BAYS AND HARBORS
Nothing is more essential to the general prosperity of a mercantile
country than good harbors. They are the economic gateways to the
interior, through which all foreign trade must come and go. Cuba in this
sense is essentially fortunate, especially along her north coast, where
sixteen large, deep, well protected bays and harbors of the first order
empty into the Gulf of Mexico, and into the north Atlantic, furnishing
thus direct avenues of trade to the greatest commercial centers of the
world.
Four harbors and bays of the first order are distributed along the
southern coast, emptying into the Caribbean, and through that great
tropical sea pass the avenues of trade that connect Cuba with the
republics of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil,
Uruguay and the Argentine, while the Panama Canal permits direct water
communication, not only with the republics of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and
Chile, but also with the west coast of Mexico, and the United States, as
well as with Japan and the Orient. With North Africa and the
Mediterranean are direct lines of trade through the old Bahama Channel,
while central and southern Africa are reached by way of the Lesser
Antilles and Barbadoes.
Most of the foreign trade at the present time is with the American ports
along the eastern coast of the Atlantic and through the Gulf ports by
which Cuba has access to the Mississippi Valley, while along the Gulf
Stream Cuba has a direct avenue, as well as a favorable current, that
carried her commerce to England, France and other countries of western
Europe.
Beginning with the harbors and bays of the north coast we have the
western group located in Pinar del Rio, on the Gulf of Mexico, not
distant from Vera Cruz and Tampico in Mexico, or Galveston in Texas,
while almost facing them we have New Orleans, Pascagoula, Mobile and
Pensacola, with Tampa on the Florida coast.
On this group the first is that fine deep land locked deep-water harbor
of Bahia Honda (deep bay), sixty miles west of Havana, that was first
selected by the Government of the United States as a coaling station,
but afterwards surrendered for Guantanamo on account of the latter’s
proximity to the Panama Canal and the Pacific, to which it gives
entrance. Bahia Honda has a deep, rather narrow and fairly straight
channel that leads from the Gulf into a beautiful sheet of water,
extending some five or six miles into the interior, where good anchorage
may be found for quite a fleet of vessels. A twelve mile light is
located on the western entrance of the harbor, while two fine range
lights enable shipping to leave or enter at night. The little town of
Bahia Honda, three miles back, is connected with the port by a fine
macadam highway. Owing to the fact that this section of Pinar del Rio,
although rich in minerals, has not been brought under development up to
the present, most of the commerce is confined to the local trade between
Bahia and Havana, sixty miles distant.
Twelve miles further east and forty-eight miles from Havana, we have the
beautiful harbor of Cabanas, a large, double-purse-shaped, interior bay,
that extends some ten miles from east to west and furnishes one of the
most picturesque land-locked harbors on the north coast. A small island
in the entrance, on which is located one of the old time forts of the
17th century, obscures the bay itself from passing vessels. The shores
of Cabanas are covered with extensive sugar cane fields that furnish
cane to the surrounding mills, while its commerce is at the present time
almost entirely local.
Located in the same province, some 18 miles further east, and only 30
from Havana, is the harbor of Mariel, a single-purse-shaped bay, that
from its narrow entrance opens out to a broad picturesque sheet of water
extending southward some four or five miles, while several prolongations
extend out towards the southwest, bordered with rich sugar cane
plantations. The little fishing village of Mariel is located at the
extreme head of the bay and connected with Havana by automobile drive,
as are the two harbors previously mentioned. A high table land extends
along much of the eastern shore of this harbor, on the summit of which
stands the Cuban Naval Academy. Near the entrance, on the eastern shore,
is located a new cement factory with a capacity of a thousand barrels a
day. On the western side of the entrance is the quarantine station, to
which all infested vessels are sent, and where delightful accommodations
are found ashore for both passengers and crew, who may be detained by
sanitary officials of the central government.
The fine deep-water harbor of Havana, which boasts of a foreign trade
excelled in the western hemisphere only by that of New York City, is, of
course, the most important commercial gateway of the Republic of Cuba.
