494 GUAM AND ITS PEOPLE. 



some of which lose themselves beneath the surface for a time and 

 reappear issuing from caverns. As in most calcareous formations, 

 funnel-shaped sink holes are of frequent occurrence, the water drain- 

 ing into them sometimes reappearing near the beach in the form of 

 springs, or spurting forth in places from beneath the sea. 



Soil. — Near the junction of the volcanic and coral formations the 

 limestone presents a crystalline structure, pure crystals of carbonate 

 of lime being frequently found; and nodules of flint similar to those 

 from European chalk formations are met in certain localities. The 

 soil of the greater part of the island is thin and red. It owes its color 

 to the oxide of iron present in the disintegrated coral of which it is 

 principally composed. In the valleys and forests there is an accumu- 

 lation of vegetable mold, and in swampy places the soil is black, rich, 

 and suitable for the cultivation of rice. 



Climate. — Guam is situated on the dividing line between the north- 

 east trade winds and the area of the monsoons of the China Sea. From 

 December to June the prevailing winds are from the northeast, the 

 temperature is agreeable, the nights cool, and the air is refreshed by 

 occasional showers. The most agreeable months are March, April, 

 May, and June. During July and August southwest winds are fre- 

 quent and are accompanied ))y heav}" rain squalls. Hurricanes may 

 occur at almost an}^ time of the j^ear. They may be expected at the 

 changes of the monsoons and are most frequent in the months of Octo- 

 ber and November. They are often of such violence as to blow down 

 the greater part of the native houses, la^nng waste the maize and rice 

 fields, uprooting or breaking oil cocoanut trees, destro3ang the bread- 

 fruit crop, tearing to shreds plantains and banana plants, and killing 

 fowl and cattle. Vessels at anchor in the harbor are frequently swept 

 from their moorings and cast upon the reef, as the letter books of the 

 Spanish governors of the island will show. Hurricanes are usually 

 followed b}^ scarcity of food. The natives, who ver}^ seldom have a 

 reserve on hand, are obliged at such times to go to the forest for wild 

 yams and cycas nuts. 



Earthquakes are also frequent, but are not often violent. One of 

 the most severe the island has known in historical times was that of 

 1849, which destroyed the church and the government house in the 

 village of Umata. Not long afterwards a number of natives of the 

 Caroline Islands ai)peared at (luam, stating that their islands had been 

 swept by enormous waves, and l)egging the governor for an asylum. 

 The most recent occurred September 22, 1902, causing serious injury 

 to the ])uilding used as the marine barracks, and killing several 

 natives. 



Vegetation. — The flora of Guam, though possessing a number of 

 species not known from other localities bears a general resemblance to 

 that of many other volcanic, coral-fringed islands of the Pacific. In the 



