The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-12
PARTON SPRINGS
 SPONGE CENTER
Unique Industry Carried On In Florida Town, Resembling
 Greek Port
By B, C, FORBES

IN THE SOUTH, Feb. .11.-Tragedy has always been associated with those who go down in the sea in ships
 There are jealousies and rivalries and to be won or lost in even the humblest of callings.
 Did you know that this many sided country of ours has the largest sponge fishing center in the world?. It has.
 This unique industry is carried on from Tarpon Springs, a quaint little port located on the Gulf of Mexico, be- tween Tampa and Belleaire, the latter one of the most attractive resorts in the whole south. The sponge fisher men are all Greeks. Most of them can speak little or no English. Store signs are in Greek letters. The boats have Greek names and some of them have ambitious Greek decorations. AS you stroll along the waterside you can easily imagine yourself in one of the numer- ous tiny ports that stud the coast and islands of Greece.
 Every Creek in this colony knows every other Greek. Not only so, but the achievements, the catch, the record of every man are known to all. Bread and butter depends upon proving an efficient fisherman. Fail to bring in a respectable catch of sponges and next season nobody will hire you.
 Sponge fishing is not done along shore, but away out in the gulf.
 Boats sail away and stay out usually five months without once returning to port. One month Is spent at home i; then off the fishermen go again, to be alone for other five months far from land.
 The poorest quality of sponges can be caught by hooks dropped as much as forty feet in the water. But the bet ter sponges have to be caught by div CTS. They go down sixty, eighty, a hundred, even one hundred and twenty feet, where the best sponges of all are found-those of close texture and so strong that you cannot tear them, no matter how hard you try.
 They last longer than you will last if you don't let them rot," the head of are alive when caught.
 The highest paid men are the divers They are the aristocrats of the colony They are the stars whose achievements are keenly discussed by the whole com munity. The man who can make a name for himself as an expert, success. full diver, is as much in demand in this colony as Babe Ruth is in the world oi baseball. Let diver come home after five months effort and have little te show and he is ashamed to be seen along the pier.
 We fell a-talking with an intelligent looking Greek youth. He was prepar. ing for a five months voyage. Did he like his calling? Oh, yes. But
 He turned his eyes toward the broad over his face.
 What was the matter? He hesitated Then, in broken English, he told this sale of the sea and of sponge fishing
 His older brother had fared forth as a diver on a big boat. Two other divers, much more experienced, were lowered into the water with him. They were down far. The other two made good catches. He was struegline against hard luck. When the time came to quit and return to the boat divers can stay down only about twenty minutes in deep water-he wa. ashamed to ascend.
 come up. He ignored their Jerking o the life line-the tube which pumpet the air down to him.
 Becoming alarmed, his brother fisher men sisnalled frantically.
 The young diver, rather than emere, disgraced, cast off the life line. Ht chose death to ignominy.
 When his unconscious form was finally rescued, he was still breathinp faintly, but he uttered only one word before he died: Mother"
 Three children were left fatherIess and wife made a widow.
 How often do we stop to ponder. a. we throw down a few coins or a few dollars for some article of necessity or luxury, how much of effort of body or brain or anguish 1t has cost someone to produce? shall never use a sponge again without thinking of the fate of this proud spirited young diver