﻿442 
  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  general 
  average 
  is 
  also 
  highest 
  for 
  that 
  year. 
  For 
  1902 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  shown, 
  except 
  for 
  1897. 
  The 
  price 
  of 
  yellow 
  sponges 
  fell 
  con- 
  

   siderably 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  1901, 
  when 
  quite 
  a 
  demand 
  arose 
  in 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  shops, 
  etc., 
  for 
  this 
  variety 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  sheepswool 
  

   sponges. 
  It 
  was 
  soon 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  answer 
  the 
  purpose, 
  

   and 
  as 
  the 
  buyers 
  had 
  secured 
  a 
  large 
  supply 
  in 
  anticipation 
  of 
  the 
  

   market, 
  a 
  glut 
  resulted 
  which 
  caused 
  the 
  price 
  to 
  decline. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  1900 
  was 
  especially 
  good 
  for 
  the 
  sponge 
  trade, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  unusual 
  clearness 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  permitted 
  sponging 
  on 
  

   nearly 
  every 
  ground. 
  The 
  reverse 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1902, 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring, 
  the 
  spongers 
  had 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  "Bay" 
  or 
  "Gulf" 
  grounds 
  

   in 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  feet 
  of 
  water, 
  on 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "Middle 
  Bank." 
  

   The 
  "hookers," 
  or 
  men 
  who 
  handle 
  the 
  sponge 
  hook, 
  found 
  this 
  occu- 
  

   pation 
  so 
  fatiguing 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  discontinued 
  work 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  "hookers" 
  is 
  limited, 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  

   sponges 
  was 
  correspondingly 
  smaller. 
  The 
  sponges 
  gathered 
  in 
  this 
  

   depth 
  were 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  tine 
  quality, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  market- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  cut 
  into 
  very 
  profitable 
  sizes. 
  

   The 
  sponging 
  on 
  the 
  "Key" 
  grounds 
  was 
  very 
  poor, 
  owing 
  to 
  bad 
  

   water 
  and 
  other 
  causes. 
  In 
  January, 
  February, 
  and 
  March 
  the 
  

   spongers 
  found 
  clear 
  water 
  on 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "New 
  Grounds," 
  

   in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  "Key"" 
  region, 
  between 
  Ke}^ 
  West 
  and 
  

   Cape 
  Sable. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  sponging 
  here 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  18 
  

   feet 
  of 
  water, 
  an 
  unusual 
  depth 
  for 
  this 
  locality. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  earl}^ 
  part 
  of 
  1902, 
  at 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  generally 
  laid 
  up 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  bad 
  weather 
  in 
  the 
  "Bay," 
  several 
  

   Key 
  West 
  vessel 
  owners 
  undertook 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  Bahama 
  Banks. 
  

   These 
  grounds 
  are 
  frequented 
  by 
  Bahaman 
  spongers, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   30 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  no 
  interference 
  from 
  the 
  colonial 
  authorities 
  

   was 
  anticipated. 
  On 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  Key 
  West 
  vessel, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  her 
  captain 
  was 
  arrested 
  and 
  imprisoned 
  in 
  Nassau 
  until 
  the 
  pav- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  a 
  fine 
  of 
  $.50, 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  which 
  discouragement 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  abandoned 
  the 
  enterprise. 
  

  

  The 
  business 
  of 
  buying 
  and 
  preparing 
  sponges 
  for 
  market 
  is 
  entirely 
  

   separate 
  and 
  distinct 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  gathering 
  them. 
  The 
  buj^ers, 
  who 
  

   represent 
  wholesale 
  firms 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  Philadelphia, 
  and 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  

   have 
  large 
  warehouses 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  sponges 
  receive 
  their 
  final 
  clean- 
  

  

  