The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-09-28
SuOnge Fishing.

NEWPORT FLA, August, II, 1885,
"a. Eyorjdan: There is hardly visit
Tho writer makes to the Capital City, but
anom;rv is made as TO the sponge business,
ow this watery cabbage las it is sometimes
N ;s fished from the mighty deep. Ii you
siIov me a small space in your valuable
or will try and give short description as
how snonge is fshed for and the apparatus
a The sponge hook is a three pronged
claw with socket in its upper end, into
:.S Is fastened wooden handle. The length
,ha latter IS various and is adapted to the
,,b of water in which sponges are sought.
fmerly il was seldom that any sponge pole
used longer than IS feet but now the fish
s nursued into IS TO As feet OF water. The
fer glass used is constructed by simply in
Fling q pane of glass (cut rounding) into the
som of a common bucket, making 1t water
IN By thrusting the bottom OF the bucket into
I water and looking through the glass,
hinge hunter can clearly distinguish any OBJECT
the bottom of the sea, even when the wafer
,cated by fresh breeze that would other
= make il impossible to see anything.
Il the early days of sponge fishing, when
Innce were sought in shallow depths, oil
= thrown upon :he troubled waters " to
[,oohe it where its surface was rippled by a
Isoze but that method was found inadequate
hen fishing in deeper water was attempted.
h water glass was introduced about 1871, and
has been used every since. When vessel
.cbes sponge bar or reef) where work is to
Yin. the crew, consisting OF 5, z, 9, IL or IL
[sn get in the small boats (dinky) two men TO
q boat. one man souls along slowly with ~
I a foot oar over the stern. The hooker
d smidship on a thwart Tor seaO resting his
past across the boats gunwale, watching the
4 bottom through the water glass, which he
lids in his left hand, while the long 30 or 45
nj sponge pole lays quartering across the boat
adv within his grasp Trained by long expe-
Fence, his keen eye quickly observes every obs
n on the sea bottom, and he instantly detect
e presence of sponge, when one comes with
the field of his vision. By motion of his
and or by word the boat is stopped when a
[puge is seen. Then down goes the Iong-han
I'D spon gehook, where it is fastened to the
pOuge. With quick pull, the sponge is torn
um its ocean bead, and brought TO the surface.
The dexterty with which sponge hunter han
shese long unwieldy sponge hooks and Crap
les The object which he seeks, so many feet below
he waters surface, and using but one hand, is
+deed remarkable. While the crew is at work
shing the cook takes charge of the vessel, which
! kept under SAIL and surge back and forth over
be water keeping near the small boat, so that
case heavy squall of wind comes up sud
enly the crew can go aboard the vessel. Dur
BIZ calm the small boats get sometimes three
four miles away from the vessels; then if
quail comes the boats hurdle in lump, remind
By one of flock OF ducks when an eagle is try
BE- to pOunce down upon them.
. The weeks work is carried to crawls (or pens),
hch each vessel has near the shore. After re-
banning week in the crawls the sponge is
leaned, which is done by beating the sponge
nth heavy paddle called bruisers) After the
leaning process is over the sponges are strung on
Ppe yarn five feet long, and are now ready for
irke
During the month of June last there were IS
pills just below the St. Marks lighthouse, 81
|eing from Key West, about $50 men employed.
Nhe sponge thus tar caught are small, the water
|Pt being clear enough to fish on the deep bars,
bere the largest sponges are found. Last sum-
fr there were 165 sails on the sponge reefs,
hething over $50 men being employed. The
ch Of sponge was estimated to be upwards Of
1000. J. Nj. LADD.