It is one of those deep, narrow-necked, purse-shaped harbors, so
characteristic of the Island, and furnishes splendid anchorage, with
well equipped modern wharves, for handling the enormous bulk of freight
that comes and goes throughout every day of the year. After passing the
promontories of El Morro and Cabanas, that stretch along the eastern
side of the entrance for a mile or more, the remainder of the shores of
the Bay of Havana are comparatively low, although high ridges and hills
form a fairly close background in almost every direction. Within the
last ten years a great deal of dredging and land reclaiming has taken
place in this harbor, increasing greatly not only the depth of water but
also the available building sites. A series of magnificent modern
wharves have been built along the western shore of the harbor,
furnishing splendid shipping facilities for incoming and outgoing
vessels. The upper portions of these buildings are occupied by the
Custom House and Quarantine authorities. The southwest extension of this
bay, recently dredged, furnishes access to deep draft steamships up to
the site of the old Spanish Arsenal, that in 1908 was converted into the
freight and passenger yards of the United Railroads. Along the docks,
where steamers of the P. & O. SS line are moored, were built and
launched many of Spain’s ships that centuries ago fought with Great
Britain for the dominion of the seas. On the broad topped promontory
that lies along the eastern shore, southeast of Cabanas, is located
Trisconia, a splendidly equipped detention camp for immigrants and
passengers coming from infested ports in different parts of the world.
Excellent accommodations are there provided during the period of
detention, which may last anywhere from five to fifteen days. This is
the “Ellis Island” of Cuba, and has been a credit to the Republic since
the first year of its installment in 1902, during which time it has been
under the able direction of Dr. Frank Menocal, who takes great personal
pride in having Trisconia, with its floating population, running
sometimes into the thousands, one of the best appointed stations of its
kind in the Western Hemisphere.
The harbor of Matanzas, sixty miles east of Havana, is a beautiful wide
mouthed bay, or open roadstead, facing on the Gulf Stream as it sweeps
between northern Cuba and southern Florida. This picturesque sheet of
water reaches back into the land some six or eight miles, and although
not noted for its depth, nevertheless furnishes safe anchorage for the
fleet of tramp steamers found there during the larger part of the year,
loading sugar from the many centrals scattered throughout the Province
of Matanzas. Into this harbor, from the west, opens the Yumuri gorge,
through which runs the river whose waters in ages past carved out the
famous valley of the Yumuri, whose beauty was extolled by Alexander Von
Humboldt during his travels in the western world. Covering the western
shores of the bay, that slope down from the top of the hills to the
water’s edge, lies the city of Matanzas, while off to the east and south
may be seen great fields of sugar cane and henequen, that form two of
the important industries of the Province.
Forty miles further east we find the beautiful landlocked bay of
Cardenas, whose northwestern shore is formed by a long sandy strip of
land extending in a curve out into the sea and known as the Punta de
Hicacos. Cardenas Bay is some thirty miles in length from east to west,
by ten or twelve from north to south, and is protected from the outside
sea by a chain of small keys or islands, through which a deep ship
channel was dredged during the first decade of this century. This
furnishes entrance to one of the largest sugar exporting points of Cuba,
the City of Cardenas.
East of the harbor of Cardenas lies Santa Clara Bay, also protected by
outlying keys, but without deep water anchorage. These island dotted
bays, separated from each other only by islands, and connected by
comparatively shallow channels, extend from Punta Hicacos, some 300
miles eastward, to the Harbor of Nuevitas.
Seventy-five miles east of Cardenas we find the bay of Sagua, very
similar to the others, and with a depth not exceeding twelve or fifteen
feet. This harbor is located on the northern shore of the Province of
Santa Clara, and its port, Isabela de Sagua, is the shipping point for a
large amount of the sugar produced along the north coast of the
province. The rivers emptying into the bay of Sagua, as well as the bay
itself, are noted for their splendid fishing ground, tarpon being
especially abundant; also for the small delightfully flavored native
oyster.
Still further east we have another important shipping port known as
Caibarien, located on Buena Vista Bay, that unfortunately has an average
depth of only 12 or 15 feet, necessitating lighterage out to the
anchorage at Cayo Frances, 18 miles distant, where ships of the deepest
draft find perfect protection while loading.
