70 WONDERS OF THE DEEP 



Even in fifteen and twenty fathoms the bottom can 

 be clearly seen and examined. The sponges, when 

 found, are hooked up by the armed pole, and as soon 

 as the schooner's deck is filled she sails away to a 

 " ranche," where she deposits her now evil-smelling 

 load in a " crawl," or enclosure of wattles in shallow 

 water, where it remains for a fortnight, during which 

 the crew are fishing for a fresh cargo. On their return 

 all hands enter the " crawl " and beat out the now 

 rotted fleshy part of the sponge, which, when first 

 gathered, presents the appearance of around mass of 

 dark india-rubber freely perforated. When the fleshy 

 part has been thoroughly removed and the marketable 

 skeleton washed, the heap is laid on shore in a secluded 

 spot, while the lot that has taken its place remains 

 on the "crawl," and the schooner starts again 

 for the sponge banks. At length, enough has been 

 gathered and cleaned to load the vessel, when the 

 sponges are sorted by the crew into glove, reef, lamb's 

 wool, grass, etc., and each kind separately strung in 

 rings of from one to two dozen. In this way they 

 are sold by auction in the sponge exchange, when the 

 first step of the preparation for the consumer is carried 

 out by the sponge merchants. The sponges are ex- 

 posed to the sun to improve the colour. They are 

 then clipped of all irregularities, and pieces of shell 

 or rock removed by the clipper, and once out of his 

 hands they are, so far as the Bahama sponge merchant 

 is concerned, ready to be pressed into bales and 

 exported." 



Bahama sponges are classified into eleven different 



