Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-10

Continued From Editorial Page1
in Tarpon Springs. They form nearly
half of the population. and have just
about a fair share of the business.
Although the Greeks dwell in their
own quarter of the town, and preserve
their national customs, they live in
perfect amity with the Americans.
There are very prosperous firms in
the sponge business which are con-
Quoted by Greeks and Americans
working in partnership.
The Greek likes American busi-
ness methods, American money, Amer
lean movies, and many other Ameri-
can things; but when it comes to
cheese, wine and candy, he insists on
having his own. Hence there are in
Tarpon Springs many picturesque lit
tie shops dealing in these things, and
in other strictly Greek dainties which
are beyond the appreciation of an Am
erican palate. There are also Greek
coffee houses, where you may see the
divers in from the gulf, slipping the
drink from little cups and smoking
water pipes.
AS sponges become scarcer, the
fleets have to go farther out into the
Gulf to get a good harvest. They now
usually remain for two or three
months at a time, returning all to-
gether at certain times of the year.
when the great sales are held. Early
fall, Christmas and Easter are the
times of the most important sales and
upon these occasions Tarpon Springs
becomes one of the liveliest little towns
upon the globe. The Greek diver is
a daring, happy -go-lucky chap, who
makes big wages and does not believe
in saving them. When he hits town
he usually collects several hundred
dollars, and proceeds zealously to
spend it all before going to sea again.
He is a liberal and boisterous patron
of wineshops and coffee houses and
movies. He decks himself in the
gaudiest and most expensive clothes
that money can buy. He rather over
runs the town; but seldom does any
harm either TO himself or anyone else.
Easter is the most important occa-
sion of all. being a great Greek holi-
day. There is much feasting, and
candle light professions through the
Christmas sale, the Greek Cross Day
is celebrated. The whole colony
gathers at the bayou behind the town.
The young men, all expert swimmers,
line up on the bank, clad only in
trunks. The priest throws a wooden
cross into the water and there is a
race for ii, tl"P boy who wins receiv-
iliS II ~ iNt.
When the sponges are brought up
by the divers, they bear no resem-
blance whatever to what you buy in
a drug store; for the commercial
sponge is merely the skeleton of an
animal. In the natural state it is
covered with a thick mucus. This
is pounded and washed out, the roots
are cut off with deep shears, the
sponges are sorted according to variety
and strung in lunches of from ten to
thirty EACH There are a number of
varieties. The wool sponges are the
most valuable, others being grass,
yellow and wire sponges.
Sponges of all kinds are becoming
scarce and the prices they bring are
surprising. Wool sponges bring from
50 to s4 a pound. A little ragged
heap of sponges that you would cart
away in a wheel-barrow often sells
for several hundred dollars. The
sponges grow in banks upon the bot
tom of the gulf, and the great OBJ
ject of the fisher is to discover a
new bank. for a large one is a ver-
liable bonanza.