Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 310, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1912 — PRIEST SAVES LIFE [ARTICLE]

PRIEST SAVES LIFE

Father Jose Algue Well Known in Philippine Islands. Director of Weather Bureau at Manila Who Has Made Extraordinary Instrument—Clergyman Is Devoted to Humanity. London. —Quietly and unostentatiously, without being in any way heralded by the press, a certain priest paid a visit to London recently who deserves to be ranked among the world’s greatest benefactors. His name, Father Joe Algue, is scarcely known, perhaps in this country, but every man and woman in the far east knows Father Algue, director of the Philippine weather bureau at Manila, for did he not, after many years’ labor, invent an instrument which is called the barocyclonometer, by which It is possible to guard against the most dreaded of fir eastern calamities—the typhoon? This instrument is now in use on upwards of 1,000 ships that sail the waters of the far east, while the American government proposes to fit its ships with a modified form of the Instrument in order that captains may be warned of the approach of hurricanes or storms, and thus make it possible for them to slip out of harm s way. And It was in order to have this modified barocyclonometer made under his personal supervision that Father Algue recently came to London. The instrument is really a combination of the ordinary barometer and a cyclone detecting apparatus, the latter being Father Algue’s own invention. The barometer used alone will tell of the approach of the storm, but will give no hint as to the direction in which the center or vortex of the storm is moving. It is this additional information which the cyclonometer supplies, and its use has undoubtedly led to the saving of millions of lives in eastern waters.

Not only, however, has Father Algue Invented the barocyclonometer, but in connection with the Philippine weather bureau, he has also organized a system of cyclone danger signals, which It is no exaggeration to say save thousands of lives every year. Father Algue has a corps of 80 native assistants who are scattered through the Philippine archipelago. Some are observers, others telegraph operators, others messengers, while at Manila Father Algue Is in direct communication with a score of other weather stations in the islands, and also with points far away from the Philippines—Hong Kong for instance. The approach of a typhoon is at once telegraphed to Father Algue at Manila, and he then sends the news to all quarters by means of his associates and messengers. At times he has been" able to give notice of the approach of a typhoon three days before it appears, and almost always manages to give news of it one day before. We, in this country, have little idea of the enormouß loss of life and damage caused by an eastern typhoon. When it is mentioned, however, that the average number of typhoons in the Philippines is 21 a year, and it is not unusual for the fall of rain in two days to equal the total ralnfell .cf other countries for a year, whUe the wind has been known to uproot churches, some idea of the value of the work which is being done by this priest, who has practically devoted his life to typhoon fighting, may be gathered. Apart from ’he barocyclonometer, Father Algue has invented several other weather Instruments of great value to mariners, but he cares little for publicity or fame, and it is interesting to not 3 that one of his treatises on typhoon fighting was translated into German and in Europe, yet his name aid not appear on

the cover. Instead, the readers were given to understand that the translator was the author of the book. Fame or wealth he cares little about, his main concern being the saving of lives which would otherwise be sacrificed to the storm fiend.