﻿306 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  as 
  therein 
  usually 
  j^roat 
  demaud 
  for 
  the 
  spouges, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  secmre 
  

   tbem 
  the 
  aim 
  is 
  to 
  bid 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  practieable. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  

   or 
  lose 
  hundreds 
  of 
  dollars 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  cargo. 
  The 
  bids 
  of 
  well-informed 
  

   buyers 
  often 
  vai-y 
  greatly 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  lot 
  of 
  sponges. 
  As 
  an 
  exnmide 
  of 
  

   this, 
  reference 
  maybe 
  made 
  to 
  a 
  cargo 
  sold 
  in 
  January, 
  ISOG. 
  This 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  402 
  bunches 
  of 
  Eock 
  Island 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  of 
  inferior 
  

   quality 
  and 
  small 
  size, 
  and 
  the 
  bids 
  of 
  six 
  buyers 
  were 
  |411, 
  $427, 
  $409, 
  

   $512, 
  $540, 
  and 
  $857. 
  The 
  next 
  lot 
  sold 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  contained 
  206 
  

   bunches 
  of 
  sponges 
  of 
  good 
  size 
  and 
  quality 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  ; 
  the 
  

   highest 
  bid 
  on 
  this 
  was 
  $277. 
  The 
  owner 
  and 
  crew 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  of 
  

   which 
  these 
  sponges 
  were 
  the 
  cargo 
  were 
  naturally 
  dissatisfied 
  with 
  

   this 
  bid 
  and 
  refused 
  to 
  sell 
  for 
  less 
  than 
  $500. 
  

  

  From 
  many 
  points 
  of 
  view 
  this 
  anomalous 
  method 
  is 
  so 
  unsatisfactory 
  

   to 
  both 
  seller 
  and 
  buyer 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  strange 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  long 
  since 
  been 
  

   discarded. 
  The 
  wide 
  fluctuations 
  in 
  prices 
  make 
  the 
  business 
  uncer- 
  

   tain, 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  language 
  of 
  the 
  dealers, 
  the 
  present 
  buying 
  of 
  sponges 
  

   is 
  little 
  different 
  from 
  gambling 
  or 
  a 
  lottery. 
  

  

  In 
  1895, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  regular 
  dealers 
  or 
  buyers 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  was 
  nine. 
  

   These 
  employed 
  05 
  laborers 
  and 
  teamsters 
  in 
  clipping, 
  packing, 
  and 
  

   hauling 
  sponges. 
  The. 
  buildings 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  dealers 
  were 
  A^alued 
  

   with 
  their 
  fixtures 
  at 
  $10,825, 
  and 
  the 
  land 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  rested 
  had 
  

   an 
  estimated 
  value 
  of 
  $42,300. 
  The 
  teams 
  and 
  drays 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   regularly 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  business 
  had 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $2,150. 
  The 
  amount 
  

   of 
  cash 
  capital 
  required 
  to 
  conduct 
  the 
  trade 
  was 
  $135,000. 
  The 
  total 
  

   investment 
  in 
  this 
  branch 
  was 
  therefore 
  $196,275. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   sponges 
  bought 
  by 
  dealers 
  corresponds 
  very 
  closely 
  with 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   caught 
  by 
  the 
  fleet. 
  The 
  quantity 
  and 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  purchased 
  

   in 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  207,810 
  pounds 
  and 
  $321,020, 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  

   being 
  represented 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  extent 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  loss 
  in 
  weight 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  cleaning 
  and 
  trimming 
  of 
  

   sponges 
  is 
  generally 
  reported 
  as 
  about 
  8 
  per 
  cent, 
  considering 
  all 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  sponges. 
  Some 
  lots 
  will 
  lose 
  only 
  3 
  per 
  cent, 
  but 
  such 
  a 
  low 
  figure 
  

   is 
  rarely 
  attained. 
  This 
  waste 
  is 
  no 
  unimportant 
  item, 
  since 
  in 
  1895 
  

   it 
  amounted 
  to 
  about 
  20,000 
  pounds, 
  worth, 
  at 
  $1.20 
  per 
  pound, 
  $24,000. 
  

   A 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  loss, 
  however, 
  is 
  recovered. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  dealers 
  make 
  

   no 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  clippings, 
  but 
  the 
  softer 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  

   clippings 
  are 
  now 
  being 
  generally 
  saved 
  and 
  utilized 
  for 
  various 
  pur- 
  

   poses, 
  the 
  wholesale 
  value 
  being 
  about 
  5 
  cents 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  