The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-08-08
SPONGING In THE BAHAMAS
AN INDUSTRY OF GREAT IMPORT
ANCE 70 THE LAZY ISLANDERS.
How the PPotozoans are Caught,
Prepared for the Market and
Sold in the Nassau Exchange,

Sold in the Nassau Exchange.
The marine establishment of the Ba-
hama Islands is almost wholly composed
Of "sponging" schooners and sloops.
They are distinguished almost wholly by
the possession of one or two masts. In
size they run as close to each other as the
individual herrings of school. In in
terror fitting they are identical. Each
carries "turtle reservation" a compart-
ment in which are housed enough green
turtle to furnish the spongers food for the
voyage. They come easily for the catch.
ing, and the rude cooking that is con-
sidered sufficient to prepare them for the
table would turn the soul of a Hoboken
Turtle Clubite to infinite loathing.
Barring the small tween decks thus oc-
cupied, the remainder Of the vessel is
devoted to the storing of sponges and
the tools to get them with.
Take one of these craft when making
its last reach for the port of Nassau,
New Providence. If she have two masts
strands of sponges are stretched between
them so that they look something like
naval vessel on the general wash day.
Sponges are everywhere. Down under
the hunks in the cabin and piled up on
its floor. On deck forward of the fore
mast are several dozen. In the yawl and
port bow are several more. Sponges OF
all sorts are there from the rough grass
quality to the fine glove and wool sponge.
There are the Key Nesters (the original
sponger must have been q Philadelphia
judging from the suppression of the W),
hedge hogs, yellow sponges,, wine
sponges, bouquet, finger, mullet and
even the rare and much sought cup
sponges.
The craft is tacking through the Hole.
in-the-Wall passage, which leads up to
Nassau's harbor, and its freight repre-
sents the lazy labor of sixteen men spread
over the last six weeks. Each strand"
connects fifteen or eighteen sponges, and
all of them are seeking market through
the English Exchange of the City Of
Nassau, N. p.
This alleged Exchange deserves espe-
cial mention. A New Yorker with vi
sions of the Wall street and Whitehall
street structures aroused by the name
would probably be sadly disappointed by
personal acquaintance with the greatest
Sponge Exchange on this continent. 1t
is simply big shed, destitute of side
walls of any descr ption and wholly open
to the public. Scattered throughout it
are piles of sponges strung together in
strands. At nine A. NJ. the brokers as
semble. They arc clad in tow linen gar
ments and chip hats. Time is too plenti-
full to waste much of it on business or
sociablity. They merely cast critical
glances over the various piles of sponges,
write down Their bids on tabs, carefully
folding the slips and depositing then
with the clerk of the Exchange. Al
high noon the bids are opened and com.
pared. The highest bidder becomes the
purchaser. This sounds like rude and
primitive way OF doing business, but the
Nassau brokers enjoy the reputation oi
shrewdness which belongs to men who
| can bid within two or three cents of eacE
other on merchandise worth $400 Of
$500.
Off the Neapolitan coast, and in Other
seas where the protozoans grow, they are
gathered by diving. The Bahamans are
too shrewd or too lazy for any such anti
uuated methods. Possibly it is the cleal
water that surrounds the islands, where
the bottom may be seen at almost any
depth, that enables them to use the crane
in sponging. These are long poles vary
ing from twenty to thirty eight feet il
length, with curved prongs at one end
The prongs detsch the sponge from it
coral anchorage and convey it to thu
boat. A water glass-a pail with glas
bottom-is used to locate the sponges
and by its use the spoDge-fisher can dis
tinguish his prey from other forms o
marine life at almost any depth. As tn,
sponges appear on the surface they hav
avery unattractive, dirty, purple, liver,
sort of look. They are then washed
rubbed, dried and strung on strand
which are doused with sea waite
three or four times day.
Every fishing smack has "crawl,
which is something like the fish wei
which infests certain fishing grounds il
the North. Stockades of sapling
bound together with manila or coco
fibre are submerged, and in them tn
catch is deposited until enough are col
lected to make a profitable trip TO Mas
sau. Sponges are plentiful down i
Nassau at sixty cents a strand.
The trade of the Bahama Islands il
this speciality alone amounts to $3.50, 600
and beats fruit growing all hollow
Over five million sponges are shippe'
thence every year They serve ever
purpose of the dishcloth in the Baham
kitchen, and the way they are used TO
other household purposes would astonisI
the people who are accustomed TO regar'
them as a costly luxury. Chair bottom
are often cushioned with Key Nesters
and dainty cup sponge for ciga
holder is an ever welcome and uniqu
present. A sponge famine in the BAHIA
mas would be serious catastrophe.
As long cranes are unwieldy, sponge
more than thirty feet below the surface ar
generally safe from the efforts of fisher
men. The water in the Hole,in-the-Wa
passage, a channel dividing the hig
ocean plateau of the Bahamas, is deer
In many places six hundred fathoms q
line have been run out without reachin
bottom. Spougng vessels en- route t
Nassau are occasionally wrecked, an
old Abaco salts are fond of saying tina
there are one hundred thousand strand
of sponges ''oiT soundings" in the pa.
sage.-Melo Y0rk Graphic.
A Scalp in the Mail.
l,ttar ,H3,a ,ratg moo