davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
SPONGE FISHING OFF THE FLORIDA COAST.

ing on fruiter in the Mediterranean,
seeing some Greeks diving for
sponges, said another sailor, "But
they dived, they did, and did not fish
with hooks. They carried full divers
outfit with them, pump and ali, and
the diver was let down over the side
and filled his basket with the nasty
things"
Then Tim, who had been a sponge
fisher for more than year, spun his
yarn. Said he:
"We worked the fishing grounds
just off Anclote Keys, moving from
there to Cedar Keys, and we worked in
from three to Six fathoms. Some of
the finest sponges in the world come
from that coast and hundreds Of men
are worked there. We coasted up and
down in thirty-ton schooner.rigged
craft, with broad beam and drawing
but little water. We carried ten men,
including the cook, and four dingies,
which, you know, are small yawls.
Two men to dingy was the way we
were told off, one to skull and one to
hook. The dingies were eighteen feet
long and five feet beam, light and
strong. They are made light because
two men handle them, and they must
be strong and seaworthy because we
worked sometimes in heavy sea.
"The sculling notch was to one side
of the centre of the stern, and it was
cut in the end OF short bit OF plank
which could be taken off if it was in
the way. The sponge hooks are made
Of iron, have three prongs and are
curved. They are about six inches
wide, and a long pole fits into the
socket. One man, as I said, sculled
the boat slowly along, and the other
hunted for the sponges. He used the
sponge glass and motioned to the man
in the stern to go this or that way.
When he saw a good sponge he showed
the hook down over it and fastening
the prongs of the hook in it pulled it
from the bottom and into the boat.
"When we got a boat load We
sculled to the schooner, and the
sponges were piled up on the deck un-
til the curry ran out of them. The
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

in town when he was met by q Re-
corder reporter yesterday. In ap-
pearance he is remarkably like Grover
Cleveland.
Whitton's tremendous girth is not
so apparent when he stands, but when
he sits he is startling. His measure
ments are: Height, 8 feet 10 inches |;
neck, 20 inches; biceps, 2S inches |;
chest, @ feet; waist, feet; thigh, 40
inches; calf, 26 inches. He comes of
q stock noted for Aeshiness. He was
born in Northumberland County, On
tario, Canada, of English parents. Up
till the age of twenty-one years he
worked on the farm at home. Then
he went into the butcher business at
Brighton, Ont, which he attended to
up to three years ago, when his extra
ordinary girth rendered it impossible
for him to handle the chopper.
When asked il he had endeavored to
avoid growing so fat Mr.. Whitton re.
piled that he had tried all remedies.
He has never tasted alcoholic drinks
in his life. He loses from ten to If
teen pounds during the summer, but
does not feel much relief from the
loss. In winter he regains the amount
that was missing. He is married to an
average.sized woman, and has five
children, the eldest of whom is seven
teen years old. None of them shows
any signs Of abnormal stoutness.
New York Recorder.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

Another method employed in sponge.
fishing is dredging. The dredge is q
strong, heavy net, from six to eight
yards long and about one yard high.
1t is made OF hair cords, with the
meshes about four inches square.
This is dragged along the bottom by
rope attached to the bowsprit of
small sailing vessel. As it passes over
the bottom it tears tho sponges from
their anchorage and they fall into tho
net.
OF late years divers clad in armor
have become common of the Greek
coast. They descend in thirty and
forty fathoms and bring up the finest
surgeon, nursery and toilet sponges
and rare cup sponges. After the
sponges are brought to the land they
are buried in sand and kept there un-
til they arc decomposed. Then they
are washed in running stream Of
fresh water. carefully dried and
packed in bales for the market. If the
sponges are not perfectly d.y when
packed they are liable TO catch the
"cholera," which means that they be-
come heated and are discolored with
orange colored blotches.
The demand for fine sponges always
exceeds the supply, and some particu-
larly fine cup sponges have brought
500 dozen. The prices of Florida
sponges have doubled in the last twen-
ty years, and sponge experts declare
that they will be still more expensive.
As sponges are sold by weight, dis.
honest dealers frequently fill the
sponges with sand to increase the
weight, but this practice is dying out.
The practical value of the sponge lies
in Its great absorbing capacity and
also is due to the fact that water soft.
ems the tissues until they become soft
and pliable. Although sponges are
found in all tropical or semi-tropical
waters, the commercial sponges are
confined almost exclusively to the
waters OF the southern and western
coast OF Florida, the Bahaman archi-
pelago and to the Mediterranean and
Red Seas. The. sponges, as they are
found in their native waters, vary in
form; some are cup or vase shaped,
others half round, others globular,
some are fan-shaped and some cvlin-
dricaL
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

