The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-07-21
.GREEKSPLUNDER
THESPONGE BARS
FLORIDA FISHERMEN FORCED
OUT OF WORK DY DIVERS-VES-
SELLS ARE WITHDRAWAL
EIeNERs NOW WORK IN Shall
LOW WATER.

The Greek has come to be regarded
as an economic menace by the native
residents of TaTpon Springs and other
parts of the west coast of Florida,
says the Jacksonville Metropolis.
The story of how this has come
about is interesting as showing how
great results sometimes grow from
small beginnings.
From Miami, on the East Coast,
down through the chain of keys and
up the West Coast as far as st.
Marks, are the immense sponge beds
which have been one of the sources
Of Florida's wealth for many years.
Up to three or four years ago Key
West was the chief center of the in
dustry, sending out a fleet of some
400 vessels manned by several thou
sand men to fish for sponges which
sold at highly remunerative prices
Up to 1905 the apparatus used by
the SpOnger consisted OF a water glass
and a pole with a three-toOthed hook
at one end. The water glass was
simply an ordinary bucket, the wooden
bottom of which had been replaced
with a pane of window glass. The
pole varied in length with the depth
in which the sponger was working,
about forty-five feet being the great
est depth in which the hooker could
work.
Used Greek Method.
In 1905 one Of the sponge buyers at
this place, thinking that these must
be fine sponges in the deep waters
which were inaccessible to the hooker,
made arrangements with a Greek
diver to come to this place and intro
duce the method of gathering sponges
by men diving in suits, which is in
general use in the sponge fisheries of
Greece. It was supposed that the 10
cal spOngers, observing This man at
work, would see the ad .antage of div
ing over hooking in the deep water
and would adopt the method. but the
native spongers absolutely refused to
have anything to do with it.
The Greek diver was very success
full. The glowing reports Of his large
earnings sent to the north and TO
Greece at once started an influx OF
Greeks and in a few months some 400
or 500 Greeks had swarmed into this
place They have been coming ever
since, until there are now several
thousand creeks settled in Tarpon
Springs, their number being almost
treble that of the native population.
AS a result Of this influx Of foreign
ers the town has taken on a foreign
appearance. The Greek language is
heard more often than the English,
while Greek names are rapidly replac-
ing those of the American merchants
who formerly did business there. At
the rate that the Greeks are coming it
is a question of but a short time be-
fore they will control the town abso-
lutely.
Kew West soon felt the effects of
the new competition and vessel after
vessel has withdrawn from the fishery
or else sold TO the Greeks, until now
the Key West fleet numbers less than
half what it did in 1905 1t was soon
discovered that the Greek divers, in
stead of going out into the deep wa
tiers which were inaccessible to the
hookers, preferred to frequent the
shallow waters worked by the hook
ers, where the sponges were more
easily secured and more safely secur-
ed than in the greater depths.
Congress Appealed To.
Finding it impossible to secure eff
fective State legislation owing to the
conflicting. at that time, interests of
Tarpon Springs and Key West. an ap-
peal was made to congress, which en-
acted a law in 1906 prohibiting the
landing in this country after May 1,
1907, Of sponges taken in a greater
depth had to be secured between Oc-
tober I and May 1. This law has been
of very little benefit to the native
spongers, as but weak and Intellectual
effort has been made to enforce it
The people of Key West have fought
against diving from the beginning,
and have threatened to burn the first
diving vessel that comes there. Last
year a rumor spread that diving YES
sci was working on the key grounds
in the upper part of Monroe county.
An expedition was hastily organized,
but when it swooped down upon the
suspicious vessel the latter turned out
to be a mackerel fisherman from Mi
ami. Neither Greeks nor the diving
method are permitted in Monroe
county but as the best grounds are
in the Gulf of Mexico, some distance
from Monroe county. this has not
benefited the Key West feet very
much.