On the north shore of the Province of Camaguey we have but one harbor of
the first order, the Bay of Nuevitas, but this harbor may easily lay
claim to being one of the best in the world. Its entrance is narrow,
resembling a river, some six miles in length and with a rather swift
running current, depending upon the flow of tide, as it passes in or
out. The Bay itself is a beautiful sheet of water of circular form, with
an extension of deep water reaching out towards the west some 15 miles,
and connected with the Bay of Carabelas, Guajaba and Guanaja, forty or
fifty miles further west. Along these quiet landlocked lagoons are
located the American colonies of La Gloria, Columbia, Punta Pelota and
Guanaja.
There are many reasons for believing that the entrance to this harbor
was the place where Columbus spent several days scraping and cleaning
the bottom of his caravels, while a few of his companions made a journey
into the interior, finding very agreeable natives but no indications of
gold. From Nuevitas is shipped nearly all of the sugar made in the
Province of Camaguey, together with a great deal of fine hardwood, cut
in the Sierra de Cubitas Mountains.
The north shore railroad, beginning at Caibarien some 300 kilometers
distant, has its eastern terminus on Nuevitas Bay, and will, when
completed, greatly increase the trade of splendid sugar and vegetable
land, as well as the mining zone, rich in iron and chrome, that lies
just south of the Sierras.
Thirty miles further east we have the harbor of Manati, with a narrow
but comparatively deep and easy entrance, which soon opens out into the
usual long pouch shaped bay, on the shore of which are the sugar mills
of Manati. This harbor, although not ranked among the largest,
nevertheless can accommodate a large fleet of merchant ships or tramp
steamers waiting for their cargoes of sugar and hardwood timber.
Malageta, some ten miles east of Manati, cannot be properly ranked as a
harbor of the first class, although it furnishes protection for vessels
of moderate draft.
Puerto Padre, 20 miles east of Manati, is another large pouch-shaped
deep water harbor like nearly all those of the north coast, and owing to
the location on its southern shore of two of the largest sugar mills in
the world, Chaparra and Las Delicias, with a combined production of over
a million bags a year, it may be justly ranked as one of the most
important harbors of Oriente.
Fifty miles further east we have the open roadstead of Gibara, a deep
indentation of the sea that gives, unfortunately, but little protection
from northerly gales, but since Gibara is the exit for the rich Holguin
district of northern Oriente, its commerce is extensive.
Sixty miles further east, after rounding Lucrecia Point, where the coast
for the first time faces due east, we have another fine deep water
harbor known as Banes, on whose shores is located a large sugar mill
known as “Boston,” with an annual output of 500,000 bags.
Some ten miles southeast of Banes we enter the Bay of Nipe, the largest
landlocked harbor in Cuba. Nipe is a beautiful sheet of water, whose
southern and western shores are low, although mountains can be seen in
the distance in almost any direction. Nipe contains forty square miles
of deep water anchorage, with a width from east to west of twelve miles
and from north to south of seven to eight miles. The Mayari River, one
of the most important streams of the north coast of Oriente Province,
empties into Nipe. On the north shore of the bay the little town of
Antilla forms the northeastern terminus of the Cuba Company’s railroad,
connecting Orient with Havana and the western end of the Island. The
land surrounding the bay is exceptionally rich and is owned largely by
the United Fruit Company. Here they originally cultivated large fields
of bananas, but owing to their extensive plantations in Costa Rica, and
to the high price of sugar brought about by the war, their Cuban
properties have been converted into sugar plantations. The splendid
mills of Preston are located on Nipe Bay, from which a half million
bags of sugar are shipped every year to the outside world. The rich
mines of the Mayari district belonging to the Bethlehem Steel Company
are located back of Nipe Harbor and contribute considerably to the
commerce of this port.
Some five or six miles east of the entrance of Nipe we have the deep
double harbors of Cabonico and Levisa; the latter large and circular in
form, while Cabonico is comparatively small, and separated from Levisa
by a narrow peninsula that extends almost into the single entrance of
the two bays. The lands around this harbor are largely covered with
forests of magnificent hard woods, while the soil is rich enough to
produce cane for a quarter of a century or longer without replanting.
Some 15 miles further east we have another fine large bay with a narrow
entrance on the Atlantic, known as Sagua de Tanamo. This bay is very
irregular in form, with many ramifications or branches reaching out
towards the east, south and west, while into it flows the Tanamo River,
draining the forest covered valleys and basins that lie between the
mountains of eastern Oriente and the north shore.