found, the old method OF diving b
and the men who wash them use fat
clubs. Then they are taken out, strung
on strings, packed in bales and sold.
Sometimes eponges are bleached.
That makes them white, but hurts the
sponge.
''The sheep wool sponge is the best
sponge. 1t is soft, just like velvet,
and strong. Sheep wool sponges are
sold for bath sponges, but most OF
them are used for washing carriages.
The yellow sponge is a good sponge,
but ii is not 30 soft and strong as the
sheep wool, and the grass sponge is
poorest and cheapest.
The sponge belongs to one OF the
lowest orders OF animal life. It's skele-
ton is a strong fbrous substance, and
the animal part of il is n gelatinous
matter which fills the pores and cov-
ers the entire surface. II this matter
is not removed within few hours af-
ter the sponge has been torn from the
rock or stones to which it was fas-
tened il is almost impossible to purify
1t. The hooking or harpooning meth
ods used in the Florida and Cuban
fishing grounds are useless when the
sponges lie in deep water. '----
In some parts of the Mediterranean
Sea- where very fine sponges are
used. The diver fastens stone to his
feet and with long rope in his hand
goes down feet first. Some divers can
remain under water for three minutes
at time. They snatch the sponges
from the bottom, working rapidly as
possible. If lucky the diver fills the
little basket he carries, tugs hard at
the rope and is drawn to the surface.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

struggle by shooting them. He cut
off the heads and sent them to this
city to have them mounted as he
found them. N. Slotkin, the taxider.
mist who prepared them, say the
horns could only be untangled by
breaking them or loosining them from
the skull, and this was never done, SO
they remain as the hunter found
them.
The deer were young bucks of about
the same age, probably two years old.
The taxidermist said If they had been
mounted full figure they would have
been worth more than $4,000. AS they
are now, he says, the pair of heads
is worth $500. They belong to the
man who killed them, aud who will
keep them as trophy OF his rare good
luck as sportsman. Chicago Chron-
icle,
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
"Respect Old Age. "

The Rochester IN. W Union tells
of a seven-year-old boy of that city
who recently got even with his gover-
ness. She was obliged to punish him,
after which she administered solemn
sermon for the youngsters benefit.
snow, Willie" she said, in conclud-
ing the lecture, ''you must remember
this-that at all times you should re-
spect your teacher" Yes'm," sobbed
Willie; T s'pose I'd ought to respect
you on account of your age"
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
INTERLOCKED ANTLERs.
Curious and Valuable Trophy OF n
Michigan Hunter.

In taxidermist's window in Madi-
son street pair of antlere deer heads
are displayed. The taxidermist says
they form the greatest curiosity ever
seen in that line. The antlers are in
terlocked, aud, he says, it is the only
pair in existence with the heads we'll
preserved. Other pairs of antlers
have been found tangled together but
he says it was after the animals to
which they belonged had long been
dead and nothing but the whitened
skeletons remained. The theory has
always been that the animals had died
thus fighting. The deers of which
this exhibit originally formed part
were discovered in combat, and with
their hons inseparably tangled.
II. L. Brown, of Albion. Mich,
was hunting near Bismarck, North
Dakota, November 10 last, when
he came upon two Virginia deer
bucks locked in mortal tangle.
How long they had been thus
he could not say, but it must have
been some time, because they had
plowed up about two acres of ground
in their struggle. They could not
run away and Mr.. Brown ended thei r
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
"HEAD, BODY AND LEGS"
A Winter Nights Game That Will Ar
ford Amusement. -.

