The Pensacola journal., 1906-08-14
LEGAL BATTLE
|. ON SP0NG||rG
I|GI5t.
Many Nice Paints Will J. Be ] Raised
inA Fight Now on in
Jacksonville.

| Indications are chat before the I'm
al ending of the action brought b,
the United States against the schoon
er Victory there win ensue a lega
battle the result of which, will b.
watched closely, especially by tn
sponge fishing interests.
Assistant United States Distric
Attorney Richard p. Marks, acting ol
behalf of the United States, has al
ready begun proceedings here lookini
to the sale of the schooner and 1t
cargo of sponges. The owners AM
master Of the vessel, together with al
parties interested. are given notice o
the action and allowed until a certain
date to show cause, If any they have
why the vessel and its cargo shouk
not be sold.
The ground on which the libel /:
brought by the government Is tha'
the captain or master of the said Vic
tory, with foreign cargo, touched a
Anclote Harbor, a Florida gulf port
he failed to report his entry, cargo
etc. This is punishable by a fine O
81 900, and it Is to secure this sum
together with the costs involved, thai
tne actlOn mas D60n DegHn.
The Foreign Cargo.
The ground on which 1t Is claimed
that the cargo Of sponges. with which
the Victory was loaded. was a foreign
cargo, is that they were all secured
outside of the three-mile limit, and
hence, beyond the jurisdiction of the
United States. THIS made them liza.
BILE for duty, and, II the government
is sustained by the courts and the
vessel ordered sold, the. duty charged
against the cargo win be collected
from the proceeds of the sale.
And this brings up another point of
interest. If the courts hold that the
sponges were secured beyond the
three-mile limit, and are therefore
foreign and liable for duty. then the
captain and crew Of the vessel that
brought them into a port of the Unit.
ed States and failed to report them
and pay the dirty thereon, win be in.
dividually Liable for criminal prosecu.
ton as smugglers.
It is stated that the owners of the
Victory have determined to make a
kard fi1ht, and will contest every
point to the limit. The government
VIII attempt to prove. if found neces-
sary in making out its case, that the
master Of the vessel declined to make
his report, as required, even when mo-
titled that 1t was necessary. .5' =
The Sponge Fisheries,
Before the suit is finally ended
there will probably be a thorough air
ing Of the fight that has been going
on recently between those Using the
old and ordinary method Of sponge
fishing and those using the diving ap-
parattis.
The use of. the diving apparatus is
being strenu6usly opposed by those
not using it, but thus far there has
been no way found for them to. COM
pei lts abandonment. They set up
that Greeks are being imported to en-.
gage in sponge fishing, with the use
OF diving apparatus, that the business
Is being overcrowded and ruined. and
that the sponge beds themselves are
being destroyed
Ihls destruction, they claim, re-
suits from the men, encased in theip
heavy suits of diving armor walking
about on the young sponge plants and
crushing and killing them.
Adnerents OF the old method pro.
test vigorously, and point out that
spong1ng vessels have been built at
different points in Florida, equipped
for the use of the diving aparatus
manned by Greeks accustomed to div.
una; and that unless this practice
Is stopped the sponge industry will
be irreparably injured.
The older method and the one
which, 1t is understood is stin gen.
erafy In use, is to fish for the
sponges with long pole or rake
the sponge fishermen remaining on
their boat
Inc. men doing the actual fishing
wear over their heads a hood, some
somewhat resembling large bucket
with glass bottom. Thus protected
they can peer beneath the water. and
as Hhe boat moves from place to
pace, hsh for those sponges ready to
De taken up. Practice has made the
men usually dextrous at this work
But despite the. dexterity. the ad
vantages derived from the use of the
owing apparatus are apparent. Thus
equipped, the sponger goes to The hot.
tom and, being constantly suppl,ed
Win fresh air from the pumps, moves
about practically as freely as though
ne were on dry land. Picking the
sponges is an easy matter, and tho
number gathered in this way is far
In excess. for the same period of
hat gathered through the other
method.
The fight between the two inter.
ests has been. closely watched. es-
peoiafiy by those living near the
ports where the sponge fishing boats
are most numerous, and its thorougb
airing in the United States courts
VIII be followed closely.