The National tribune., 1908-12-31
ANSWERS J TO
CORRESPONDENTS

~ M 1.s bditiiAoASt 49, -.
Which are the most valuable Of the
United States haif-cents?
The United States half-csnts for the
decade beginning 1S40 nave Vaiue, &
| according to their condition, OF from ~
each up to t15 for the issue in the pest
condition for the year 1s47.
w. sssA.. New, Haven. Conn. asks:
Who Is now the Episcopal Bishop OF
New York;
In September, 1903, the then Bishop
of the Diocese. Henry C. Potter, find-
| ing that his health was failing, asked
for 6. coadjutor, and accordingly the
Rev. David II. Greer was chosen to tnat
office. On the death Of Bishop Potter,
Bishop Greer succeeded to the Blsn-
opric without any ceremony, ana ne 10
now Bishop Of the Diocese OF New
York.
L. M. H., New Orleans, La, asks:
The Great Elector. or "Der. Crosse
Kurfurst," was the name given to
Frederick william. the Elector OF
Brandenburg, who reigned from l640
TO 1888. By his wisdom and labors in
behalf Of his people he mace Branden-
burg the most important Of the north
German States, and is revered as the
founder of Prussia's present greatness.
H. c. s.. Norfolk, Va, asl, I: What is
the Significance Of the varic.;s interna-
tional congresses which are held from
time to time in the United States and
elsewhere?
| The gathering Of men Of eminence
In various callings at the international
expositions, especially at those held in
Paris, led to meetings Of representa-
tives Of different Governments to con-
slider subjects Of common interest. Con-
spicuous among these may be mem
toned the great Congress of Religions,
that met In Chicago at the Worlds
Columbian Exposition in 1898, and the
Congress Of Arts and Sciences, that was
held in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition, at St. Louis. Incidental to
these have been international con-
crosses of q more special nature, that
have formed the practice Of meeting
every three years. OF this kind may
be cited the International Fishery Con-
gress, which will hold its fourth meet
ing in Washington during Sept. 1926.
The previous meetings have been:
| Paris, 1900; st. Petersburg, 1902, and
| Vienna, 1906. Its purpose, which is
similar to other like bodies, Is "to de-
liberate on important matters relating
to fishing and fish culture, and to sub
NIT propositions for the benefit OF the
fisheries to Governments and to State,
provincial and local authorities"
4! w. o. N. Gulfport, Miss, asks: Is
there any satisfactory substitute for
leather?
There have been numerous attempts
to produce substitutes for leather, but
| they have been usually for some spe-
cial purpose and for the most part SIM
liar to linoleum. Pantasote Is perhaps
| the best known Of these, and it is large
| ly used for the covering of furniture
| and in bookbinding. A recent Scotch
invention. said to be usable in fluid,
pliable or hard state, consists of mix
ture of seaweed, carpet dust, goats
| hair, Irish moss and gums, together
with a secret ingredient or process. It
| has been made ur into boots and shoes,
and its durability successfully tested by
policemen, postmsn and others whose
duties required considerable walking.
This new product Is said to be well
adapted for betting in machine shops,
as 1t Is noninflammable and is imper-
vious to oils, and acids. o.
A. g., Baltimore, Nd, asks: What
was the loss at Hthe fire in San Fran
cisco and at the great fire I'm Chicago,
and which was the worst?
The fire IN Chicago on Oct. s, 1871,
destroyed $4,000 buildings, covering an
area Of nearly five square miles, and
caused a loss estimated at $165, 100000.
| The fire in San Francisco of April IS,
| 1906, caused an estimated loss Of $780,
| 100000. The San Francisco fire is by
far the greatest catastrophe of its kind
| that ever occurred in the history of the
world. To follow it in detail, and esne-
cially in reference to its effects on
structures and structural materials, see
Bulletin No. 324 of the U. S. Geological
Survey. The consensus OF the opinions
| of the experts in regard to the fire in
San Francisco, and indeed elsewhere, Is
that 1t was due to the unsatisfactory
character of the buildings and inferior
fire protection. Interior fire protection
and prevention by wells, pumps, sprink-
| lers and water tanks vastly lessen fire
| risks.
A. w. H., Hazleton. Pa, asks: Can
YOU tell me what Rookwood pottery is,
and where 1t is made?
Rookwood pottery is an art ware
made in Cincinnati, O., and takes its
| name from the country place of Mr..
Joseph Longworth, at East Walnut
Hills. His daughter. now Mrs Bellamy
Storer. began the making Of this ware
| in 1880. Technically speaking, the ware
| is a faience or earthenware, like COM
mon flower pot, on which, as a rule,
| special designs are painted, and the
ware Is then coated with a heavy, trans
| parent, colored glaze, after which, of
| course, the ware is burned in the kiln.
1t Is perhaps the most artistic of all
our American art pottery. and has been
extensively initiated, especially by rival
L
should be exercised. therefore, in pur-
chasing this ware, to see that the mark
on the bottom of the piece is that of the
Rookwood pottery. A pretty full de-
scription OF American art pottery will
| be found in Bulletin No. 62 of the u.
s. Census Bureau, which can be OBJ
| tanned on application.
w. D. H., Louisville, KY, asks: What
do they mean when they write about
| extinct animals:" what does the ex-
preston mean?
This term, as now generally used,
refers to those animals that have be-
come exterminated since the advent of
! man on this earth; as for instance, the
mammoth and the mastodon, which are
known to us by the tusks and bones
that are often found. The extinction
| of these animals Is perhaps best Illus
trated by the almost complete disap-
pearance in modern times of the bison,
or buffalo, as 1t Is COMMONLY called.
Many, IL not all, of the larger man.
mails are disappearing, and many of
the birds have been nearly exterminat-
ed in recent years. OF corresponding
interest is the discovery, every now and
then, of animals not hitherto known to
man, such as the okapi, found a few
years ago in central Africa, and certain
forms of piglike animals in Sumatra,
described for the first time a, few years
ago by DIR. w. L. Abbott.
J. e. T., Pomeroy O., asks: What is
the value of three-cent piece coined
| in 1866 and OF ,10-cent piece coined
In 1896? What are the rarest American
|