The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-07-14

! Hsa the muiman, but the Anfmai -
Vegetable Variety.
whether : sponge il to be clsssed ~ an
animal or . vegetable Il stu much dis
puted question. The sponges which you
use do not seem 70 have much life In
them, do theyf And they certainly do
not look much like any animal with
which You are familiar. Yet these sponges
are Matched from tiny eggs, thrown OF
every spring BY the parent sponge, and
these atoms grow By and by TO be big
sponges like their mother. And although
wise men have not quite agreed upon the
subject, most Of them have decided that
sponRes do belong to the lowest form Of
animal Life, just one small step above the
vegetable.
And these sponges are found Of all sizes,
from the small specks, the baby ones,
you know, up to the huge fellows Of
three or four feet high. When the
sponges are 6rst Matched they spend .
couple Of days floating about in the water.
Then they proceed to attach themselves
to rocks or shells, or any convenient
place, whore they hold on fast and grow
bigger and bigger, all the rest Of their
lives, or until some sponge fshsr comes
along with big knife or long fork and
cuts or tears them from their resting
place.
Sponges are obtained in various ways,
and in many different places in thu world.
Large quantities are found In the Medi-
terranean and the Red seas. Many are
got In the Gulf OF Mexico. And long
paper has been furnished lately TO the
State Department showing the great ex-
81 ai..a - . 49, H. 49, H.
Bahama Islands.
important industry. Very large num-
bars OF people are employed in these isl
andsin the work Of gathering ths sponges,
handling them, clipping, washing and
| preparing them for market. From 1000
TO 5000 persons are usually engaged.
Most OF them, excepting the ship owners,
brokers and shippers being natives black
men.
deep water. In shallow water they are
dragged on the rocks BY three pronged
fork, with long handle. The finest and
most valuable spongss are found In deeper
water, and divers 60 down to obtain
them. The diver outs them Oh from the
rock carefully, being particular not to
tear them. These are the most expensive
sponGes.
The amount OF money made by the men
who gather the sponges depends entirely
upon the number they get. The work q
very laborions, the prices paid are low,
and the sponge gathsrer who makes over
800 year II rare exception. The men
who do the work on land Of getting the
sponges ready for market are paid about
atty to seventy i've csnts per day; 20 It
b not lively they amass large fortune
1t the business.
Around these islands about 800 small
vessels are employed In the trade. These
vessels, being filled with the men who do
the work, cruise about until they have
gathered and prepared q good cargo OF
sponges.
The usual method employed in the
Bahamas u by the fork, or hook, such a.
Is used In the East. At one time dredges
were introduced, but their use has lately
been discontinued. The dredge was
found TO break OF and destroy the young
and unstable sponges, killing the spawn
and working CREST mischief These
smaller sponges are never taken, but are
allowed to remain and grow to a large
size. An act was passed forbidding the
use of dredges.
Great care Is taken to protect the cuiti-
walton OF sponges. The industry is Of
great value to the natives.
A sponge seems q little thing. It Is
like many another trifie, to which we
have become so used that we no longer
think Of them as luxuries-more as neces-
stiles.
Yet their service to us involves the
labor OF thousands Of people in PARKWAY
countries, people who supply their own
needs and those OF their families from
their labor on these little things.-N. Y.
World.