Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-17

brought to the sarfas they fall apart OF
their own weight.
As soon as a boatload IL secured the
boat Is Immediately sculled 10 the schooner
and the catch deposited on the deck. when
the boat starts out again. on the deck OF
the vessel they are placed In their natural
upright position so as to allow the curry
or Shiny matter with which they are coated
to run off and the animal die.
Treating the sponEes.
The sponges are allowed TO lie on the
deck for several days, during which time
the surrounding atmosphere IL highly
favored with the decaying animal matter,
which has a strong ammoniacal scent.
When a load had been secured or near the
end of the week, they are taken to the
kraals, which are enclosures OF waited
stakes about ten or twelve feet square.
buih close to shore In water from two TO
four feet in depth. Most OF the kraals are
located close to Anclote, on the coast sew
eral miles from here.
After remaining in the kraals for about
a week in order TO allow the animal mat
ter to decay they are taken out and beaten
while wet with a short wooden paddle TO
drive out the decomposed matter. They
nv AhNh ehhNNHt0 " " W NV "a
the water and the remaining animal mat
ter and are then strung on a piece Of
coarse string about five feet in length.
sponges OF a different grade are never put
on the same string and the stringer also
endeavors to have sponges Of a similar
size in the same bunch.
The diving boats clean their sponges on
board the vessel. thus obviatinE the expense
OF kraals.
The dangers of the fishery is greatest in
the fall. when the hurrican season IL on. A
hurrican may swoop down upon the fleet
and spread death and destruction. In oc-
tober, 1905, a hurricsn swept through the
keys and about twelve vessels, nearly all
of which were spongers,. were destroyed in
the neighborhood OF knights Key. One
vessel was carried nearly a mile into the
Interior Of one OF the keys.
All sponges are sold either at Tarpon
Springs or Key West, by far thG greater
part being sold here, and the method fol-
lowed in dlsposing OF them is probably
unique and base been followed almost from
the inception OF the business.
h sponge Exchange.
On the Anclote river. about twenty min
utes' walk from the heart of this town, is
the Sponge exchange, a long. low building
with a yard surrounded by a high board
fence. The building Is divided into COM
partments in which the sponses are stored
until the sale days, on Tuesdays and Fri
days of each week.
On the morning OF the sale the sponses
are taken out into the yard and arranged
in piles, each grade being kept separate.
j The buyers, who represent the large
wholesale firms dealing In such articles.
are permitted to look over the punches at
any time before or during the sale. but are
not allowed to weigh them. When the
hour OF sale arrives the auctioneer takes
his place beside the first pile and asks for
bids. Not a word Is uttered by him in re-
gard to the sponges, the buyers being sup
posed to know all that could be said about
them.
Each buyer writes on a slip OF paper the
price he is willing TO give and hands II To
the auctioneer, who lays it face down In
the palm OF his hand. There is no con-
: tinuous competition as in a regular auction.
8 as each man is allowed only one bid.
When all the bids are in the auctioneer
; reverses them and reads off the amounts.
$ The highest bid takes the pile. and the
. auctioneer hands the slip back to the sue.
~cessful bidder, who writes his name and
the date on 1t and then offers it to the
o owner.
e II the owner accepts the slip the sale is
e contaminated. but should he think the price
too small he can decline to receive 1t. and
n the sale Is off. Under these circumstances
: the pile must be removed from the yard
s to the building at once and cannot be put
s up again until the next sale day. The
"a buyer is not permitted to back out.
sales Mount High.
- 1t can easily be seen from the above that
d the buyer must be an experienced man or
he will make costly mistakes. Al a usual
times but a few cents separating the high
a est and lowest bidders on a lot selling for
several hundred dollars. Sometimes as
much as $4,000 worth OF sponges will be
sold. At Key West the sales are held every
morning but Saturday and Sunday.
As soon as a pile is sold II is loaded on
y drays and removed TO the buyers ware
I house. Here the sponges are thoroughly
y dried out and the ragged edges trimmed
q off. They are then pressed into bales
a weighing from twenty to eighty pounds
in which shape they are shipped to the
d Wholesale dealers in New York, Philadei.
phia, Chicago and ST. Louis in this coun.
try. and to London, England, and Ham.
burg, Germany.
N The recognized trade varieties of Florida
sponges are the sheepswool, the most val.
liable; the yellow, the velvet, the grass and
the glove. In 1908 about $4,000 worth OF
n sponges were gathered and marketed by
y the spongers Of Florida.
Ap interesting experiment is now beins
made by the United States bureau Of fish.
cries. the raising of sponges from clip
8, pings. For a long time about one-half OF
III the sponges used in this country were Sc
TX cured from the waters surrounding tn.
state of Florida, but OF late years the sup
At ply has not kept pace with the demand
ID and in order to prevent the destruction o.
n, the industry the bureau began its expert
lie ments in 1901, and has since met with som,
s, success, although II is too early to fore
ID cast the final result. II successful, sponget
may be raised on'privste grounds. the sam
as oysters and clans are now.
Re CONSERVATIVE DOCTORS