﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  305 
  

  

  The 
  Key 
  West 
  spoiige 
  fleet 
  in 
  1895 
  consisted 
  of 
  99 
  vessels 
  of 
  5 
  tons 
  

   and 
  over, 
  and 
  about 
  183 
  vessels 
  of 
  under 
  5 
  tons' 
  nieasuvenient. 
  The 
  

   vessels 
  sufficiently 
  large 
  to 
  take 
  out 
  customs 
  papers 
  had 
  a 
  combined 
  

   tonnage 
  of 
  1,201, 
  carried 
  825 
  men, 
  and 
  were 
  worth, 
  with 
  their 
  boats, 
  

   apparatus, 
  and 
  outfit, 
  $216,754. 
  Eighty-six 
  of 
  these 
  vessels 
  were 
  

   schooners 
  and 
  13 
  were 
  sloops. 
  The 
  smaller 
  vessels 
  carried 
  591 
  men 
  

   and 
  had 
  an 
  aggregate 
  value 
  of 
  $36,330, 
  including 
  boats, 
  ap])aratus, 
  etc. 
  

   It 
  is 
  thus 
  seen 
  that 
  1,119 
  fishermen 
  were 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  

   sponge 
  fishery 
  in 
  1895, 
  and 
  the 
  capital 
  invested 
  was 
  $253,081. 
  

  

  From 
  information 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  dealers 
  who 
  bought 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  

   the 
  Key 
  West 
  sponge 
  vessels, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  in 
  1895 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  all 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  sj^onges 
  was 
  280,372 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  first 
  value 
  of 
  $341,015, 
  

   this 
  being 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  $1.23 
  per 
  pound. 
  The 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  difi'ereut 
  kinds 
  of 
  sponges 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Sheep.swool. 
  

  

  Yellow 
  

  

  Gra.ss 
  

  

  Glove 
  

  

  Velvet 
  

  

  Others 
  

  

  Total 
  I 
  280,372 
  j 
  344,015 
  

  

  The 
  Eock 
  Island 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  of 
  1896 
  was 
  very 
  poor, 
  

   the 
  season 
  being 
  almost 
  a 
  total 
  failure. 
  The 
  vessels 
  that 
  arrived 
  at 
  

   Key 
  West 
  from 
  the 
  bay 
  grounds 
  in 
  December 
  had 
  exceedingly 
  limited 
  

   cargoes, 
  and 
  the 
  fishing, 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  did 
  not 
  pay 
  expenses. 
  

  

  THE 
  SPONGE 
  TRADE. 
  

  

  Kearly 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  spongers 
  is 
  sold 
  locally 
  to 
  

   regular 
  dealers, 
  the 
  only 
  exception 
  being 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  sponges 
  

   sometimes 
  sold 
  at 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  nearer 
  the 
  sponge 
  

   grounds 
  than 
  Key 
  West. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  spongers 
  for 
  disposing 
  of 
  their 
  cargoes 
  

   is 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  has 
  prevailed 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  The 
  

   sponges 
  from 
  a 
  given 
  vessel 
  are 
  unloaded 
  on 
  a 
  wharf 
  and, 
  after 
  being 
  

   inspected 
  by 
  the 
  buyers, 
  are 
  bid 
  on, 
  as 
  in 
  regular 
  auctions. 
  The 
  buyers 
  

   however, 
  have 
  only 
  one 
  bid 
  on 
  each 
  cargo, 
  and 
  make 
  a 
  written 
  tender 
  

   to 
  the 
  crier, 
  who 
  announces 
  the 
  diflerent 
  bids 
  after 
  all 
  are 
  submitted. 
  

   No 
  opportunity 
  is 
  afforded 
  the 
  buyers 
  to 
  weigh 
  the 
  sponges, 
  and 
  the 
  

   calculation 
  of 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  and 
  grade 
  of 
  sponge 
  and 
  

   the 
  probable 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  cargo 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  rapidly 
  from 
  a 
  mere 
  

   glance 
  at 
  each 
  bunch. 
  

  

  It 
  can 
  be 
  readily 
  understood 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  vessel 
  load 
  of 
  sponges 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  ot 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  qualities, 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  different 
  market 
  

   price, 
  great 
  discretion 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  gauge 
  its 
  value 
  even 
  ai>proxi- 
  

   mately. 
  The 
  most 
  experienced 
  buyers 
  sometimes 
  make 
  costly 
  mistakes, 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  m 
  20 
  

  

  