Evening star., 1927-05-06

automObile?-M. 5.
A. The so-called carbon in an auto
mobile engine is usually a mixture of
street dust, metal from the engine and
carbon. Most of the carbon probably
comes from the lubricating oil.
O. What did it cost to build "Old
Ironsides" "?-J. c. j.
A. According TO the act of March
I27, 1874, the cost of construction of
"Old Ironsides" was $S02,719.
Q. VIII you kindly let me know
what became of Maj. Rowan. the man
who carried the message TO Garcia?
Fl. J.
A. Mai. Rowan IS at the present
located in San Francisco. Calf.
@. Has any President OF France
served longer than eight years?-E.
| I. S.
A. Eight years is the longest term
ever served by a President Of France
and this was from 1879 to 1887.
@. Do men ever have soprano
voices?-G. A. w. J.
| A. 1t is possible for a man to have
| a high soprano voice. In fact, at the
| Vatican in Rome there Is an entire
choir composed OF male sopranos.
@. Why did the United States buy
Muscle Shoals?-W. d.
A. To provide a domestic supply of
nitrates for explosives and fertilizers.
@. Why does the skin on some cold
storage poultry dry up and wrinkle
around the legs?-N. J. S.
| A. The flesh on stored poultry dries
up and wrinkles around the legs be-
cause of the evaporation OF water
which takes place.
@. What is the meaning of the
word planetary" in mechanics
A. C. r.
A. The term planetary" in me-
chances means pertaining to an
epicyclic train of gear wheels. espe-
cially one constituting an automobile
transmission gear"
@. Where was Marie Provost born
and is this her real name?-K. o. c..
A. Her real name is Marie Bick-
| ford Dunn and she was born at
Sarnia, Canada.
@. What are characteristic speeds
of travel. and the practical maxima
reasonably to be expected, Of rockets,
zontal fiight?-W. o. E.
A. Many different types of rockets
are made. The distance to which they
| will range and the height TO which
they will ascend depend upon the
type. An ordinary sky rocket such
as used on the 4th of July will prob
ably not ascend more than 500 feet
If fired from vertical position, and
will probably not range farther than
900 yards If held elevated at an
angle of 80 degrees. The highest de-
veloped rocket is probably the tracer
shell used in artillery. In this the
projectile carries a supply of illuminat-
ing tracer composition in its base,
and the tracer shell has nearly the
range of the ordinary projectile. in
some types upward of 10000 yards.
@. Will you kindly give me any in
formation you may possess as to how
the nickname Dick" for men and
boys bearing the name of Richard,
originated?-L. H.
A. The nickname "Dick" Is prob
ably from Diccon, and Old English form
which is a double diminutive of Rich
ard.
Q. Will you kindly tell me how
wide the Potomac River is at it's
widest point? How wide is the Hud-
son River at its widest point?-R. E.
A. We are informed by the Army
Engineer Corps that the Hudson
River is miles wide at its widest
point; the Potomac River, little less
than 612 miles wide at its widest
point.
@. Will you please tell me how the
immigration quota for each country
| is figured?-E. r. E.
A. The commissioner general Of i'm
migration says: THE annual quota
of any nationality shall be 2 per
centum of the number of foreign-born
| individuals of such nationality resi-
dent in continental United States as
determined by the United States CEN
sus of 1890, but the minimum quota
of any nationality shall be 100"
O. What is IL o'clock at noon and
12 o'clock midnight called?-M. A. S.
A. The Naval Observatory says II
o'clock noon is written ~ m" and