The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-10
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

What is the meaning of lin commission
as applied to war bOats?-J. w. d.
Being in service or in command of des-
ignated officer.
What is Rear Admiral SIMPSONS nation
ality?-S A. j.
Sampson is an American, born of an
American-born father, in Palmyra, N. Y.
Are there ten ocean-going steamers faster
than the American liner City of Paris?-B.
We think not The large new vessels of
the other lines, like the Kaiser Friedrich
der Crosse. are faster, perhaps, but there
are not ten Of them.
Is there an admiral in our navy at the
present time?--A. A. B.
No. The highest rank in our navy now is
that of rear admiral. We have had no full
admiral since Admiral Porter died, few
years ago. He was the second and last adj
miral.
Are there any colored state militia?-No
Name.
There are. Massachusetts has one or
more companies of negro lisoldiers in. its
volunteer militia; the District of Columbia
has a company, North Carolina has a COM
pany, and in several States there are negro
volt nteers which are not part of the militia.
Has the President the title Of admiral? 2.
Who is the man of highest rank in the
. OhlIeQ states navy !-OOrLldnu
No, in spite of the fact that he is COM
mander-in-chief of the navy. .. The Sc
nior rear admiral is Joseph N. Miller, COM
manding the Pacific station.
Which is the heaviest first-class battle
ship in the United States navy? What is
her tonnage?-O. and ].
The Iowa, II, 40 tons The Kearsarge and
the Kentucky. now building. are to dis
place .525 tons, and the Maine, the Mis-
souri, and the Ohio, whose plans are finally
approved but contracts for which have not
yet been made, will be Il, 5OO-ton boats.
How many vessels of the British navy
were in the great naval parade last year
at Queen Victoria's jublee?-D. Il. b.
The naval parade took place on June &c.
1897, off Spithead. r. it were 165 British
vessels, classed as follows: Battle ships, 81;
cruisers 81; torpedo boats and destroyers.
20: sloops and gunboats, Z; training vessels.
Is. There were also nineteen foreign YES
sells.
What chance for promotion has an ap-
prentice on board a United States man-of-
war? Can he become officer without GO
ing to the Naval Academy?-W. Mel.
None, because enlisted men in the navy
are never promoted to be officers. He may
get to be a boatswain or gunner or have
some other warrant rank which makes him
he never gets to be an officer.
What is the percentage of American-born
soldiers in our army noW?-Quer1st.
We do not know; but the percentage OF
citizens in the army is now very much
larger than it used to be. No applicant is
accepted unless he is either native-born
citizen or a naturalized citizen, or has ap-
piled for naturalization. Probably so per
cent. are in those three classes; those not
in them are old-timers, who enlisted before
citizenship was required
What percentage of foreign-born people
are in our prisons?-J. w. D.
According to the statistics of the eleventh
census of 1880, there were 1882 foreign-born
prisoners out of 81, 329 in our prisons. That
gives percentage of rather more than 1SG.
Besides these, 12GOl prisoners were of for
eiSn parentage. though born in this coun-
try. This makes the percentage of prison
ers of predominant foreign extraction rather
more than SO.
How long was Noah in building the ark?
IS NJ. c.
The Bible does not say in so many words.
in Genesis. V. 81, it says: And Noah was
five hundred years old, and Noah begat
Shem, Ham and Japheth" Then in Chapter
vii. 6. it says: And Noah was six hum
dred years old when the flood of waters
was upon the EARTH 1t is generally said
that the ark required one hundred years
to build, but, as you see, this is not certain.
Can you tell me what general IL was In
the civil war Who was standing against a
gallery post when cannon ball struck the
post and stunned him ?-Subscriber
This was Fighting Joe" Hooker 1t was
during the battle of Charlottesville. on
May 2 1853. During the battle the post of
the piazza of the Chancellor House. against
which Hooker was leaning. was struck by
cannon ball. and the shock knocked Hooker
out for an hour or so in the middle of the
battle
How can one obtain a copy of the acts of
the nrst sitting of Congress after the organ
Ration OF the United States? 2 What is the
duty of a railroad commissioner? 3 How
many dollars worth of silver bullion are.
there now in the vaults at Washington? &
what Is the present daily expense of the
Lnited States army 2-Subscriber
The statutes al large of the United States
pissed in the first Congress may be found
sometimes in law-book stores They have
been reprinted. we think; but as the demand
is very slight. the cost OF the book is con-
siderable. ?, To enforce the laws OF the