The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-17
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Did the battle ship Maine ever touch the
Spanish coast? If so, when?-W. II. Fl.
No, she had never been attached to the
European squadron.
OF whom was it said: when the ermine
Of the official robe fell on him it touched
nothing less spotless than itself?"-J. Z. r.
OF John Jay, the first chief justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States.
Did the ancestors of Seth Low, of New
York come from Germany If so, when?
Did they come to Essex, Mass. ?-B. F. w.
The ancestors of Seth Low did not come
from Germany; they came from England
and settled at Salem, Essex county, Mass
They came over about two hundred years
ago.
Is nickel money legal tender? When was
it first coined?-C. C. c.
Nickel coins of the United States are
legal tender to the amount of 25 cents. The
nickel coli, now in use is the scent piece
The first nickel coin was the cent, first
coined in 1857, and not coined after 1864.
What is the population of Greater New
York?-A. B. S.
Three million two hundred thousand, esti-
mated; there has been census since it's
incorporation. New Jersey suburbs of 500, 600
population outside these figures, as well
as outside the city limits, but for purposes
of comparison with some cities should be
taken into consideration.
Please give the date (year. month and
day. of the birth of Matthias Ward SEN
ator from Texas in 1SJS-1SG0.--C. w. l..
The exact date of his birth is not known.
He was born in E1bert county, Georgia,
about 1900. and died in Raleigh, N. c., Oct
Is, 1861. He had lived in Texas from 1886 to
his death.
What are the respective strengths of the
naVieS of the world. and what place does
the United States occupy now?-W. NJ. D.
The order is England, France Russia,
and then the United States. Italy, Ger
many and japan are of about equal
strength, the United States coming next
to Russia, perhaps, because of recent pur-
chases
How are Calling and other quick-fring
guns kept cool?-M. D. w.
Calling guns, which have ten barrels, do
not require any particular means of keep
ing the barrels cool. But Maxim guns and
those which have only one barrel are kept
from getting too hot by water jackets
which surround the barrel. Even then
they sometimes get too hot and have to go
out of action TO get cool.
/ have a book of short stories by Henry
S. Brooks, called "A Tragedy in Bohemia .
Who is Mr.. Brooks?-N. z. o.
The only II. S. Brooks that we have any
record of is a newspaper man. lie was
born in New York, at Elrnira, on Aug. 9
1852 In May. 1879, he founded the Elmira
Telegram. Whether he is the author Of "A
Tragedy in Bohemia we do not know.
In what direction is the force of an ex-
plosion of dynamite eXerted?-E. l.. r.
In the direction of resistance. That is if
it be exploded while lying on g. rock, the
effect is downwards; if while fastened to
the side of a wall, the effect is against that
WALL if fastened under an object the force
is upwards. This is SO because of the in
Simultaneous character of the explosion,
which is vastly more rapid than that of
gunpowder.
What was the first message sent by ca
ble?-G. B. d.
The first message by submarine cable was
sent on Aug. 2S, 1850, between Dover and
Calais. No record of it has been kept The
first message over the Atlantic cable was
sent on Aug. 16, 1853 and was from Queen
Victoria to President Buchanan 1t ex-
pressed congratulation with him, the hope
that the new connection would bind the
two countries closer together and wishes
for the prosperity of our country. Presi-
dent Buchanan's reply was cordially re-
ciprocal.
What height and weight are required Of
applicants for enlistment In the United
States army and marine corps2-Subscriber.
For the infantry and artillery the height
must be not less than five feet four inches
and the weight not less than 12S pounds or
more than $50 pounds. For the cavalry and
light artillery the height must be not less
than five feet four inches or more than five
feet ten inches and the weight not more
than 165 pounds. The qualifications in tho
marine corps as to height and weight are
the same as in the infantry.
What is a ram (vesseD and how does it
work?-Con.
A boat with a bow so constructed that it
can run straight into an opposing boat,
knock a hole in it below the water line.
and sink it. The Katahdin, the ram of our
navy is very low in the water. offering a
very poor target to the enemys guns, which
the designers believe cannot disable it be-
fore it has crushed opponents hull. This
suggests how it should work; whether it
will do just this no one knows. And there
is the same uncertainty about other war
ships. They are the best that theoretical
science can devise, but naval combat may
upset the theories.
How is tellurium extracted from gold and
silver or telluric acid?-J. w. b.
The extraction of tellurium is a compli-
Gated process. From bismuth telluride it is
procured by heating the ore with mix
ture of potassium carbonate ands charcoal,
when potassium telluride is formed this
dissolves in water to purple red solution,
from which tellurium is deposited on ex-
posture TO the air. From gold ore it is pro-
cured by oxidizing the ore by hot nitric
acid and hydrochloric acid, then mixing
with sulphuric acid and tartaric acid, fill
tering off the gold and treating the filtrate
with sulphurous acid. which reduces the
tellurious acid to tellurium.
Please tell me how to put up an electric
bell in a house.-G. w. p.
You will need a battery--a single cell bat
terry will be large enough-some insulated
wire. the bell and the push-button Put
the battery, out of the way, wherever it can
be got at easily, run one wire from the bat
terry to the place for the bell to be and
fasten TO the bell, then from there to the
place for the push-button. The second wire
is run from the button to the battery. The
ends of the wires do not touch at the but
ton. The current of electricity which makes
the bell ring is thus interrupted at the but