OCR Text |
Show TERRIBLE TYPHOONS They Bring Much Unhapplness to the' Filipinos. MnnllM I orint Vl.ltrd lr (lie l)r- Iracllto rilimU nnd Itnln Knni Illnl TlirnttKh lh h Sln-ct". The red Intnp that hnngs beneath tlio white light In fiont of the olllco (If tlie cnptnln of the port Is n slgnnl to milliners that n typhoon is on the way. 'Hie warning bus been out 'for si)ernl dnis, and the storm It. predicted pre-dicted is here. Tlie typhoon Is howling howl-ing nbout the iltets of .Mnulln nnu over tlie hills of I.uon. For two dns tin mln linn liecn coming down In tor rents, but it was not until this nmiii-ing nmiii-ing Hint the storm took on the ulnir-iielcrlstlcs ulnir-iielcrlstlcs of n typhoon. Tlie wldto-enps wldto-enps nrc plunging nbout In tho bay nnd vessels that nro anchored In the hnrbor swing henTllj on their chains and jock with the waves that swell across this landlocked haven. Ships out In the oceun nro watched for nuslously. The sen possesses most of (he terror during these storms, but on land there Is trouble too. Trees nic blown down and the frail native houses are wrecked. Inhnbltnuts nre dienched and business is nearly nt n stsur'still. Streets run full of water, which creeps Into the little stores, nnd tho proprietors spend their time In bulling out the wnter that U ankle deep Inside the iloorsllls. Tho street car .rumbles on during the storm. The driver drones on his whistle ns tho curtnlns flap wildly In the wind nnd sits huddled on the front end of his cart, vvhllo the more patient nulmal plods slowly nlong tho wet street Tho water buffalo enres very little if the rain Is coming down. It is different with the driver, usually n Clilnnninn, or, ns he is known here, "Chlno," but sometimes n Filipino. TJietc people wear t great variety of rnln conts. It only has been this last rfilliy season that some of them hnv appeared in grcnt blue overcoats with brnss buttons. Tho buttons bear t'io engle of tho United Btutes and thfre Is reason to believe that government clothing Is being worn by those who never carried n gun. The usual rain coat of the native Is made of the husk of tho coeonnut. Tho fiber Is woven Into a sleeveless coat, nnd over this there Is a cape pf the same material. When clad In one of these coats the wfnrer looks like the cnnnibnls In tho picture books.' The legs nre bare, the thin white trousers being rollcd'up to the thighs. Tlio wearer tops out his costume with n biond-rlmmed hot. generally of straw. Another protection Is mado of closely woven nlpa, which fits over tlis shoiildors nnd slants down so as to turn the flood that falls to the giound. This is ii good protection If there Is no wind to drive tho rain beneath be-neath the roof for It Is little else than that. Thu vvcaicr lookw llko a caricature carica-ture of a ballet girl. With the exception of umbrellas, width few of them possess, tho women wom-en nre without protection from the storm. TJiey go to and from the market mar-ket ns they do on the brightest days, seeming satisfied if they can only keep their heads dry. When their 'wares nu sold they turn tho basket upsldu down on their bends nnd plod along smoking their cigarettes. When n pet sou has to go out during dur-ing tho rnlny season he uses a enro-mettn enro-mettn or n nulhv. They are built so tho storm cannot get In to the pas-neiiger. pas-neiiger. The drivers generally wenr lit t If- lipllnpllt Hint nt o tint ..ni 1. n.. 111141- iiriuiriB 1 nit 1 nic nut seen in nny other part of the world. They nre like n sun helmet, only Instend of pipe clay there is n coating of white lead, which the sailors use in painting ships. Rome of the drivers haro risen to tlie position in life where they can afford n white rain coat, with a hood, but such an outfit is considered very aristocratic, nnd few outside the liv-cried liv-cried servants enn afford such n luxury. lux-ury. Whep passengers are not in the conveyance tho driver sits back out of the wet, either behind the eurtnin of the enromettn or under the roof of the qulle7. The native does not enjoy this wet season any more than a southerner enjoys n winter In Canada. Around tlie quartermaster's department a number of Filipinos are working. Thiy certainly nre the chilliest lot Hint ever saluted a foreman. They make no effort to temper tho elements by heavier clothing, but go nbout In Hip same white clothes thej vrenr in May. Tho foreman, n heavy sergeant, who goes about In n poncho ami n pair of lubber boots, greeted them ns they lefl the building to-night: "Muchn ngun. i.ineh frea?" "SI, senor," they replied, ns they shivr-red on into tho streets nnd tiled to their homes. "Sn., vou mean to say them fcllcm want io fight in this kind of weather? No, slr-ee. There's no more fight In them than there is in n wet ch.rken." Chicago Chi-cago Kecord. ' |