Baracoa, an open roadstead, celebrated owing to the fact that here the
Spanish conquerors made their first settlement in the Pearl of the
Antilles in 1512, is a very picturesque bay, but unfortunately with
almost no protection from northerly winds that prevail during the winter
months. Cocoanuts form the chief article of export from Baracoa, which
is the last port of any note on the north coast of Cuba.
Although the south coast of Cuba contains some of the finest harbors in
the world, Dame Nature was not quite so generous with her commercial
gateways along the Caribbean as along the shores bordering on the
Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Some 85 miles west of Cape Maisi we
come to the Bay of Guantanamo, a long, deep indentation from the
Caribbean, extending ten or twelve miles straight up into the land, and
in its upper extension opening out into quite a wide sheet of water.
Guantanamo is deep, well protected, and of sufficient area to furnish
excellent anchorage for the navy of the United States. That which for
naval purposes gives Guantanamo especial strategic value is the fact
that its mouth, free from obstructions, is so wide that three
first-class battleships can leave or enter at full speed, without danger
of collision or interference, either with each other or with the
inclosing shores. This feature of the bay, which is not often found in
well protected harbors, together with the fact that it practically
commands the Caribbean Sea, and lies almost in a direct line between the
Atlantic Coast and the Panama Canal, were the reasons why Guantanamo was
selected in preference to all other bays as the United Naval Station in
the Republic of Cuba. During the last ten years many improvements have
taken place in Guantanamo and today its importance is not excelled by
that of any other naval station in the Western Hemisphere. The
Guantanamo Valley, one of the richest in the Island, furnishes a large
amount of cane that supplies seven or eight sugar mills located a little
back from the shore of the Bay.
Fifty miles further west, near the center of the southern coast of
Oriente, the pent up streams and basins of the geological past have
broken through the chain of mountains bordering the Caribbean and by
erosion have formed one of the finest and most picturesque harbors in
the world. The Morro of Santiago stands on a high promontory at the
eastern entrance of its narrow mouth, passing through which the Bay
rapidly opens up into a charming panorama of palm covered islands,
strips of white beach, and distant mountains, that combine to render
Santiago one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. The City of
Santiago lies on a side hill sloping down to the water’s edge, and owing
to the fact of its being the southeastern terminus of the Cuba Company’s
lines, which connect it with Havana, and to the natural wealth of the
Province of Oriente itself, of which Santiago is the chief commercial
city, it has no rival in the Republic outside of Havana. Several lines
of steamers connect Santiago, not only with the Atlantic and Gulf ports
of the United States, but also with Jamaica, Porto Rico, Panama and
Europe.
Manzanillo, located on the west coast of Oriente, at the head of the
Gulf of Guacanabo, is the most important harbor in that section of the
province, and owing to the rich country lying back of it, whence are
shipped not only sugar, but hardwoods, hides and minerals, Manzanillo
Harbor is one of the most important in the eastern end of the Island.
Between this and Cienfuegos, which is the most important port on the
south coast of central Cuba, we have a stretch of several hundred miles
in which only harbors of the second order are found.
Cienfuegos, or a “Hundred Fires,” is another of those beautiful, storm
protected inland pockets, with a narrow river-like channel connecting it
with the Caribbean. An old time 17th century fort nestles on the western
shore of the entrance, an interesting reminder of the days in which
every city and every harbor had to protect itself from the incursions of
privateers and pirates. Cienfuegos Bay extends from southeast to
northwest a distance of about fifteen miles, with a varying width of
from three to seven miles. The bay is dotted with charming islands, many
of which have been converted into delightful homes and tropical gardens,
where the wealthy people of the city pass most of their time in summer.
The city itself lies on the northern shore and is comparatively modern,
with wide streets and sidewalks. Good wharves and spacious warehouses
line the shores of the commercial part of the city. Cienfuegos is the
main gateway, not only for the sugar of southern Santa Clara but for the
whole southern coast of the central part of the Republic. Its commerce
ranks next to that of Santiago de Cuba, and the bay itself is one of the
most interesting in the Island.
