 He was appointed civil and military chief in Panama, canceling a move to Europe where he was to take up the position of Consulate in Hamburg, in order to

In 1900 he won the Battle of Calidonia Bridge with general Emiliano Herrera during the War of a Thousand Days.Alban died during a naval battle Panama on January 20, 1902, when the ship he commanded, "Lautaro", was sunk.Albán conducted research in the fields of Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry, areas that were poorly developed in Colombia.