The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-06-13
FISHING FOR SPONGES
Ono OF Florida's Most Valuable
Industries.
Whore spongos Grow and How They arc
Secured - Preparing Them for
Market - Hard ,hips OF u
Sponge-Fisher's Life.

Florida is most advantageOusy sit.
uated for sea fisheries, and from the
earliest settlement tho coast fisheries
have been more or less important.
About two-thirds Of the boundary is
washed by the waters OF the Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico, and, as is usual in
countries OF this latitude the warm
scaSare most favorable for the growth
of marine life. In addition to this,
Florida has great number of bays,
lagoons and bayous. and the coast is
hemmed in by reefs and bare and
broad shoals, all OF which are excellent
resorts for many forms OF fish.
The sponge fishery is confined to the
southwestern part of the coast. along
the reefs, and TO the extensive rocky
shoals that lie between St. Marks and
Anclotc Keys. Accurately speaking.
the sponge reef begins few miles east
OF Appalachicola, and hugs the coast
to within fifty miles OF Cedar Keys.
Then there is a break OF one hundred
miles, after which 1t reappears and
runs south without interruption to Key
West and the Bahama Islands. This
reef u rocky ridge, sometimes Of gen.
uine limestone, but generally OF coral,
begins some six or eight miles from
shore, md continues out indefinitely
Wherever there is n rocky bottom
sponges arc said to be found, and the
\ ouly reason why the lisherles 40 NOT
extend completely around the gulf
coast is that in places, as of the coast
of Texas or Cedar Keys, this rocky
bottom begins in water too deep to
permit of profitable sponging. The
average depth OF water on the St.
Marks reef at six miles from land Is
sixteen feet. The sponges are in great
abundance and of good quality,
being much better than those from the
coast OF Mexico, but rather inferior to
the Bahama variety. The supply is
practically incxhaustible, as they grow
almost ,sis fast as gathered, a sponge
requiring only about two years to reach
maturity. ~
Nearly all Of the sponges used in the
United States were brought from the
Mediterranean until 1852, when atten-
ton was called to the immense num-
bcrs that were growing in Florida wa
ters. As soon as it was found that the
quality of these compared favorably
with thoss Of Europe the merchants
and fitters-out of vessels OF Key West
engaged very actively in the business
OF placing them on the market. At
first the best qualities were bought
from the fishermen at the rate OF ten
cents per pound As Mediterranean
sponges became scarce and costly the
Florida spongcs came into more and
more demand, aud their value in
creased proportionately. After about
eighteen years fishing upon the
known ground the supply began
TO fail. Then, in 1870, a new area Of
ground, larger than the old one, was
discovered, and this gave new i'm
petus to the trade. In that year Ap-
palachicola sent out a small feet OF
sponge vessels which has since been
largely increased. During the past
eighteen years the business has been
cnergctically pursued with good re-
suits.
The methods employed in the fishery
differ greatly from those employed In
the Mediterranean, where divers go
down and bring up the sponges. Small
vessels, carrying crews Of from five to
fifteen men. are fitted out at Key West
and Appalachicola, for trips OF from
four to eight weeks on the sponge
grounds. The crews are pairod off into
small rowboats, or "dingies," to catch
the sponges. One man stands in the
stern, sculling the boat, while the
other kncels in the bottom amidships,
with the upper half OF his body lean
Ing over the side, and scans the bot
tom Of the sea. TO aid the eye an in
strument called a water glass" which
is = common water bucket whose
wooden bottom has been replaced
BY one Of glass. 10 used by
setting 1t In the water and
thrusting tho face as far into 1t
as convenient When a sponge is
sighted the boat is. stopped, and the
X kneelinR man snses tworprongod
: hook, attached TO slender pole thirty
orforty feet in length, to secure It.
. Considerable dexterity is required Of
both men Tocure the sponges they
are first spread about the vessel 3 deck
in their natural upright position. so
that they will die, and while decom-
posing allow the gelatinous matter
TO run ofr freely. When they have
been several days in this they are
taken 10 tho shore and thrown into