Evening star., 1925-11-30

tied by the Irish before the time or
Columbus p. s. s
A claim to the honor OF beirx
the dtscoverers Of the American con
tinent has been put forward by a
number Of peoples, including the
Phoenicians, the Egyptians, Portu-
guese, Spaniards, Mortimer and the
irish. Mgr. Luke Evers has stated
that research in the Vatican and Lat.
eran libraries has brought TO light ma.
terial relating to the legend Of s..
Brendan, the navigator" an irish
missionary bishop, who IS said 70 have
reached the mainland of America cen
turtles before Left Ericsson or 60.
lumbus.
O. Why was the color "ro. al
purple chosen to denote power ana
prestige in ancient times?-L. A.
a. Purple became associated with
kings IN the early days because Il
was the finest and most costly dye =
the anctents. 1t was obtained from
two kinds of shells found in the
Mediterranean Sea. The ancients a.
tribute its discovery 10 the Phoeri.
clans and the story is that IL vas
ilrst discovered by dog biting :
purple fish. It is stated tnkt Is
Caesars time a pound Of Tyr'ar
purple wool cost above ! 900 denarH.
which Is, roughly speaking. equal -
S2li.50 Purple robes were used ar
an early date by the Greeks as
mark Of dignity. Tyrian purple W.
introduced into Rome in the mldd y
Of the first century, f. G.. and frr..
that time 1t became . luxury. Its u-
was checked by imperial decree 4
complete robe Of "b!atta," the fines
kind Of purple. was reserved as an
imperial privilege, and any private
person wearing it was punished as
being guilty Of high treason.
Q. Was Fiske O'Hara born in this
Country?-G S NJ
A. He was born in Salem, Mass
and Is Of Irish descent. His father
Mr. Fiske. was proprietor OF the Essey
Hotel there. He first went on tie
stage as George Fiske in 1898 with
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Manley, in the
rural comedy, Down on the Farm
Beginning with the eason OF lsOl-o"
and for two years thereafter, he roa
aged the People S Theater Stock Con
pany of Chicago. His New York
debut was made at the Majestic The
ter August %, 1904. in The Isle o'
Spice" The name Fiske OHara was
adopted when he became star. II i
a combination of his fathers name
49fNS t1i4A N44dL u MS illOLIicI > Idi!-
ily.
Q. How many kinds OF coal are
there mined in the United States?-
f. VI. c.
A. The Geological Survey gives to
coal five classitications. They are.
Anthracite, seni-anthracite, semi
bituminous, bituminous and Ignite.
@. Are cinder concrete building
blocks practical for use in buildings
other than residences? w. c. =.
a. Cinder concrete blocks comply
ing with the specifications for this
material of the American Concrete
Institute and the Department Of Com
merce code Minimum Requirements
for Masonry Wall Construction" have
ample strength for use in walls Of
any type of building within the lini-
ations commonly recognized as ap-
plying to hollow wall construction Of
any type. Cinder concrete hollow
blocks have been used in the con
struction of load bearing walls up to
a height Of 50 feet and are per
mitted and have been used in the
panel walls of buildings Of skeleton
frame construction of far greater
heights.
ut is the desire and privilege Of the
organization this paper maintains in
Washington TO 0ire reliable aud
prom, pt serrice to all requests for tn
formation This is its purpose and its
aim 1t often happens, horerer. that
readers urtte IN for Information and
foil to giue their names and addresses.
Such occurrences leare the bureau
helpless and, Of course, the letters
cannot be anstrercd. IN order to drOid
n ion mr. IN 1f1,1f f7t -
that your name aud address is stoned
to eUery communication sent to the
Bureau. Also be sure to fnclose .
cents In stdmps for return postage
address The Star Information Bureau.
Frederic j. Hdskin, director, T1rentu-
first aud streets northwest, Wash
tn0tOn, ID. c.