Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-07
The Great Sponge Market.
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

A. srorras becon,e scarcer the fleets have o go
farther and farther out into the gulf to get good
harvest They now usually remain for two or three
months at Time returning all together 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 of the lveliest little towns upon
the globe The Greek diver is a daring happy-so-
lucky chap VINO makes big and does not believe
in saving them. hits town he usually collects
several hundred dollars. and proceeds zeaously Ia
spend it before going to sea again He Is liberal
and patron of winesnGps and coffee houses
and movies He decks himself in the gaudest and
most expensive clothes that money will buy He
rather the town. but seIuoFi docs any harm
either himself anyone else
Easter is the important occasion of all. being
a great Greek holiday. There is much feasting, ana
candle light professions through the streets at ngA
time of the Christmas sale the Greek cross As
celebrated. The whole colony gathers at the bayou
the town. The men, ali expert swimmers
up on the bank clad in trunks The ptiest throws
a wooden the water and there is race for
it. the boy who wins receiving prize
When the sponges brought up by the divers
they resemblance whatever to what you buy in
drug store the commercial sponge is merely the
skeleton of animal In the natural state it is COW
cred with a thick This is pounded and washed
out the off with sheep shears the sponges
sorted according to variety and strung In punches
of ten to thirty There number Of varieties
The wool sponges the valuable, others being
grass yellow and wire sponges
Sponges of all kinds becoming scarce, and the
prices they bring surprising. Wool sponges bring
from 81 81 pound A little ragged heap of sponges
could cart in a wheelbarrow often sells
for several hundred dollars. The sponges grow in
banks upon bottom Of gulf and the great OBJ
ject fisher is to discover a bank for large
one is a veritable bonanza
When a sale is held the sponges carried to the
water 'front.' where they form great heaps. divided
cording kind quality The buyers Americans
most of whom live in Tarpon Springs representa-
tiyes of various northern firms. The Greeks own
the sponges hand to exhibit them and extoll
their value but there is haggng. Sealed bids
upon each lot, and the highest offer gets the
sponges.
Tarpon Springs is absolutely complete and indie
pendent unit in the sponge business There is local
supply which deals in all paraphernalia
the divers the brass helmets which they
made by a local machine shop rest. the outfit
consists a rubber suit iron shoes weighing twelve
pounds rubber hose to the diver with pump
on deck, and the rope by which he is lowered
From Tarpon Springs the sponges go chiefly New
York, Chicago and Cincinnati, where they receive the
process of bleaching. and then placed the
retail market. In addition to Tarpon Springs the
sponges taken in commercial quantities at Key
West Miami and in the Bahamas. In all these
places, however, the primitive method Of the long
pole the hook still prevails, sponges can
only taken near the shore while the Tarpon
Springs cruise from Rock Island Tortugas and
bring in sponges than all other fisher
les put together Tarpon Springs has rewarded
for giving the Greek fair deal A..