The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-04-09
FLORIDA SPONGE DIVING.
Growing Industry i'm Which
Greeks Chiefly Are Emutnyed

Greeks Chiefly Are Employed.
The sponge industry at Tarpon
Springs, on the west coast of Florida,
has assumed large proportions within
the past few years. There were in
commission at Tarpon Springs last Oc-
tober 400 sponge boats, employing 200
hands. About 90 per cent OF the spong
FRS are Greeks, who have been in the
business all their lives and are the most
expert divers in the world A great
many have brought their families to
this country TO live, and at Tarpon
Springs they have settled in the east
side of the city, where their homes and
places of business are typical of Greece.
They also wear their Grecian clothes
and speak their native tongue.
The common laborer on the sponge
boats receives from $50 TO $50 per
month, the divers getting from 5000 to
$500 in the same period. The sponge
boat is from 80 to 40 feet long and of
great beam for its length. Most of
these boats were brought from Greece,
and are staunchly built There are
also a number of schoonerS which go
with the fleets to furnish provisions and
carry spOnges from the smaller boats.
Every boat has one or more divers
who have complete diving outfit, with
16-pound lead soles on each shoe, also
a heavy lead weight on the chest and
back. The diver carries no weapon of
any kind, being provided only wits a
sponge bag.
The diver after putting on his suit is
lowered over the side of the boat and
to the bottom. As he walks along far
under the surface he is followed by the
boat above, in which is a pump that
keeps him supplied with air.
Sponges are gathered from the bot
tom of the gulf in from 90 to 100 feet
of water. The diver will stay down
hours at time, and as fast as bag
is lilled it is hoisted to the surface and
an empty one sent down.
As is generally known, the sponge is
an animal. There are many different
kinds, but only three, the silk, wool
and grass sponges, have commercial
value. After being taken from the
water they are left on the decks Of the
vessels in the sun for a time. TO die
before they are thrown into the kraals.
These kraals or pens are made by driv-
ing stakes in the sand a little ways
apart SO that the ebb and flow of the
tide may wash out and in 10 remove
all animal matter. After remaining in
the kraals for time, this being depen-
dent on the season, as sponges die much
faster in the summer than winter, the
spongers get in among them and mash,
scrape and clean the animal matter off.
They are then strung in punches about
five feet long, and taken to the sponge
packing houses, where they go through
the last process of cleaning, and are
sized and graded according 10 quality.
They are then packed in bales of 10,
10 and 90 pounds, and shipped to all
parts of the world.
In purchasing the sponges representa-
tives of the various jobbing houses meet
at the sponge exchange and all the
sponges belonging TO one man or firm
are piled in a heap on the floor. Each
representative examines the pile and
writes his bid on a blank and gives ii
to the secretary of the exchange. When
all bids are in, the secretary opens
them and shows the owner of the
sponges the highest If the price is sat
iSfactory the pile is sold.
These sales are held on Tuesday and
Friday of each week, during the season,
which runs from Oct. 1 to June 1.
In Tarpon Springs there are eight
large packing houses preparing sponges
for the market. Last season SI50,O0O
was paid for sponges by representatives
OF jobbing houses in all parts of the
United States and Europe. and this sea-
sons harvest will show large increase.