up in
neat Boston made packages, is gradually but
surely driving out OF tins section the salt
mackerel herring and Goldfish Of the Eastern
States The fish are caught in seines, gen.
orally of the length of $50 yards, and some
times as mauy as IS barrels of fat shining
mullet are dipped and landed at one haul.
The seines are narrow, but very long, and
being extended full length, are weighted at
the lower side and buoyed with large pieces
of cork at the upper side to hold il vertically,
when it is slowly drawn in towards the smooth
sandy beach and halted near the shore. Then
the fish are landed with dip nets by the fisher
men. Delivered at the packing houses, they
are beheaded and cleaned and placed, care
fully packed, under the supervision Of fore
man, who sees that the brine is sweet and
weight full, and they are then headed up, the
brine poured in and plugs inserted when they
are labeled and shipped. Murats packery
shipped over $l7, 600 Worth'of fish products this
season. The heads and entrails go to the fer
tiliZer works. and are sold far and near at $S5
per ton, making an excellent fertilizer.
Another new and very important industry
is that of "sponging' The business of catch
ing spOnges is now carried on by a great
number of the population, employing about
twenty small schOoners and sloOps, each car
ryIng three ''dingies'' with a crew Of two
"hoOkers" for each dingy, and a bOatkeep 7,
who is also cook, making seven in ALL The
spOnges are found growing on the coral reefs,
about twenty to thirty miles from shore in the
Gulf of Mexico, where the water is clear for
depth of fifty or sixty feet. The hOOker5, who
use long pole with an iron hook attached, by
the aid of piece of ordinary window glass
hunt for spOnges, and by a deXterOus twist
of the pole hook and haul them Up. This
work is very trying to the eyes, as large
"porpoise" sponge OF 10 or 20 inches in diane
ter appears to be Of the size Of a mans fist at
the depth of 30 feet. The spOnges are strung
together in lunches and towed in the water to
allow the slime and sediment to escape, when
they are carried to the shore and spread out
on the sand until the cargo is completed.
Saturday is generally wash day." when they
are thoroughly sleansed and packed into the
hold of the sponger as tight as wax. This is
done by wetting the spOnges to secure the
greatest possible reduction in size, and care
in the vessel that they are kept
wet, else expansion would result
and probably disaster. A days run brings
the vessel to Apalachicola where the sponges
are delivered, varying in size from two inches
in diameter to twenty-fOur (the largest i
saw. The principal buyers are Ruge Bros,
and John Cook. The spOnges are examined
and estimated, and lump sum generally Of
fered for the cargo. Mr.. George Ruge recent
ly estimated a cargo Of over three hundred
punches of varying sizes and weights
and guessed within three pounds of the weight
of the entire lot. One small cargo brought
$l,0S0 on Saturday last. The dealers here
when sufficient stock is collected compress the
sponges into small compact bales, neatly coy
cred and ship to q prominent New York drug
house, who control the sponge business.
The ApalachicOla oysters are celebrated for
their good qualities. An immense number
are shipped by every steamer for the up river
in the SHE'LL for which the Ovstermen receive
81 % per barrel. Messrs. Smith & Hunt, of
Baltimore, have established an oyster can
ming factory, which employs about fifty
cilitate opening, and are stewed, packed,
soldered and labeled with neatness and dis
patch They are already shipping large
quantities, and are making preparations for
an extensive business.
ApalachicOla is reached by steamboats, ply
ing between Columbus and Bainbridge, Ga.
The Central boats are fast and elegant, fully
up to the times with the latest improvements
and novelties. Nightlandings are now facili-
tated by electric lights. Uniform courtesy
characterizes every employe Of the company
from Captain to deck hand.
At Chattah0ochee they connect with the
admirable railway system of the Savannah,
Florida and Western Railway. Few Geor-
gians seem 10 realize that in the Plant Invest
ment Company, with its perfect management,
first class road bed, rolling stock, equipments,
offices and officers, is perhaps the most magni-
fcent railway institution IN the country. At
Waycross this company, by its hberality and
intelligent policy, is actually building model
city. Every employee is s'set up." if he desires
it, in a splendid modern cottage home-a taste
full and often beautiful homeland allowed to
pay for it by instalments. The consequence
is faithful and cOntented servants and a
prosperous community. Liquor selling is not
permitted.
While in ApalachicOla the writer attended
the burial of one of the Oldest and best citi-
zens of the place. Capt. A. a. Cordson, father
OF Amos and Hiram CordsOn, former resi-
dents of Savannah, GLYNN.