Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-06-15
FISHING FOR SPONGEs
One Of Florida's Most valuable
Industries.
Where sponges Grow and How They are
Secured Preparing Them for
Market = Hardships OF q
spOnge-Fisher's Life.

SpOnge-Fisher's Life.
Florida is most adyantageously sit
uated for sea fisheries, and from the
earliest settlement the 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
seas are most favorable for the growth
of marine life. In addition to this,
Florida has a 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
Anclote Keys. Accurately speaking,
the sponge reef begins a few miles east
Of Appalachicola, and hugs the coast
to within fifty miles OF Cedar Keys.
Then there is break OF one hundred
miles, after which it reappears and
runs south without interruption to Key
West and the Bahama Islands. This
reef. rocky ridge, sometimes of gem
uine limestone, but generally of coral,
begins some six or eight miles from
shore, and continues out indefinitely.
Wherever there is n rocky bottom
sponges are said to be found, and the
only reason why the fisheries do not
extend completely around the gulf
coast is that in places, as off 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 inexhaustible, as they grow
almost as fast as gathered. 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-
bers that were growing in Florida wa
ters. AS soon as it was found that the
quality Of these compared favOrably
with those 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 sponges came into more and
more demand, and 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 a new inn
petus to the trade. In that year APP
palRchicola sent out small fleet of
sponge vessels which has since been
largely increased. During the past
eighteen years the business has been
energetically pursued with good re-
suits.
The methods employed in the fishery
differ greatly from those employed 10
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 paired of into
small rowboats, or "dingies," to catch
the sponges. One man stands in the
stern, sculling the boat, while the
other kneels 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 "water glass, . which
Is common water bucket whose
wooden bottom has been replaced
by one Of glass, is used by
setting it in the water and
thrusting the face as far into it
as convenient When q sponge is
sighted the boat is stopped, and the
kneeling man uses two-pronged
hook, attached to a slender pole thirty
or forty feet in length. to secure il.
Considerable dexterity is required Of
both men. To cure the sponges they
are first spread about the vessels deck
in their natural upright position, so
that they will die. ana while dscom-
posing allow the gelatinous matter
to run of freely. When they have |
been several days in this they are
taken to the shore and thrown into