52 CUBA AND POETO HICO 



range in any twenty-four hours was 9.5, which occurred 

 upon the day having the highest temperature. 



For the interior of the island only two temperature 

 records have been found, namely, for Ubajay and the 

 mines of San Fernando. Ubajay is (or was at the time) 

 a village about fifteen miles southwest of Havana, and 

 about 242 feet above sea-level. Its average temperature 

 from four years' observations was 73.6 F. The record is 

 quoted by Baron Humboldt, and was made during 1796- 

 99. The place given as the San Fernando mines is about 

 150 miles eastward of Havana, and is 554 feet above sea- 

 level. The temperature record is for the year 1839, and 

 shows an average of 75. From these records the average 

 annual temperature of the interior of the island would 

 appear to be considerably lower than on the coast. 



The prevailing wind is the easterly trade-breeze, but 

 from November to February cool north winds (los nortes, 

 or "northers"), the southern attenuation of our own 

 cold waves, rarely lasting more than forty-eight hours, 

 are experienced in the western portion of the island, to 

 which they add a third seasonal change. From ten to 

 twelve o'clock are the hottest hours of the day; after 

 noon a refreshing breeze (la virazon) sets in from the sea. 



The whole island is more or less subject to hurricanes, 

 often of great ferocity. The hurricane of 1846 leveled 

 nearly two thousand houses in Havana, and sank or 

 wrecked over three hundred vessels. In 1896 the banana- 

 plantations of the east were similarly destroyed. Earth- 

 quakes are seldom felt in the western districts, but are 

 frequent in the eastern. 



All in all, the climate of Cuba is much more salubrious 

 than it has been painted. The winter months are delight- 

 ful, in fact, ideal, while the summer months are more 

 endurable than in most of our own territory. The current 

 impressions of insalubrity have arisen from an erroneous 

 confusion of bad sanitation with the weather. While it is 

 true that sickness follows the seasons, the former would 