IOru hmusemeuts ---
Good games, the Washington Path
finder thinks, are always worth know
ing about, especially those innocent
er.night games that, with their
funny consequences, offer such real
relief from the days cares. No one
wants to make business of playing
games, but the greatest minds are not
above simple diversions, nay, they must
have them. One of the best pastimes
of the kind is the old English game of
"Head, Body and Legs" the origin Of
which is lost in the past.
Get clip of brown paper about two
inches wide and four inches long, say.
Let the first player draw at the top of
the slip head, using only the upper
third OF the paper. This head may be
that of any imaginable or unimaginable
creature. II its something mongrel
and absurd it's oil the funnier. The
first player then folds the paper down
so as to cover up what he has drawn,
but leaving the neck extending just
below the fold. He then passes the
slip on to the next player, who in turn
draws body on the middle third OF
the paper, joining it to the neck and
then folding the paper just SO as to
leave enough of the body showing to
indicate where the legs should join on
A third player then adds legs and feet
to the strange being, to suit his fancy.
It will add to the fun to have fourth
player name the portrait.
Finally the paper is unfolded. To
say the least the company will be sur.
prised at the queer composite. 1t may
be that the head and the legs will dis
agree over the direction the creature
is supposed to be fronting. Often
times one of the members will be so
out of proportion with the rest ms to
make the whole effect very ludicrous.
The best way to see the possibilities of
the game is to try it. You needn't be
an artist to make success of it, since
the most awkward hand will frequent
ly produce the most laughable results.
The combinations may not always be
so comical, but out of half dozen
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

dried-up sponges that are sold in the
drug stores are the skeletons of
the sponges. When they are pulled
from the water they are covered with
a glue-like stuff and filed with shiny
matter. This Shiny matter is the
curry and the sponges are kept on the
deck until this curry runs away.
Sometimes they are kept aboard two
days, and the man who cannot work
in q smell which is worse than any
down at the stock yards will never be
able to make q living fishing for
sponges.
"But you get used to it in time, and
you get so you can tell just when the
sponges should be taken to the sponge
crawls. A sponge crawl is made by
stalking out o space about twelve feet
square in shallow water. The partly
cured sponges are put to soak in the
crawl and are beaten with clubs sud
thus washed out. The water of the
crawl u only two oFfhxss feet, dssp.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

applied from the shoulders and the
centre OF fronts and back to lower
edge of basque. Two styles of collar
are provided, a high close-fitting collar
and low-cut revers COLLAR, both of
which are made of velvet. A belt OF
velvet is worn around the waist. The
fashionable full mandolin sleeves are
shaped in three sections, each seam
baing piped with velvet. The top is
gathered and arranged over comfort
able Innings, the wrists being finished
With : velvet tipping. Simple in con-
stxuotion and dressy in effect, this
style OF basquerequires neither decora-
tion or trimming, and can be made
I'll Of one material, II SO desired.
oheviot serge. camel's hair. vicuna.
covert and ladies' cloth and all
Sneioties Of smooth and rough,fsced
orilings IN plaid, striped, mixed OF
eheoksd designs develop stylishly BY
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
SPONGE FISHING.
a THRIVING INDUSTRY OFF THE
FLORIDA COAsT.l
Hundreds of Men at work-Search-
ing for the Sponges In Sailing
Vessel-Methods Employed
In Other Places.
"YIM sCANLAN, with his back

im DOANbhN, WIFI us DHck
VI to the stove in warehouse
on The river, was telling the
group of lake sailors how he
had fshed for sponges off the Florida
Keys. ''You see, boys" said he, "you
stick your head in a bucket over the
side of the dingy, and you can see the
sponges hard fast to the bottom. Then
you put down your hook and haul
away, and get beauty"
"How can you see through bucket,
Tim ?" asked one of his friends.
because, dye see, the bucket has
glass bottom to IL, and that's no lie.
When the light is on the water you
can't see below the top, can you, be-
cause the water is sort of q looking
glass, but you can see under water,
unless you are blind, il you keep your
eyes open. So what do those chaps do
but clap piece of glass in the bottom
of bucket after knocking out the
wood, and then they stick their heads
in the buckets, with the balls around
their necks, and shove the buckets un-
til the glass is under water, and they
can see down ten fathoms or more"
~ mind the time when was sail.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
GOWNS AND LYEs.

