Evening star., 1925-09-23
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Q. How often does some one die IN
this country?-S. =.
A. Popular Science says that during
1924 1854 900 babies were born and
i 1893 900 persons died in the United
states, or one death was compensated
for by two births. If the number of
births and deaths remains the same
In 1928, as this rate seems to indi-
cate, ten babies will be born every
TWO minutes and five persons will die
in the same time.
@. What material advance, If any.
has been made in the art Of weaving
In recent years?-N. l..
A. Practically a complete revolution
In loom construction and in productive
ness has been brought about through
the introduction of the automatic
weft replenisfhng principle. Formerly
when the weft thread carried by the
shuttle of loom broke or became eX-
hausted the loom was stopped by the
action of its weft-fork devices and re-
manned at rest until the weaver no
ticed the stoppage and ref1lled the
shuttle or remedied the failure due TO
breakage. Various attempts We're
made by early inventors to avoid such
stoppage through the employment of
devices which would automatically re-
place the spent working shuttle by
filled reserve shuttle. This finally was
accomplished by the so-called auto
matte bobbin-changing loom. which
was first placed on the market about
1895. Automatic looms operating to
effect replenishment OF weft without
stoppage, either by quick insertion of
a fresh bobbin Of weft into the working
shuttle or by quick change of shut
ties, have replaced at the present day
a very large portion of the looms op
Grating according to the old principle.
The Improvement enables one weaver
to run from to II times as many
looms as formerly.
Q. OF what material were the sails
of early Egyptian vessels made?-
5. Il. @.
A. From Herodotus we learn that
some We're made Of papyrus. Beauti-
fully ornamented colored linen sails
were early in use.
Q. Explain the right OF eminent do
main.-L. F. A.
A. 1t is the inherent sovereign pow
er of the state of controlling private
property for public purposes by max
ing compensation. The purposes for
which property may be taken are
usually limited by law or by the Con-
stitution.
Q. Is there a plan to make use of
the great tides of the Bay Of Fundy?-
NJ. r.
4. A s100.0O0,00o project for har-
Messing the great tides of the Bay of
Fundy.so as to generate from 500 900
to 100000 horsepower and supply cleo
tricity to the eastern section of this
country and Canada apparently has
been indorsed by the voters of Maine
he MI. l,1
waters in Passamaquoddy Bay, re
lease them through turbines in a 10
to 20-foot drop into Cobscook Bay, and
supply. II iS estimated, 3,268. 100000
kiloWatt hours a year. or four times
the capacity Of Muscle Shoals.
Q. How many refrigerator cars are
there In the United States and Can
ada?-k. j.
a. According to figures compiled In
1924 there were 149,755
Q. How did the term roof rabbits"
originate, and what does it mean
G. NJ. NJ
A. In some European countries cat
meat is sometimes fradulently substi-
tuted for that of rabbits, and the
term roof rabbits" is used sometimes
In referring to cats.
q. How many motion picture houses
are there in the United States?-A. II.
A. There are approximately 1900
motion picture houses in the United
States, having yearly receipts Of $780,
000,060.
Q. What sort of a machine is Ezra
Cornell supposed TO be leaning against
in his statue on the campus of Cor
nell University at Ithaca, y. "
h. l..
A. The secretary Of Cornell Uni
versity says: I'm the statue of Ezra
Cornell at this university the sculptor
(Herman Atkins MacNeiD copied in
bronze the original Morse telegraph
instrument-rhe receiving instrument
on which the message What hath
God wrought was received by Alfred
Vail at Baltimore on May "a. 1914.
The instrument itself is in SibIey Col
lege, Cornell University, having been
presented to the college by the late