if a line were drawn directly south from pittsburg it would almost pass through the middle of cuba. the island, which is the largest of the antillean group, lies about fifty miles distant from santo domingo and somewhat more than eighty miles from jamaica. its western end nuzzles into the opening between the peninsulas of florida and yucatan, key west being ninety miles from, and the nearest point of campeche within one hundred and thirty miles of cape san antonio. this situation gives to cuba a commanding position in relation to the gulf of mexico, the only passages to that body of water lying on either side of the island. the strategic advantage of the location is highly important, but of less consid{2}eration than the commercial advantage. cuba lies directly in the line of the trade routes converging upon the tehuantepec railroad and the panama canal.
the island is a narrow strip of land, little more than one hundred miles across in its broadest portion and only about twenty miles at its narrowest. from cape maisi to cape san antonio the length of the outer coast line is seven hundred and thirty miles. in the absence of a precise survey, figures are uncertain, and estimates vary, but it is probable that the territory of the republic, which includes the isle of pines and a number of outlying cayos, is somewhat less than forty-five thousand square miles in extent; an area slightly greater than that of the state of pennsylvania.
the upper side of the island forms a broad converse curve, with a northerly trend. it is broken by few marked irregularities. the southern coast takes a corresponding curve and in general parallels the other shore. it differs, however, in having several pronounced indentations, the largest of which are the golfo de buena esperanza and the golfo de la broa. along this periphery are found four or five of those peculiar pouch-like harbors which,
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river scene, isle of pines.
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together with numerous coral reefs and islands of varying dimensions that fringe the shore line, are the most notable features of the cuban coast. these cayos, or keys, fall into four distinct groups and number about one thousand three hundred. the principal line of these low lying islands extends from the ensenado de cardenas to the vicinity of nuevitas, and includes cayo romano, seventy-four miles in length. the second line runs from bahia honda to cape san antonio. the third, which is the most numerous, forms a scattered group between the isle of pines and the mainland. the fourth, known as cayos de las doce leguas, lies off the coast of camaguey.
the isle of pines is distant sixty miles from batabano, which is the point of communication with the mainland. its area is about twelve hundred square miles. the northern shores of cuba are generally characterized by rocky bluffs, which frequently rise to a height of several hundred feet. the littoral of the western bend is low, and this feature prevails along the south to cape cruz, with the exception of a rugged stretch of about fifty miles to the east of cienfuegos. save for this strip, the shore from cape san antonio to the mouth of the{4} cauto is lined with marsh of varying depth. the protuberant piece of land between the bight of the broa and bahia de cochinos is entirely occupied by the great zapata swamp, which has an area of more than two hundred square miles. it is an almost impenetrable tropical jungle of the densest vegetation, teeming with animal life. this wilderness has often afforded a safe refuge to defeated and harassed bands of insurrectos. along the eastern butt of the island the coast is mountainous.
topographically, the territory of cuba comprises five distinct divisions, three of them distinctly mountainous, and two in which the surface is low, or of moderate relief. the easternmost of these divisions coincides closely to the boundaries of the province of oriente and is for the greater part mountainous. the second, corresponding approximately with the province of camaguey, is made up of plains or open rolling country, relieved by occasional hills. the third division includes the mountainous and hilly sections of santa clara. the fourth consists of a long stretch of flat or undulating country, accentuated here and there by elevations of several hundred feet; it includes the western portion of santa clara province and{5} the whole of the provinces of matanzas and habana, as well as about one-fourth of the province of pinar del rio at its eastern end. the fifth division takes in the greater part of the last-named province, and is characterized by a well defined mountain range, with numerous detached hills and mesas. a clearer conception of the surface conformation of cuba may be gained by a more detailed survey of its mountains and plains, without regard to the natural topographic divisions described.
the province of oriente contains a greater mountainous area than is to be found in all the rest of the island. the system consists of several groups having diverse constructures, but more or less closely connected with one another. here many peaks exceed five thousand feet and one, pico turquino, rises to an altitude of over eight thousand feet. the principal range is the sierra maestra, extending from cape cruz to guantanamo bay. along its western end, this chain rises abruptly out of the seas, but as it approaches santiago, recedes somewhat from the shore, leaving a narrow coastal plain. east of guantanamo there is a range, much less unbroken and uniform than the sierra madre, which continues to cape maisi and thence along{6} the north coast until it meets the rugged cuchillas at baracoa. extending westward from this mountain mass are strings of high plateaus and mesas, forming the northern wall of the great amphitheatre which drains into guantanamo bay. in this northern section the most prominent feature of the system is the range comprising the sierras cristal and nipe, whose general trend is east and west. to the south is a country having the character of a deeply dissected plateau. the broad, flat topped summits of so many elevations in the eastern part of cuba lead to the belief that all the mountains in this section have been carved from a huge lofty plateau. considered as a whole, therefore, the mountains of oriente form two marginal ranges which merge at the east end of the province and diverge toward the west. between these divergent ranges lies the broad, undulating expanse famous as the valley of the cauto, which widens as it stretches westward and ultimately merges with the more extensive plains of camaguey.
the central mountainous region of cuba is situated in the province of santa clara. this system consists of four groups having a general direction toward north and south and at
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the famous palms of camaguey.
