The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-03-01
FAME OF FAIR CITY
TOLD BY A TOURIST
Continued from Page IL

standpipe, and for couple of hours
on certain nights an inch stream is
thrown to height of probably 60 feet.
A strong electric light at the base il
Eliminates the jet and the spray as it
breaks and falls, producing an ex-
tremely beautiful scenic effect.
Among the other improvements l
note as having been made within the
past two or three years is a most
beautiful little brick city hall of
two stories, surmounted by an artistic
dome and town clock. 1t houses the
city clerks Office, city court room,
council chamber, city library and the
fire department apparatus. This con-
sists of sixty-gallon chemical appa.
ratus mounted on a Ford chassis,
which also draws a trailer carrying
the hose for the fire plug. The new
Madole hotel, 36-room hostelry, was
also finished and opened for business
about a year ago. Many new resi-
dences also have been erected and an
additional school building to accommo-
date the primary grades.
Just now a new business block is in
process of erection, two garages in
addition to the two already operating,
a large brick building for the Sponge
Exchange Cigar factory which will
work one hundred hands, and bids
are now being received for large
brick building in addition to the many
already in use in the sponge business
The Greek population is also prepar-
| ing to build a cathedral to cost $780,
1000 Another boost for Tarpon Springs
will be given by the building of troll
4 ley line between here and Tampa,
with a branch to st. Petersburg. I am
told that the bonds for this have al
ready been sold and that it is, there
fore, assured.
Of the approximately 1000 people
here 1900 or more are Greeks. Their
presence here in such numbers is ac-
counted for by the sponge industry,
or, rather, it would be more accurate
to say that the sponge industry is ac-
counted for by their presence. Tarpon
! Springs is one of the greatest sponge
fisheries and markets in the world
and practically the only one in the
western hemisphere. The greater
part of the Greek population is out
on the gulf nearly all the time in pur-
suit of their calling. A large supply
boat with feet of diving boats goes
out ten, twenty or even fifty miles into
the gulf. and the divers GO down to
the bottom. sometimes to depth Of
125 feet, and gather the sponges from
the coral reefs and rocky bottoms.
When a cargo has been secured they
are brought into the Sponge Exchange
and sold at auction. Firms in Gin
cinnati, Chicago, New York and other
trade centers have representatives and
WAREHOUSES; here to buy and handle
the sponges. These auctions are con-
Quoted quite differently from the Or
binary auction, as I learned at one
| attended the other day. The sponges
for sale are exposed in a heap or
windrow so that they can be readily
examined, and the buyers go along and
scrutinize them. Each then writes
the amount of his bid on a slip of pa
per and passes it to the auctioneer.
He examines them and when they are
all in he reads the highest bid. The
owners of sponges can accept it or re-
fuse it as they see fit. If the bid is
refused these sponges simply lie in
the exchange until the next sale day,
when they are offered again. When
they are finally bought the buyer re-
moves them to his warehouse, where
they are sorted. trimmed the larger
ones cut into suitable sizes. and they
are baled and shipped. At the sale re-
ferred to there were several niles of
different varieties, but all of which
could have been hauled away in cou-
pie of wagons, yet the auctioneer af-
forwards told me, in answer to my in
quiry, that they represented a total
value of almost $4,000. 1t is not I'M
common to hold sales aggregating
! $4,000 or $4,000, and the total
annual business here runs from $780,
600 to S1,0O0,OO0. 1t will thus be seen
that the industry here is an important
one and is what makes Tarpon Springs
year-around city. Nor will it become
exhausted, as in the case of lumber
towns and oil towns. for when the
sponge is torn from its rocky moor
ings every little particle that remains
adhering to it's original home imme
diately begins to grow and develop
and in year or two the beds can b.
gathered from again. What is known
commercially as the sponge is sim
ply the skeleton of the curious plant
animal a PUPPY, gelatinous mas:
which inhabits it. On being removed
from the water it dies and is ther