Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-01-26
PRIEST FORETOL.O STORM.
CUBAN HAS SET PACE FOR WHOLE
WORLD AS WEATHER FORE
CASTER.
SEEMS TO BE INFALLIBLE.
Father Gangioti Predicted Accurately Eff
feet of the West Indies and Gal
weston Hurricanes.

swept across the southern part of Flor
ida, the northern part of Cuba and the
coast of the gulf states, doing incalcu-
liable damage, uprooting trees, blowing
down houses, sinking ships and taking
literally of human life, was foretold with
absolute accuracy.
Its path was traced in advance, its
violence described.
Had the warning been generally OBJ
served, much would have been saved.
1t was not the famous government ex-
perts of Washington, with all their cost
ly equipment and large stats, who read
the signs of the heavens. and foretold
the approaching hurricane. A humble
priest, working only for the good of the
Cuban people. sent out the warning.
Cubans Believe in Him.
In Cuba they believed and followed his
instructions, for they knew from years
Of experience that any prediction sent
out by rather Laurent Gangioti, di-
rector of the Belen observatory at
Havana, is sure TO be right.
AS soon as he made his announce
ments, phone and telegraph wires be-
came busy, boats hurried to ships. and
the sailors of all nationalities in Ha-
vana's port made everything safe and
snug. Inhabitants took to their houses.
and removed all they could from the
path of the cyclone.
1t came along on time, in the exact
path set for It by Father Gangioti. and
with the violence and power ne had pre-
dicted
The loss of life and property was great
IL would have been infinitely more so,
Dut Tor the warning of the Jesuit priest
1t was fully a day and a half before
the storm that Father Gangioti notified
the United States weather bureau that
it was due.
Such exact information on natural
phenomena would have made the reputa-
ticn of another weather observer infer
national, but to Father Gangioti it meant
only additional prestige. Already he
ranks as the foremost authority on West
Indian storms, and the Belen obserya-
tory. CT which he is in charge, has for
the last thlrty-siX years been supplying
the people of Cuba with timely warming
OF every threat of a dangerous storm.
Foretold Galveston Storm.
Six years ago Father Gangioti per-
formed a still more notable feat of
weather forecasting, when he foretold
the storm that devastated Galveston
This was really marvellous exploit.
1t was on September /, 1900, that
cyclone OF little force appeared in the
eastern part OF the Caribbean sea,
crossed the island of Cuba, passed south
OF FLORIDA; ana on September = swept
down ON the helpless city of Galveston.
The United States weather bureau OBJ
serve. at Havana noted the disturbances
but predicted that it was harmless. and
would spend its force in the Atlantic
without doing any damage.
Bot Father GangiOti knew better. His
own experience and the advantage of the
researches by his eminent predecessor,
Father Vines, founder of the Belen OBJ
servatory. gave him far better sources of
information than the newly installed
United States official had.
He traced i'll advance the very hours
at which the cyclone would reach va
rious points, such as Tampa, Georgia,
Louisiana and Texas. He was right al
most 20 the letter, but at the very hour
that was publishing his grave fears as
to the terrible results to Galveston, the
self-suffcient United States forecaster
was announcing that the disturbance was
scarcely worth mentioning"
Not Seeking Any Reward.
When the United States weather
maps traced the course of the storm, it
was found that it had been forecast in
every particular by the Belen Obserya-
tory. From that time ON Uncle Sam has
been glad to work in cooperation with
the wonderful experts who really may be
said to be the pioneer forecasters of
hurricanes in the world.
The system of observation that has
brought such remarkable results, was
founded without any thought of profit.
Its sole object was to arrange that the
people of Cuba might be protected from
dangers lurking in the terrible storms
that gathered so suddenly, and fell with
such fury that it seemed almost impos-
sible to defend against then.
EafhnF e
rare talent and a great observer of the
sciences sought, when he became d.
rector in 1870. to improve the methods
by which his scholarly predecessor.
Father Jose Renal. had, grappled with
the storm problems of the Antilles left
him by his real pioneer, Father Cabre,
who founded the department of meteor
ology in 1857.
On March /, 1858. now nearly fifty
years ago, were started regular meteor
illogical readings that have been kept
up without intermission ever since.
These now number ten. from o'clock
in the morning to 10 o'clock at night.
during which time two other observa-
tons are made at 7:30 o'clock. day and
night called ''Internationals, because
they are cabled to the central observa-
tory of Mexico that of the morning GO
ing only to Washington and Key West
The Others are published yearly.
Has Set Pace for World.
In this way has the Belen observatory
given to the learned world a set of mete-
geological reports covering a period that
few observatories can boast TO nave COW
cred with care and accuracy. The col
lection has Won Belen honor 1t re-
ceived high awards at PHILADELPHIA in
1876, at Paris in 1878. at Barcelona in
1888. at Chicago in 1898. and st. Louis
in 1904. The medal of the last EXPOSE
ton has never been sent in, but the 9th
ers are among its priced trophies of in
cessant. conscientious scientific work.
Those that now make the daily obser-
vations are Father Gangioti. director:
Father Mariana Gutierrez LAMA, sub
director; Father Simon Sarasota and
Brothers Andraes Lafuente and Ganfalo
Llorente assistant. The brothers make
the readings, but all are alert. and the
slinhtnst sion Of ANYTHING. 11Ir1S1,nl i. not