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points reaching both coasts. in the area between cienfuegos, trinidad and sancti spiritus is an extensive cluster of rounded hills, dominated by potrerillo, nearly three thousand feet high, and interspersed with the most beautiful and fertile valleys.
the cordillera de los organos, or organ mountains, run almost along the middle line of the province of pinar del rio, paralleling the northern coast. the range commences about twenty miles to the west of the boundary of habana province and extends to the estuary of the colorado, thus traversing three-fourths of pinar del rio.
the greater part of the province of camaguey is free from hills. the principal elevations are found in the north-eastern portion, where the sierra de cubitas is situated.
aside from the mountains and hills described, the general surface of cuba is a low, gently undulating plain. the elevations of some of the principal interior cities are as follows: pinar del rio, one hundred and three feet above sea level; cuevitas, ninety-eight feet; camaguey, three hundred and twenty-four feet; santa clara, three hundred and forty feet.{8}
except in the southeast corner of oriente, the streams of cuba all follow a normal course to the coast. owing to the shape of the island, therefore, none of them has any considerable length or volume, nor are any navigable with the exception of the cauto, which permits of the passage of light draft boats to a distance of fifty miles from its mouth.
cuba is noted for its spacious land-locked harbors. their extraordinary lake-like formation has been the subject of many more or less fanciful explanations. the following statement of dr. c. w. hayes, of the u. s. geological survey, seems to fully account for the phenomenon:
“the depressions occupied by the water forming these harbors appear to be due to erosion by streams flowing into the sea during a recent geologic period when the land stood somewhat higher than now. in other words, drowned drainage basins. their peculiar shape, a narrow seaward channel and a broad landward expansion, is due to the relation of hard and soft rocks which generally prevail along the coast. wherever the conditions are favorable for the growth of corals, a fringing reef is built upon whatever rocks happen to be{9} at sea level, and as the land rises or sinks this rock reef forms a veneer of varying thickness upon the seaward land surface. the rocks on which this veneer rests are generally limestones and marls, much softer and more easily eroded than coral rock. hence several small streams, instead of each flowing directly to the sea by its own channel, are diverted to a single narrow channel through the hard coral rock, while they excavate a basin of greater or less extent in the softer rocks back from the coast.
“the fact that the land has recently stood at a sufficiently higher level to enable the streams to excavate such basins is proven by the sandfilled channel in the habana harbor entrance and by borings made near the mouth of the rio san juan at santiago, showing that the present rock floor lies below the level of the sea. doubtless similar filled channels would be discovered in the other harbors of this class if they were properly sounded.
“it is interesting to note that along the cuban coast precisely similar basins are now being excavated which would form pouch-shaped harbors if the land should be slightly depressed. several such basins were observed eastward from santiago. if the coast at ma{10}tanzas were to sink thirty feet or more, a portion of the yumuri valley would be flooded, forming a broad basin connected with the sea by a narrow entrance, the present yumuri gorge.”
the chief harbors of the type in question are those of habana, cienfuegos, and santiago de cuba. other important harbors, more or less of the same formation, are bahia honda, nuevitas, gibara, nipe bay and baracoa. matanzas and cardenas are exceptions. by far the greater number of good harbors are on the north coast. on the south, aside from those which have already been mentioned, guantanamo bay is the only one of consequence. other harbors on this side of the island, such as manzanillo and batabano are merely open roadsteads, generally lacking in depth, and securing more or less shelter from outlying keys and reefs.
cuba was reclaimed from the sea by a great mountain-making movement in late tertiary time. during the pliocene and pleistocene epochs the island underwent a series of subsidences and elevations which affected the coastal borders, and the margin of elevated rock-reef which borders the coast in parts, as
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a street in santiago de cuba.
