﻿318 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  belouginj;' 
  at 
  various 
  places 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  Apalachicola. 
  Nearly 
  

   100 
  "crawls," 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  sponges 
  are 
  cleaned, 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  near 
  

   by. 
  Quite 
  a 
  lieet 
  of 
  vessels 
  that 
  take 
  out 
  custom-house 
  papers 
  at 
  Tampa, 
  

   Cedar 
  Keys, 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  are 
  owne<l 
  at 
  Tarpon 
  Springs, 
  although 
  the 
  

   principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sponges 
  landed 
  here 
  are 
  from 
  outside 
  vessels. 
  

  

  The 
  sponge 
  industry 
  of 
  Tarpon 
  Springs 
  (or 
  Auclote) 
  is 
  more 
  extensive 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  except 
  Key 
  West. 
  

   The 
  recent 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  has 
  been 
  noteworthy, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  

   probable 
  that 
  the 
  favorable 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  with 
  refereniie 
  to 
  the 
  

   sponge-grounds 
  will 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  still 
  further 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  industry, 
  

   which 
  will 
  make 
  Tarpon 
  Springs 
  a 
  formidable 
  rival 
  of 
  Key 
  West. 
  

  

  The 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  credited 
  to 
  this 
  section 
  in 
  1895 
  

   numbered 
  13. 
  Their 
  tonnage 
  ranged 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  20, 
  and 
  their 
  crews 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  7 
  to 
  13 
  men. 
  They 
  are 
  equipped 
  similarly 
  to 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  

   vessels 
  as 
  to 
  dingeys, 
  hooks, 
  poles, 
  water-glasses, 
  etc. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  

   value 
  of 
  these 
  vessels, 
  with 
  their 
  outfits, 
  was 
  $23,340, 
  and 
  their 
  combined 
  

   crews 
  numbered 
  125, 
  fully 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  negroes 
  from 
  the 
  

   Bahama 
  Islands. 
  The 
  stock 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  Avas 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   dollars 
  to 
  over 
  $4,800, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trips 
  and 
  other 
  

   contingencies, 
  the 
  average 
  boing 
  about 
  $1,800. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  over 
  5 
  tons 
  burden, 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  others 
  

   that 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  These 
  usually 
  carry 
  

   3 
  or 
  5 
  men, 
  and 
  their 
  catch 
  is 
  correspondingly 
  small. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  fleet 
  was 
  augmented 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  1895 
  and 
  in 
  

   189G 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  that 
  were 
  perma- 
  

   nently 
  transferred 
  to 
  this 
  district, 
  several 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  credited 
  

   to 
  Key 
  West 
  in 
  1895. 
  

  

  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  sponges 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  sponge 
  fleet 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  in 
  

   1895 
  was 
  18,393 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $30,875. 
  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  

   the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  each 
  kind 
  of 
  sponge 
  was 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  catch. 
  

   As 
  will 
  be 
  seen, 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  other 
  sponges 
  besides 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  

   taken 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  is 
  insignificant. 
  In 
  quality 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  

   which 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  trade 
  of 
  Tarpon 
  Springs 
  are 
  unsurpassed 
  and 
  are 
  

   worth 
  considerably 
  more 
  per 
  pound 
  than 
  are 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  

   handled 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  admixture 
  of 
  the 
  less 
  valuable 
  key 
  

   sponges 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  Tarpon 
  Springs 
  vessels 
  is 
  somewhat 
  different 
  to 
  that 
  

   at 
  Key 
  West. 
  The 
  owner 
  supplies 
  the 
  provisions 
  and 
  other 
  outfit 
  of 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  and 
  receives 
  one-half 
  the 
  gross 
  sales, 
  the 
  crew 
  sharing 
  the 
  

   other 
  half 
  eciually. 
  The 
  captain, 
  however, 
  is 
  paid 
  8 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  