Further west, towards Cape San Antonio, while we have many
comparatively shallow harbors and embarcaderos or shipping points for
coasting vessels and those of light draft, there are no other deep
harbors aside from that of the Bay of Cochinos, or Pig Gulf, which is
really an indentation of the coast line, extending from the Caribbean up
into the land some fifteen miles, with a width of 10 or 12 miles at its
mouth, gradually tapering towards the north, but furnishing no
protection from southerly gales.
On either side of this bay are located low lands and swamps including
those of the Cienaga de Zapata, most of which will never be cultivated
unless drained. Extensive forests of hardwood timber surround the bay in
all directions. Several big drainage propositions have been projected at
different times but none, up to the present, have been carried into
execution.
Batabano, almost due south of Havana, is quite a shipping point,
receiving fish, sponge and charcoal from the shallow waters and low
forests along the south coast of Havana Province and Pinar del Rio.
Fruit and vegetables are landed here from the Isle of Pines, but owing
to the shallow waters of the bay and its utter lack of protection from
any direction but the north, it can hardly be considered a harbor.
Of harbors of the second order, Cuba has some twenty on the north coast,
most of which have depths varying from 10 to 15 feet, although a few may
be found difficult of entrance at low tide for boats drawing over ten
feet. Beginning on the northwest coast of Pinar del Rio, near Cape San
Antonio, we have El Cajon, Guardiana Bay, and moving northward,
Pinatillo, Mantua, Dimas and San Cayetano. At all of these with the
exception of the first, the light draft coasting steamers of the
Menendez Line stop every five days in their trips around the western end
of the Island, between Habana and Cienfuegos on the south coast. Santa
Lucia, a few miles west of San Cayetano, is used as the shipping port
for copper from the Matahambre Mines. The ore, however, is conveyed in
lighters across the bay and transferred to steamers near Cayo Jutias.
East of Havana, about half way to Matanzas, we have the embarcadero of
Santa Cruz, from which many vegetables, especially onions, are shipped
to Havana. Still further east, on the outer island shore is a harbor of
the second order near Paredon Grande, carrying twelve feet, and used
largely by fishermen and turtlers in stormy weather. Between Cayo
Confitas and Cayo Verde, there is a wide break in the barrier reef that
permits vessels in distress to find protection during periods of storm.
Some thirty miles west of Nuevitas is another break in the barrier reef
over which schooners drawing not more than seven or eight feet can find
shelter in the Bay of Guajaba. This is the deepest water approach to the
American colony of La Gloria. A little blasting would improve it.
Nuevas Grandes, located midway between Nuevitas and Manati, on the coast
of Camaguey, is not easy of entrance in bad weather owing to surf
breaking on the outlying reefs, nor is the country back of it
sufficiently productive to give promise of much commerce in the future.
On the north coast of Oriente we have a number of comparatively shallow
harbors, some of which furnish very good protection for vessels in bad
weather. The more important of these are Puerto Vita, Puerto Sama,
Tanamo and Puerto Naranjo.
Along the south coast of Oriente we have Imias Sabana la Mar, Puerto
Escondido, Playa de Cuyuco and Daiquiri which, with the exception of the
latter, from which the Daiquiri iron mines ship their ore, have
practically no commerce.
West of Santiago, on the same coast, are the little landing places of
Dos Rios, Cotibar, Turquino and Mota. Between the last two, however, we
have a fairly good harbor known as Portillo, that furnishes ample
protection for vessels drawing not more than 15 feet, and is the
shipping point for the output of the sugar estates that surround
Portillo Bay.
Between Cabo Cruz and Manzanillo are the embarcaderos of Nequiro, Media
Luna, Ceiba Hueca and Campechuela, from nearly all of which a
considerable amount of sugar is shipped during the season.
North of Manzanillo, and extending west along the coast of Camaguey and
Santa Clara, we have the shallow harbors of Romero, Santa Cruz del Sur,
Jucaro, Tunas de Zaza and Casilda. The southern coast steamers stop at
each of these ports, and quite a large amount of sugar and hardwood is
shipped from them.
From Cienfuegos west we have the Bahia de Cochinos and Batabano already
mentioned, together with La Paloma, Punta de Cartas, Bay of Cortes and
the Gulf of Corrientes, all of which are located along the south shore
of Pinar del Rio, and have quite an extensive local trade in charcoal,
fish and hardwood.