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Show Worlds Latest TARPON SPRIXOS, on the west coast of Florida, claims the distinction dis-tinction of being the largest sponge market in the western hemisphere. Over a hundred schooners schoon-ers with their diving boats sail from its little river harbor to the sponge beds in the gulf; and a local colony of 2,000 Greeks are engaged almost wholly in the sponge business. They have imported their native methods unchanged, even employing the same picturesque boats with high prows and brilliant colors that are used in the Mediterranean. The Greeks have a monopoly of the business of diving for sponges, writes Frederic J. Haskin. They go down into 100 feet of water In rubber suits and helmets, cut the sponges from the bottom with a knife and bring them to tho surface in nets.' Now and again a man gets his rubber lines tangled and his air supply is cut off, or he remains below too long and becomes paralyzed. Sometimes a big man-eating shark becomes unduly curious curi-ous and makes a menacing swoop at the diver. His usual defense in such a case is to open his sleeve and let out a rush of air bubbles, which almost invariably in-variably frightens the shark away. At any rate these undersea adventures adven-tures do not appeal to tho Americans. They are willing to take a risk for sufficient suf-ficient cause, but not for a diver's wages. Before the Greeks came to Florida sponges were taken only by colored men, who went out in rowboats and "hooked" sponges in comnarative- ly shallow water with long poles. It was a primitive and ineffectual method and all Florida did not produce a fraction of what is now exported annually annu-ally from Tarpon Springs alone. The Greeks saw their opportunity and went first to another Florida town As sponges become scarcer tht t'l&ets have to go farther and farther out into the gulf to get a good harvest. They now usually remain for two or three months at a time, returning all together at certain times of the year, when the great sales are held. Early fall, Christmas and Easter are the times of the most important sales, and upon these occasions Tarpon Springs becomes one of the liveliest little towns upon the globe. The Greek diver is a daring, happy-go-lucky chap who makes big wages and does not believe in saving them. When he hits town he usually collects several hundred dollars and proceeds zealously to spend it all before going to sea again. He Is a liberal and boisterous bois-terous patron Qf wineshops and coffee houses and movies. He decks himself in the gaudiest and most expensive clothes that money can buy. He rather overruns the town, but seldom does any harm either to himself or anyone else. Easter is the most important occasion occa-sion of all, being a great Greek holiday. holi-day. There is much feasting and candle can-dle light processions through the streets at night. At the time of Christmas Christ-mas sale, tho Greek Cross day is celebrated. cele-brated. Tho whole ccl?ny gathers at the bayou behind the town. The young men, all expert swimmers, line up on the bank, clad only in trunks. The priest throws a wooden cross into the water and there is a race for it, the boy who wins it receiving a prize. Several Kinds cf Sponges. When the sponges are brought up by the divers they bear no resemblance whatever to what ycu buy in a drvtg store, for the cemmercial spenge is merely the skeleton of an animal. In the natural state it is covered with a thick mucus. This Is pounded and m S! AJt'V SPONGE D1VE.R5 AT WOR.K. farther south, where they invested ?b,-000 ?b,-000 in a schooner and began diving for sponges with great success. The local people held a mass meeting, decided they did not want any "furriners," ran the Greeks out of town and burned up their boatfc The Greeks then went to Tarpon Springs, where they received a very different reception. The people realized rea-lized that Greeks could develop the sponge industry to the great benefit of the town. So they purchased boats and equipment for these men from the Mediterranean and set' them to work. Both the Greek colony and the 3ponge business grew apace. The Greeks now own their own boats and about half of the local firms dealing in sponges are owned by Greeks. They also conduct all of the ice cream parlors, par-lors, barber shops and poolrooms in Tarpon Springs. Greeks Have Their Own Quarter. Although the Greeks dwell in their own quarter of the town and preserve their national customs, they live in perfect per-fect amity with the Americans. There ire very prosperous firms in the spenge business which are conducted by Greeks and Americans working in parti nership. The Greek likes American business methods, American money, American "movies" and many other American things; but when it comes to cheese, wine and candy, he insists on having his own. Hence there are in Tarpon Springs many picturesque little shops dealing in these things and in other strictly Greek dainties which are beyond be-yond the appreciation of an American palate. There are also Greek coffee houses, where you may see the divers In from the gulf, sipping the drink from little cups and smoking water pipes. washed out, the roots are cut off with sheep shears, the sponges are sorted according to variety and strung in bunches of ten to thirty each. Therq are a number of varieties. The wool sponges are the most valuable, others being grass, yellow and wire sponges. Sponges of all kinds are becoming scarce and the prices they bring are surprising. Wsol sponges bring from two to four dollars a pound. A little ragged heap of sponges that you could cart away in a wheelbarrow often sells for several hundred dollars. The sponges grow in banks upon the bottom bot-tom of the gulf and the great object of the fisher is to discover a new bank, for a large one is a veritable bonanza. When a sale is held the sponges are carried to the water front, where they form great heaps, divided according to kind and quality. The buyers are Americans, most of whom live in Tarpon Tar-pon Springs as representatives of various va-rious northern firms.. The Greeks, who own the sponges, are on hand to exhibit ex-hibit them and extol thair value, but there is no haggling. Scaled bids are made upon each lot. and the highest oiler gets the sponges. Tarpon Springs is an absolutely complete and independent unit in the sponge business. There is a local supply sup-ply house which deals in all the paraphernalia par-aphernalia of the divers, and the brass helmets which they wear are made by a local machine Shop. For the rest, , the outfit consists of a rubftor suit, ' iron shoes weighing 12 pounds, rubber rub-ber hose to connect the diver with the pump on deck and the rope by which he is lowered. From Tarpon Springs the sponges go chiefly to Xew York, Chic;. go and , Cincinnati, where they receive the j final process of bleaching, and aire tuer) placed on the retail market. |