The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-29
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.


Which is the higher rank. rear admiral or
admiral, in our navy?-G. II. III.
We have now no admiral in navy;
when we had that rank it was higher than
read admiral. Our admirals were Farragut
and Porter.
How many tons of coal does an ocean
greyhound consume in twenty-four hours,
such as the City of Paris or the st. Louis?
j. ID. N.
From 800 to $50 tons day, while making
a regular trip across the Atlantic.
Has the name of the steamship City of
Paris been changed since she was taken into
the navy? DID the United States buy tor
pedo boat from France?-E. l..
The name of the steamship City or Paris
has been change to Yale. No.
What is the difference of time between
Hong-Kong and New York?-Clock.
Hong-Kong is about eleven and a half
hours earlier than New York. That is,
when 1t IS noon in New York it is about
half an hour after midnight the next morn
ing in Hong-Kong.
Please tell me the population of Manila,
the capital of the Philippines. Tell some
thing of its products.-T. Men.
In 1897 the population of Manila was put
down at about 10000. The Philippines pro-
duce hemp, sugar, coffee, indigo and copra,
besides tobacco. The hemp from Manila is
as good any in the world. Manila rope,
made from hemp grown in the Philippines,
is famous the world over.
What are the debts of the United States,
Great Britain and France?-Sub.
The debt of the United States on May l,
1898, was 81, 2S4, 243, 274.40 The British ma
tional debt on March 81 1897, amounted to
about %,00S, 200, COO France has the largest
debt; it amounted in 1896 to S., $50 600, OO0.
That is the largest debt ever contracted.
How many Republicans and how many
Democratic members are there in both
houses at the present session? 2. How did
they vote in regard to the war question?
3. In this section there is an element which
claims the Democrats only are the cause of
the present war;. II. M.
Republicans, 24S; Democrats, 164. 2. The
vote to set apart $5O,GOOOCO, to be used by
President Mckinley at his discretion, was
unanimous. There is some division of judg-
ment over the means of raising more money.
3. Nonsense
How is the prize money distributed among
the SailorS?-H. w.
If the prize is taken by vessel attached
to a fleet the commander of the fleet has
one-twentieth of the prize money and the
fleet captain has one-hundredth. The COM
mander of the vessel making the prize gets
one-tenth. if his vessel is part of fleet, and
three-twentieths of his vessel is operating
alone. The remainder of the money is di-
vided among the officers and men in proper
ton to their pay. This is the division as
laid down in the navy regulations.
Does the prime minister of Great Britain
receive any salary prime minister?
Headers.
He does not In fact there is no recog-
nized office of prime minister. The chief
minister who chooses the Cabinet, is the
premier or prime minister, but he is so
merely by courtesy, as in law and the fic-
tions of the British constitution no one
privy counselor has any superiority as such
over any other. The prime minister, there
fore, always assumes some salaried office,
generally either that of foreign secretary or
of first lord of the treasury. 1t is as one of
these that he draws pay not as prime min
lister.
Some time ago the battle ship Kentucky
was launched. Where is she, and when will
she be put into active service?-C. NJ. B.
She is at Newport News, a long ways
from completion. What is launched of a
war boat is little more than the vessels
shell. Guns, armor and the vast amount of
internal arrangements are then to be sup
piled. In building some of our armored boats
there has been delay in the manufacture
of the armor plates and the recent disagree
ment between Congress and armor makers
may cause delay with the Kentucky, but
with prompt supply of plates it will prob
ably be over year before she floats ready
to fight.
How can they discern an approaching YES
sci by the Searchlight they have on the
men -of-war?-NO name.
"A searchlight is a very powerful light it's
beams collected in a lens that is mounted
so it can be swung in every direction AT
night the searchlights are kept swinging
around the ship in every direction, not at
random, but slowly and steadily. The ray
sent is very bright and binding if it hits
you in the face. A person operating light
can see anything that the ray falls on with
great distinctness.
What has ever been done with the Robert
Edwards estate of New York city? Is there
any chance of it ever being settled UP
among the heirs?-J r. P.
There is nc such estate in New York city
as the Robert Edwards estate. Swindlers
have gone all over the country assuring
persons that they were heirs of this won
derful estate, which consisted of land leased
to the city by the United States for ninety
nine years, the lease of which was just
about to expire. and that all the heirs had
to do was to pay a small sum of money
to the lawyers who brought the good news;
but there is absolutely no such estate. We
have had the matter investigated and speak
with full knowledge.
Is the time in Manila earlier or later than
in this country, say in Washington? 2. Are
not the Philippine islands west of this coun-
try?-A. Sub.
Manila time is about thirteen hours earlier
than our time 2. The Philippines are east
of the United States. BY an international
agreement made in 1874, or whereabouts, it
was decided that the day should begin as
the sun passed an imaginary line, and that
all places that got the sun first after it had
crossed that line should be east of those
that got it later. So the Philippines, get
ting the sun before the United States, are
east of us. Therefore, their time is earlier
than ours When Dewey began his attack
on Manila at a. m. Sunday, May j, it was
about D. IN. with us on Saturday, April 30.
How far can a man see with the naked
eve on the ocean; also. with glass;? 2. How
are the twelve-rlile guns sighted and fired?
j. w. c.
1t depends on the mans eyes He can see
farther than on land simply because there
is nothing to interrupt his sight. 2. Observ-
ers in the observation towers look through