Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-07-08
CUBA LITTLE KNOWN.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISLANDS
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL

Il
| Attempts to Ascertain the Effects Of Hea
| Climate Upon New and UnseeIimafed
| Troops at HavHna-Tem.
Cuba is TO a great extent an unknown
land. Her forests alone are estimated "a
occupy no less than Is, 600, 900 acres,
and are said 10 be so dense as TO be al
most impenetrable. But perhaps the
most extraordinary feature in regard to
this general ignorance concerning that
island Ii the lack of exact knowledge Of
the climate. Pessimists contend that it
is in high degree deadly to the white
man, while oiftimists are as strenuous
In asserting that, provided needfui pre-
cautions are taken, the air is quite sa-
lubrious. We have always been of the
opinion that the climate of the island,
at least on the coast and in the low
lands during the wet season from May
TO October, is decidedly unhealthy Ger
tain 1T Is that its effects ON the Spanish
soldiery have been most disastrous. al
though much of this excessive rate Of
mortality has been due TO the inefficient
system of hygiene, TO bad diet, unsuita-
bic clothing and the carelessness uni
versaily prevailing among the military
authorities with regard to the health OF
the rank and file of the army.
However, there is no evading the fact
that the landing of large body of more
or less raw, unacclimatized men in the
lowlands of q reputed unhealthy coast
at fhsa hxaxrs
an experiment that must from the very
nature of things be attended with much
risk Therefore any accurate informa-
ton on the subject is now apropos.
pamphlet has recently been issued
by the weather bureau of the United
States department of agriculture, pre-
pared from information collected by ".
+. X. Phillips, in charge of the section
of climatoiogy, and which contains in
its pages all that is at present known
concerning the climates of Cuba and
Manila. MIR. Phillips says: Ramon de
la Sagra, in his Historic Physique de
Cuba, quotes as the EARLIEST record he
had consulted years observations OF
the barometer and thermometer made
III Havana in 1894 The thermometer
readings, however, appeared TO be inI
error from some cause or other not
known and were considered too inaccu-
rate TO use. At only one station have
systematic meteorolo gical observations
been made and publ ished for any con-
siderable time, and that is at the OBJ |
servatory of Belen college, Havana.
The climate of the West Indies
presents, with respect to both tempera-
ture and rainfall, considerable varia-
tions from the generally conceived idea
of tropical uniformity. These varia- |
lions are largely if not entirely caused |
by differences in altitude and position |
with respect to the prevailing winds Of |
the zone.
The average annual temperature of |
Havana, as determined from observa
lions at Belen college made during the |
decennium 1sS8-97 may be stated in
round numbers as ~ degrees +. In this
decennium the highest annual tempera-
ture was "a degrees F., and this &C.
Cured upon three occasions, and the
lowest annual temperature was IS / /
degrees f., aud happened upon only one
occasion, showing in the ten years AM
range in annual averages of but /
/. degrees 1t would therefore seem
probable that the mean mPerafur0 Ter
the decennfa period 1SSS-07 Is ab0ueH0v
true average for Havana for any long
period The warmest month at Havana
is July, with an average temperature!
of 50. 1 degrees f. The coolest month is
January. with an average temperatureI
Of 30. 3 degrees f. The highest temper
allure recorded was 100. 6 degrees F. in
July, 1891, and the low est 40. degreesI
f. III February, 1896.
For Matanzas, on the coast about sol
miles east Of Havana, there is record
for two years. From this the mean an
nual temperature at Matanzas appears
to be about IS degrees f. AT Santiagol
1T is apparently higher than on thel
northern and western coasts, and FROM
the meager data available appears to be
about so degrees f.
THE relative humidity of the atmos-i
phere appears to be fairly constant. as
far as can be determined from the OBJ
available, and averages about
10 per cent of saturation. The absoluteI
humidity Is very great. At Havana the
average is about 2. 3 grains of vapor toi
the cubic foot of air. The average rain
fall for Havana is about SO inches for
the year. On an average the GREATEST
rainfall occurs in October and the next
greatest in june. The description of the
Of Cuba virtually resolves itself.
SO far as present information goes, into
that of rainfall at Havana. The number
Of days upon which rain fails is upon
the whole considerable, about one day
out of three at Havana. The prevailing
winds of the West Indies are the north.
east trades. The average velocity of
the wind at Havana is about rs miles
an hour In climates having such high
and humidities as shown
for the West Indies the velocity of the |
wind and its c0nstancy are of the great
est Importance to both comfort and |
health. -
AS may be gathered from the portions /