The morning call., 1893-03-12
THE QUERY COLUMN
Foreign=BuiIt Ships and
the National Flag.
THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS.
Why the Shadow Always Points
North at Noon in Northern Lati-
des-tiomesteads.

DUE NORTH, ETC.-L. A. A, City. When
an object, such as pole, Is set up in sun
light at the moment of MONDAY its shadow
In any country north of the equator will
point due north, whatever be the time of
the year (2) The greater the decIlnation
of the place north and the greater the declin-
alton of the sun south the longer the
shadow will be. The shadow is shortest on
June 81 and longest on December q, but it
always points due north at noon. (3 In
the southern hemisphere the shadow points
south at noon, whatever be the time of the
year. 1t follows that there is a moment at
noon on the equator when bodies are shad-
owless a. The largest fish caught is a dim
historical tradition. "Canst thou draw out
leyathan with hnok?" asked job. de-
spairingly. and with visions of the modern
tish-liar before his mind. Levathan-that
is to say. the whales not a FISH, the book
of Jonah notwithstanding. Sharks have
been caught in tropical waters of the length
Of 30 feet and upward. (j) England has
stronger navy than any other country
France comes next The United States mas
no navy to compare with either of them at
the present time.
CALIFORNIA MIssIoNs-J. E., Oakland.
~ Tine California missions were founded
by the Franciscan monks, not by the
Jesuits. (9 The Mission San Carlos de
Monterey was founded on June 8. 177O;
San Jose, June IL, 1897; Dolores, October 9.
1776. 81 The last of the old missionaries,
Father Altemira OF San Rafael and Sonoma,
was living at Teneriffe, one of the Canary
Islands. in 1860. (D The confscation law
was passed by the Mexican Congress in
1896. but Congress did not actually take
charge OF the missions till 1910. The ma
l0rlty oil them were sold by auction in 1915
C9l Inc missions you mention Dolores, San
Jose and Monterrey were at one time very
wealthy. 1t is stated that in 1875 the Mis-
sion Dolores owned 5000 head of cattle.
$50 tame horses, 1000 breeding mares. 81
stud OF choice breed, $50 mules, 10000 sheen.
2oO0 hogs and 456 yoke of oxen. San Jose
Mission had $1,000 cattle, $40 broken horses,
1900 mares, 40 mules, $40 yoke of oxen and
$1,000 sheep. All the other missions were
equally rich in livestock, while the specie,
and gold and silver ornaments exceeded
half million dollars in value.
UNDER OUR FLAG-T., City. The City
of New York and City of Paris were given
American registers under special act of
Congress. 1t is true that they were built
on the Clyde. but in this instance urgent
reasons OF state governed the departure
from what had been regarded as fixed
American principles. The ships named are
not only two of the fastest afloat but have
been so constructed as to be available as
cruisers and virtually represented a cheap
and Immediate accession to the navy. More
over they formed the entering wedge of a
competition for the transatlantic trade, of
which this country once held no incOn-
siderable share. England. France and Ger.
many have been making money out OF the
trade, and the transportation of Americans
TO Europe ought at least TO be in Ameri an
hands. ~ The act giving the two steamers
American register was coupled with pro-
ylon hat ~ thar 1A1a Nf 4
speed should be built in an American ship
yard.
PRESS CLUB-A. W., Berkeley, Cal.
There are press clubs in Philadelphia, Bal
timore. st. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburg.
Pa. ~ As to whether there is press club
In London it depends entirely on what you
understand by the word. journalism in
America is personals in England it is dis
tinctly i:npersonal. Very few people in
England know the name of even the chief
editor OF the Times, and as for his subor-
dinates and the reporters they might as well
be numbered or tagged. (3l The Beefsteak
Club is the principal London Journalistic
organization, but the members have to be
men of internati tional fame. There is a Sc
cial organization of London new sgatherers.
or "penny-a-liners." similar to our report
ers, at the cheshire Cheese" Inn, on Fleet
street, but a man has to be classic a poly
glot, a Chesterfield. a Vidocq. an Addison
and Seward to m AXE mark in the Lon
don newspaper world.
FALCONS AND HAwKs-A. D. G., West
Sheffield, Conn. California and Northern
Mexico are we'll represented in the line OF
falcons and hawks. There is the marsh
hawk (Circus hudsonius). large and COM
mon; the white-tailed hawk Elanus lu-
curus), more common in Mexico; the
goshawk (Astur atricapnlus); the western