The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-08-28

NEWPORT. FLA, August IL, 1888
Editor Fgoridisn: There Is hardly q visit
that the writer makes to the Capital City, but
what enquiry Is made a. 10 the spoage business.
and how this watery cabbage las II is sometimes
Called 's fshed from the mighty dep. II you
Will allow me q small space In your valuable
paper, will try and give short description as
to how sponge is hshed Tor and the apparatus
used TIE sponge hook is three pronged
iron claw, with \ socket 10 its upper end into
which is fastened wooden handle. The length
oi the latter IL various and is a.iap,el to the
depth OF water in which sponges are sought.
Formerly IL was seldom that any sponge pole
was used longer than IS feet, but unw The f.h-
ing is pursued into IS to As feet Of water The
wafer glass used is constructed by SIMPLY TO-
serting a pane of glass (cut roun lins) into the
Do'tom OF II common bucket, making IL water
tight b. thrusting the bottom Of the bucket into
the water and looking through the glass. q
sponge hunter Can clearly distinguish any object
on the bottom Of the sea, even when the water
IS agiiated by a fresh breeze that would other
wise make il impossible to see ANYTHING
In The early days OF sponge fishing. when
sponge were sought in shalinw depths ol
was thrown upn :he trodbled wlers" TO
smoothe II where its surface was rppled by a.
breeze, hut that metilol was found inadequate
when fishing in deeper water was attempted
The water gltss Was introduced sbout 1871, and
II has been used every since When a vessel
reaches sponge bar or rrcfl where work is to
D, q. o..
men, get in the small boars. (lnky) Two men TO
the boat, one man scnlls along slowly wth 12
or ii foot oar over The stern. The hooker
sits milship thwart (or seaD resting his
breast across the boats gunwale. watching the
sea bottom through the water glass which he
holds IN his left hand. while the long 81 or IS
foot sponge pole lays quartering across the boat
ready within his grasp. Trained by llng expe-
rience. his keen eye quickly observes every obs
ject on the sea bottom. and he instantly detect
The presence of sponge, when one CONES with
In the held of his vision. By m.,tiOn nf his
hand, or by word. the b ,ai is stopped when q
sponge is seen Then down goes the Iong-han-
died sppn hook, where il is fastened - the
sponge. With quick pull, the sponge IS torn
from its ocesn bead, and brought 10 the surface.
The dex'"riiy with which a sponge hunter 1nrl-
dlest these l''ng unwieldy sponge hooks and Crap
Piles The object which he seeks so many feet below
the waiers surface, and using but one hand, is
indeed remarkable While the crew Is at work
fishing the Cook lakes charge of the vessel which
is kept under sail. An I surge buck and iurlh over
tho waiter, Keeping near The small boat, that
in Cas-. n heavy sqnall of wind comes up sud
denly the crew can go aboard The vessel. Dur
ing u calm The small boats get sometimes three
or hour mills away from the vessels; then if a
sqnall comes The boats hurdle in a lump, remind
ing one ot flock ot ducks wlen an eagle is try
ing to pounce down upon them.
The weeks work is carried io crawls (nr pensl
which each vessel has near the shore. Amer re-
naming week in the crawls the sponge is
cleaned, which is done by heating the sponge
with heavy pa Idle (called bruisersl Afler the
cleaning process is over he sppnges are strung on
rope yarn hve feet long, and are now re idy for
market.
During the Month of June last there were IS
sails just below The ST. Marks lighi- house. 50
being rom Key West, alb .ut $50 men em,.lOyed
The sponge thus Tar caught ARE small the water
not being clear enough TO fish en- the dse;, bIrs,
where tue largest sDonges found l. stIm-
mer there were 165 sails on the sponge re-fs,
something over $50 men being employed The
Catch ot sponge was estimated to be upwartis of
$275OOO j. NJ LADD.