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in the vicinities of habana and baracoa. so far as its geologic history is known, the island was never connected with the american mainland, although the contrary assertion has frequently been made.
no thorough geological survey of cuba has ever been made, but there is every evidence of its containing rich deposits of minerals, including gold, silver, copper, iron, manganese, and asphalt. traces of minerals are found extensively throughout the island. oriente province is the first in mineral wealth, followed by camaguey. in santa clara, indications of copper are seen on every hand. the ore is commonly turned up by the plow upon the hillsides. asphalt is found in widely scattered localities all over the island. the northern coast of the province of matanzas appears to be entirely underlaid with it, and the bay of cardenas is bottomed by a deposit which used to be worked by vessels anchored over it. the cuban asphalt is of a high grade, a considerable proportion of it containing as much as seventy per cent. bitumen. grahamite, a mineral of the same species as asphalt, but classed as pure bitumen, is found in habana province and other parts of the island. the only mineral{12} resource that is at all adequately exploited is iron. the mines of oriente, which are famous, will be referred to more extensively in a later portion of the book.
vegetation is superlatively abundant in cuba. the flora includes three thousand three hundred and fifty native plants, not to mention the considerable number that have been naturalized. the trees embrace a variety of hardwoods. over thirty species of palm are found in the island, and the pine of the temperate zone grows in proximity to the mahogany of the tropics. the forest has been recklessly exploited or destroyed, but it is estimated that thirteen million acres of it remain.
practically all the fruits and vegetables of the tropics flourish in the island and many of those characteristic of the temperate regions. various kinds of fodder grasses grow throughout the valley lands.
the only distinctive animal of cuba is the jutia, a black animal having the appearance of a large rat. it grows to a length of eighteen inches, including the tail. the country people eat this creature, as they do all other animals and reptiles that come in their way.
deer and rabbits are abundant wherever
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“over thirty species of palm are found in the island.{13}”
cover exists. swine, dogs and cats have become wild and are numerous in that condition. there is a variety of game birds, some migratory, but most permanent denizens of the island. the principal kinds are wild fowl of different species, pheasants, quail, snipe, turkey, perdiz, tijasas, rabiches, and quanaros. the native birds include many of the most beautiful plumage, but songsters are rare among them.
in swampy localities crocodiles and alligators are found. diminutive silurians, such as chameleons and small lizards, swarm everywhere, and occasionally iguanas and the larger lizards are seen. it is frequently claimed that no poisonous reptiles or insects exist in cuba, but this statement admits of some qualifications. there is no doubt that certain scorpions and spiders, as well probably as a few other insects, are venomous. the snakes, of which there are but few varieties, appear to be harmless to mankind. one of these, the maja, which grows to about twelve feet, is almost tame and frequents small villages and farmhouses, its favorite dwelling place being the palm-thatch roofs of abandoned buildings. the climate of cuba is chiefly characterized by great humidity,{14} abundant rainfall, and comparative uniformity of temperature. the range between the mean of the hottest month and that of the coolest is from 82 degrees to 71 degrees fahrenheit. while this statement applies precisely to habana it is approximately true of other parts of the island. it is a little warmer along the south coast than upon the north, which is swept by the trade winds throughout the year. the mean humidity is 75 degrees and is nearly uniform throughout the year. this makes the climate enervating, especially to foreigners. there is no great difference between the “summer” and the “winter” seasons, but during the latter, which embraces the six months following the first of november, the weather is delightful and the heat seldom oppressive. the mean annual rainfall upon the northern coast is fifty-two inches. inland and through the southern portion of the island it is somewhat less. about two-thirds of the precipitation occurs between may and october. during this season intermittent showers fall from about ten o’clock until sunset. the nights are usually cool and clear at all times of the year.
in strict meteorological sense cuba is not{15} within the hurricane zone, which lies somewhat to the east of it. nevertheless, the island has been not infrequently visited by such storms and some of them have occasioned great damage. the worst visitation of this sort happened in 1846, when more than one-fourth of the city of habana was destroyed and upwards of one thousand persons killed or severely injured. although in a region subject to severe earthquakes, and itself not infrequently visited by shocks of alarming violence, the island has never been seriously damaged by seismic disturbances. in winter, when the trades take a southerly sweep, “northers,” bred in the great storms of the united states, are apt to strike the island, sometimes lowering the temperature suddenly to 50 degrees, or thereabouts. the result is keen, if brief, suffering, for the people make little provision in their clothing or surroundings for such low temperature.
immense improvement has been made in the health of the cities since the beginning of the american occupation. yellow fever, at one time endemic, has been eradicated and can never occur again, except in the form of a sporadic outbreak due to importation of the virus. malaria has been measurably reduced,{16} but much more might be done toward stamping it out, or minimizing it.
