ABUSE OF THE SCAPHANDER IN THE SPONGE FISHERIES. 523 
7,000, Spetzz with 6,000, A/gina with 8,000, and Salamis with 3,000 inhabitants; 
with the exception of the A/ginetes, they are all Albanese. There are no naked 
divers in Greece; the sponge fishermen of Kranidion, Hermione, and Salamis 
use the hook and the dragnet; those of Hydra use the diving apparatus, which 
was introduced in Greece in 1866 by several men from Nauplia for the sponge 
fishermen of the neighboring localities of Kranidion and Hermione. After these 
machines had brought death to several men and had crippled others, also had 
cost a great deal of money, they were voluntarily relinquished in the two latter 
places. A new attempt to introduce them in Greece was made in 1882, however, 
after they had been operating without interruption in Turkey. This occurred 
at Syme and was more successful financially, since it was in direct communi- 
cation with the world market of Londor and especially because much less 
heed was taken to spare the human victims which must be sacrificed if financial 
success is to be obtained in this deadly trade. 
The evil made thus great progress notwithstanding the protests of the 
people from time to time, the terrible abuse growing at last into a recognized 
industry. The fearful consequences were excused by citing that in other indus- 
tries, as in mining, accidents happened likewise. It was not taken into account 
that in the mines it is the natural conditions that bring about accidents, while 
in sponge fishing with the diving apparatus men make deliberate choice of this 
over the three safe modes of fishing, because by this means they can gain money 
more rapidly, the sacrificing of human lives, the misery of their neighbors, 
as well as the future of the sponge fishery being unheeded, and nobody held 
responsible for the evil. 3 
The Greek Government, however, does not ignore the cause of the sponge 
divers. On the contrary, as appears from various official reports, the evils 
of the business are well recognized. 
The ministry of war published on April 12-24, 1896, a circular on the pre- 
cautions to be taken by machine divers, and sends out every summer the dis- 
patch boat Kreta, sometimes also a second war ship, to the coasts of Africa 
from Derna to Sfax for the purpose of supervising the sponge fisheries, of 
supplying the fishermen with drinking water, and of lending the necessary 
assistance in cases of illness. This ministry also founded in April, 1904, at 
the recommendation of Her Majesty Queen Olga of Greece, a hospital for 
seriously diseased divers at Tripoli, the lighter affections to be treated on board 
the Kreta; and it published in March, 1904, the very noteworthy report of 
Constantine Savvas, member of the board of health, professor of hygiene at 
the University of Athens, and physician to His Majesty King George of Greece, 
on the diseases of the divers and remedy for the evils existing. 
According to the data furnished by the Greek Naval Office and by private 
individuals (Savvas, p. 10), Hydra sent out, during the summer season of 1903, 
