ON THE NORTH SHORE. 
Coasting the north shore on the steamships of the Munson Line, or of 
ihe Herrera Line, affords a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The ship’s 
course is for most of the way quite near land, and the ports are so 
close together that there is none of the monotony of a long voyage at 
sea. Most of the harbors are landlocked bays, entered through narrow 
winding channels; many of the towns are picturesque, as Gibara and 
Baracoa; there is much that is novel to the northern eye; and the scenery 
is attractive, the interest growing as we proceed to the east and the 
mountain ranges come into view. There is much to engage the attention 
at sea and in port, and in some of the harbors the Munson Line steamers 
provide launch excursions for sightseeing, hunting and fishing, while the 
ship is receiving or discharging cargo. 
The ships of the Herrera Steamship Line touch the ports of Sagua la 
Grande, Caibarien, Nuevitas, Puerto Padre. Gibara, Vita, Banes and 
Mayari, Sagua de Tanarno and Baracoa; thence on the south coast Guan¬ 
tanamo and Santiago de Cuba. 
The ships of both lines are well equipped and comfortable; the table is 
excellent, and the association with officers and fellow voyagers is agreeable. 
1'he principal ports visited are noted in brief. 
Cardenas is thirty miles east of Matanzas on Cardenas Bay, a harbor 
which is magnificent in extent, but shallow. Settled in 1839, the city is one 
of the youngest on the island, as it is one of the most flourishing; it ranks 
fifth in importance in importations and second in exportations. It is 
modern in plan and construction, with wide streets and pavements, sub¬ 
stantial buildings, handsome stores, an imposing cathedral and pleasant 
plaza. Americans have always been an important element in the business 
and social life, to such a degree that it has been called an American city. 
The Plaza del Recreo has a statue of Columbus, presented to the city in 
1862 by Queen Isabella II. A peculiar phenomenon of the harbor is the 
How of fresh water which gushes up from subterranean rivers. The harbor 
contains extensive asphalt deposits, and vessels moor over the beds to 
dredge up their cargoes. The bay was the scene of the Winslow tragedy 
of the Spanish-American War. In old days Cardenas Bay was a strong¬ 
hold of the pirates, and a distributing point of their booty to the towns 
of the interior. There are large sugar plantations in the vicinity. The 
exports are honey, wax and mahogany. The population in 1889 was 24,861. 
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