the mortality in habana is 18.80 per thousand, and that of the island in general, 12.69. the former is considerably lower than the prevalent rates of the large cities of the united states. of all the countries of the world, australia is the only one whose death rate (12.60) is lower than that of cuba. it may be of interest to add the figures of some of the other leading nations; uruguay 13.40; united states 15.00; belgium 15.20; norway and sweden 15.85; denmark 16.40; england 17.70; germany 17.80; switzerland 18.20; france 20.60; austria 24.40; japan 28.80; italy 29.20; spain 29.70.
the population of cuba is a trifle in excess of two millions, giving about forty-five inhabitants to the square mile, a density much greater than that enjoyed by any other latin-american country. even though the population should remain chiefly agrarian, as at present, the extent and resources of the country are ample to support three times the existing number of inhabitants in comfort and prosperity. if manufacturing centres of magnitude should grow up in response to conditions favorable to their{17} development, cuba will easily afford homes and occupation to ten millions of people.
seventy per cent. of the population live in the country or in centres of fewer than eight thousand inhabitants. the sexes are almost equally divided and, according to the census, the colored race represents no more than one-third of the whole. the national government of the republic of cuba is patterned on that of the united states, as is the case in most countries of latin-america. it is divided into three co?rdinate branches, the legislative, the executive and judicial. the legislative power is vested in the congress, consisting of two branches, the house of representatives and the senate. the former consists of sixty-four members—one for every twenty-five thousand inhabitants, or fractions thereof—who are elected for four years. the latter is composed of four senators from each province, elected for a period of four years by a board of electors, chosen by popular vote. the congress has two regular sessions annually, one convening on the first monday of april and the other on the first monday of november.
the executive power is vested in the president, who is elected by electors and may not{18} serve more than two consecutive terms. the chief executive is assisted by a cabinet, consisting of six members, who are known as the secretaries of the following departments: state; justice; public instruction; agriculture; industry and commerce; and public works. these positions are subject to appointment by the president. there is also a vice-president elected in the same manner and for a like period as the president.
the judicial power is exercised by a supreme court; six superior courts, one for each province; seven courts of the first instance, devoted to civil cases; six courts of instruction, presided over by criminal judges; twenty-six judges of the first instance and instruction; who have a combined jurisdiction; six correctional courts, in which minor civil suits and misdemeanors are tried. there is in each province a governor and a provisional council, elected by direct suffrage. the provinces are divided into municipal districts, each presided over by a mayor, assisted by a council.
the commercial code in force is that of spain, with some modifications that were effected by the provisional government during the intervention of the united states. the
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president’s palace, habana.
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laws concerning contracts, debts, and other matters of general business, are full and explicit, and give all necessary protection to foreigners dealing with natives of the country. those relating to land, titles, and taxes, will be more fully noticed elsewhere in this volume.
the regular army of cuba, known as the “ejercito permanente,” consists of three thousand two hundred enlisted men and one hundred and seventy-two commissioned officers. this force comprises infantry, coast artillery, field artillery, and a machine gun corps. its general headquarters is at camp columbia, near habana.
the maintenance of law and order in the country districts, and safety on the public highways, is entrusted to an exceptionally fine body of mounted police, called the “rural guard,” numbering five thousand two hundred and ninety-five men and officers. these men constantly patrol their respective districts and render excellent service.
the so-called cuban “navy” consists of a few vessels of revenue cutter type. it must be many years before the republic can afford even the smallest fleet of war-ships. without such protection it is difficult to see the value of{20} her army, unless it be in the suppression of revolution and, perhaps, the repression of popular will.
the mail system of the island is fairly good, the distribution being effected by railroad, coastwise steamers, automobiles and, in remote districts, by horses. in habana, motor cars are employed in making collections. deliveries are made by carriers in the same manner as in the cities of the united states. cuba has postal conventions with the united states, mexico, the panama canal zone, hawaii, and the philippines. the letter rate between cuba and any one of these countries is two cents and package postage the same as in the states. the republic has parcel-post treaties with france and germany only, but it extends to the united states the privileges enjoyed by those countries under their formal agreements.
the government maintains and operates the telegraph system, which extends throughout its territory. the rates are twenty cents for all messages of ten words or less which traverse no more than three provinces, and two cents for each additional word, the address and signature being charged for. if four provinces are touched in the transmission, the rate is{21} thirty cents, and three cents for each additional word; if five provinces, it is forty cents, and four cents for excess words; and if the telegram is sent from one end of the island to the other, or enters the limits of the six provinces, the rate is fifty cents, and five cents for each additional word.