A famous dressmaker has ventured
on a new idea. Let the bright sun
light shine directly in your eyes, and
the predominant color discerned there
in will be the color to choose for a
gown, irrespective of hair or complex
ion, when you wish to look most be-
witchingly and becomingly arrayed.
In brown eyes shines sort of grayish
hue. in blue eyes q watery azure, and
in certain eyes greenish shade.
However, all the tints are purchasable.
and. with the promised results. there
u no reason not to be beautiful.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

these comfortable accessories for or
dinary wear, an edging of fur being q
desirable finish. The cape collar is
shaped in eight bored sections, fac
ing being provided for the inside Of
the high Aaring collar. A stiff, warm
interlining is necessary with pretty
silk lining, as the cape ripples in
rounded outline over the shoulders,
and is of uniform depth, front and
back. The round muff and lining are
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
The Hammerless Gun. .

A corporation to manufacture new
gun, the invention of
young mechanic. is being formed in
Baltimore. The lock is toe new fea-
turs OF the invention. AM, ,ia said to be
simple and strong. The gun will also
be provided with two Sts of barrels,
one set choke bored nd the other the
plain cylinder pattIern. with no in
crsassdn prios. -fsv York telegram
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
WEIGHS 71s POUNDS.

Leo whitton, With Seven-Foot
Waist, Claims to BE the Fattest Man.
''The fattest man in America" is the
way in which Leo Whitton announces
himself. Up to year ago Leo had
been growing broader, rounder and
more uncomfortable for the past thir-
ty-seven years. He weighs 715 pounds.
Daniel Lambert, the Norfolk giant,
tipped the beam at 729 pounds, scor-
ing the worlds record.
Mr.. Whitton had only just arrived
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
LINING OF SLEEVES.

All sleeves arc lined with stiff and
cracking material, and when in thea
tire or opera house, the audience arises
to go and a thousand obedient escorts
tuck 1000 sleeves into the sleeves OF
wraps the cracking thereof browns
the orchestra.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
Deaf and Dumb Couple Converted.

1t seems to be striking compliment
to fervent eloquence, or some other
peculiar power of srsuasion, that
among the converts made by revival.
ist at Tekonsah. Mich. recently, we're
two deaf and damb persons. . man and
his vife. New York Sun.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
MISSES NORFOLK BASQUE.
mated serge in brown and II

mated serge in brown and tan
aPpily combined with golden
brown velvet, making the stylish
basque pictured in the second large
cut deservedly popular for school,
cycling, best or general wear. The
adjustment is glove-ftting to the waist
line, below which it falls with slight
ripple to fashionable length over the
hips, the box-plaits being graded and
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

The quantity Of 44.inch wide ma
terial required TO make this basque
for q miss twelve years old is 8 yards;
for a fourteen-y ear-old sizo is 3t
yards; for a sixteen.year size is
81 yards.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
trials there are sure to be several roar

trials there are sure to be several roar
ing successes.
When there is quite company as
sembled each may be given piece of
paper and a pencil; each draw a head !;
fold the paper; pass to the next; then
each draw a body; fold pass then
each draw legs; fold: pass, and tho
next name it. In this way all those
present will be occupied in the sport,
and the larger variety of portraits will
increase the entertainment.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

Joined and drawn on their edges with
an elastic in casing, cotton being
used to stuff it warmly between the
lining and the outside. The pattern
will be found of value in remodeling
old-iashioned fur capes, and great ex-
pense is saved when this can be done
at home. These cape collars can be
worn over basques, jackets, coats, and
will impart stylish and comfortable
air to the plainest top garment.
The quantity of 27.inch wide ma.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
r,prrs' CAPE COLLAR AND Mrrr.

