The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-01-29
SPONGE DIVING IN FLORIDA
GROWING INDUSTRY IN WHICH
GREEKS ARE EMPLOYED.
How the Sponges, Which Are Live
Animals, Are Gathered and Pre-
pared for the Market.


Animals, Are Gathered and Pre-
pared for the Market.
The sponge industry at Tarpon
Springs, on the west coast of Flori-
da, has assumed large proportions
within the past few years. There
were in commission at Tarpon
Springs last October 400 sponge
boats, employing 1900 hands. About
80 per cent. of the spongers are
Greeks, who have been in the bust
ness 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 Gre
clan clothes and speak their native
tongue
The common labOrer on the sponge
boats receives from &oV 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 it's length
Most of these boats were brought
from Greece, and are staunchly built
There are also a number of schoon-
ers which go with the fleets to fur
nish provisions and carry spOnges
from the smaller boats.
Every boat has one or more divers,
who have a complete diving outfit
with 16-pound lead soles on each
shoe, also a heavy lead weight on
the chest and back. The diver car
ries no weapon of any kind, being
provided only with 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
followed by the boat above, in which
is a pump that keeps linn supplied
with air
Sponges are gathered from the
bottom of the gulf in from SO to
$50 feet of water. The diver will
stay down hours at time, and as
fast as a bag is filled it is hoisted
to the surface and an empty one
sent down.
AS is generally known the sponge
is an animal. There are many differ
ent kinds, but only three, the silk,
wool and grass spOnges, have com
mercial 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 driving stakes in
the sand a little ways apart so that
| the ebb and flow of the tide may
wash out and in to remove all animal
matter. After remaining in the
| kraals for time, this being depend
| ent on the season, as sponges, dfC
much faster in the summer than win
ter, the spongers get in among then
and mash, scrape and clean the ami
NAL 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 pro
cess of cleaning and are sized and
graded according to quality The!
are then packed in bales of 10, Il
and 20 pounds, and shipped to al
parts of the world.
In purchasing the spOnges repre-
sentatives of the various jobbine
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 ex-
amines the pile and writes his bid
on blank and gives it to the sec
rotary of the exchange. When al
bids are in the secretary opens them
and shows the owner of the sponges
the highest If the price is salts
! factory the pile is sold.
These sales are held on Tuesday
and Friday of each week during the
season, which runs from October ]
to June /.
In Tarpon Springs there are eight
large packing houses preparing
sponges for the market. Last sea.
son $750,000 was paid for sponges
by representatives of jobbing houses
in all parts of the United States and
Europe, and this seasons harvest
will show a large increase.