This stylish cape collar and muff,
in Marie Antoinette style, is here
pictured in ermine fur, but astrakhan,
plush, velvet and cloth are the ma
terials usually selected to make up
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

lighters were made fast and the hons
transfer I'd to land once more. 1t
was a comparatively easy matter to
convey 1t to its new site and the
strange engineering feat was accom-.
plished without any more damage
being done to the house than slight
cracking OF the plaster.
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22
GOWNS IN SEASON.
WHAT LEAP YEAR IS PRODUC-
ING IN wOMAN'S GARMENTS.
Happy Combinations in Materials for
u Basque Waist for Women anda
Misses Norfolk Basque
Cape Collar and Mum.
r ILLUMINATED serge in stylish

mixture of golden brown and
delft blue is charmingly COM
bined with brown velvet in the
two-column illustration. The attrac.
overlooking waist is provided with
glove-atting Innings that close in
centre front, the fullness of the ma
terial being disposed in overlapping
plaits of the lower edges on front and
back. The fronts are slashed in "v"
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

The AAke Of rock COCOA il the cake
.mAds from the around seeds
The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-01-22

terial required to make the collar for
a medium size is 2t yards; to make
the muff, I yards.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-10
swearlnxen Gets a New Trial

WASHINGTON, March iO.-In the
United States Supreme court, Justice
Shiras handed down the decision of
the court in the case of the United
States VS.. Dan K. Swearingen. This
case was brought to the supreme court
on a writ of error from the Kansas
circuit court Swearingen was an
editor at Burlington, Kan. He was
indicted and on trial convicted of
sending obscene matter through the
mails. The article in question was a
newspaper attack upon rival editor.
The supreme court found that Judge
Williams of the Kansas court was in
error in his instructions pronouncing
the article obscene The opinion re-
mands the case back with instructions
for new trial.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-10
Dollar Gas in Washington.

WASHINGTON, March 10-District of
Columbia business consumed the major
portion of the day in the House.
Among the bills passed was one to de-
crease the cost of gas from 81. so to 81
a thousand This was the outcome of
a long fight against the gas company.
The consideration of the postofice bill
was continued, but no important
amendments were adopted. A bill
was passed to authorize the Secretary
of the Treasury to pay S. w. Peel of
of Arkansas, S., 600 for services to the
old settlers or Cherokee Indians. The
House then took up District of Column
bia business
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-10
silverware For Housekeepers.

Designed especially for woman's con-
venience are the silver teaboxes, with
compartments for two kinds of tea.
In silverware anything that is old or
has semblance of being old has great
value at present.
'tReading candlesticks'' are in silver
plate, and their special feature is re-
dector.
That old fashioned industry of knit
ting is now practiced with modern
needles of gold.
From lamps to candelabra and candle
sticks is a natural transition, and of
these there is a splendid variety in EN-
pire, Sheffield and other designs.
The gallery tray of highly polished
wood and surrounded by silver lattice
rail will remain in fashion as long as
the colonial craze prevails.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-10
He Loved a Rich Widow.

PERRY. Okla, March 1O.-Mrs. Peer
man of Fort Scott has fled a reply to
her husbands suit for divorce. Mrs.
Peerman was Bourbon county school
teacher before she was married to
Peerman, November z, 1884. She SAYS
he was not true to her, and became in
fatuated with wealthy widow living
in Fort Scott. Mrs. Peerman says fur
ther that this wealthy widow alien
ated her husbands affections from her,
and that she sued the la tier and OBJ
tanned Judgment for 81, OOo for the
alienation She sued her husband for
divorce at Fort Scott, but after obtain
ing the above Judgment she withdrew
her suit for divorce.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-10
nurder Near Alta vista, Kan.

Alta VISTA, Kan, March lo.-Frank
Mitchell, a prominent farmer near
this place, was murdered last Thurs
day. James Clare, a brother-in-law
of the deceased, on going to Mltchell's
farm, yesterday morning, found
Mitchell missing. A search discov-
cred the body on the farm of John
Hepner, a neighbor. On being con-
fronted with the fact and taken into
custody. Hepner confessed to killing
Mitchell and hiding the body in the
grass Excitement runs high and
threats of lynching are common.
Mitchell was known as quiet and
sober man, while Hepner has a very
unsavory reputation. Hepner's wife
denies all knowledge of the deed.
She was also placed under arrest.