Evening star., 1928-06-04

letter ''f' have the sound Of "v"?--F. c.
A. The word "of' is the only Eng
lish word we find in which #" has the
sound of "v."
O. What is the estimated life Of the
modern skyscrapers?-G. L.
A. The associate editor of the Archi-
tectural Record says that the average
skyscraper Is estimated to continue in
existence from 25 TO 30 years. This
brlef period OF existence is due to the
rapid growth and changes in our cities,
and does not indicate failure due to
construction. The modern skyscraper,
with proper care to protect the steel
framework and footings. should exist a
century or longer. Electrolyss has been
found to be injurious to the life of steel.
ana tn1s may be destructive factor
tabout which little is known which
under certain conditions may shorten
tne life OF the skyscraper to half CEN
tury or so.
Q. What is the origin of the weeping
willow tree in this country?-M. S.
"A. Ihe weeping willow was intro
auced INTO England from the East In
l122, and into the United States in ITS
by British officer who came To BOSTON
with the army, bringing a twig. This
I"lg came into possession OF John
Parke Gusts, who planted 1t on his
estate In Abingdon, Va. where IL be-
came the progenitOr Of this species In
the United States.
@. What was Alan Dale's real namep
e. p
A. Alan Dale's real name was Alfred
j. Cohen. Mr.. Dale. who died Nav 21.
was the Oldest New York dramatic critic
IN point OF service. Born in Rirmjne-
nam. England, in 1861. he came to this
country as a young man, and spent
most of his lifetime in New York City.
Q. In whirlwind why don't the par
| tlcleS OF air moving around the axis of
the whirl fly off at a tangent. therein
destroying the whirl?-W. It. B.
A. The Weather Bureau says that
the atmospheric pressure in a whirl-
wind is less than in the still air out
sloe. There is thus resultant force.
directed toward the center of the Wfirl
acting on the air within the whirl, The
tendency 70 fly off at a tangent is over
come by this inwardly directed force.
and as a result the air moves circu-
larly around the axis.
@. What is Gobelin tapestry?-M !
A. tapestry made in Faubourg. st.
Marcel. Paris. and so called from the
brothers Gobelin, dyerS from Rheims.
VINO made fortune from their scarlet
dye In the reign of Francois /. In 1867
Louis XIV converted the business into
royal manufacture and employed emil
nent artists like Lebrun to invent de-
signs.
@. How much nicotine does a person
absorb while smoking cigarettes?-
D. E. G..
A. About 30 per cent of the nicotine
IN cigarettes is transferred to the smoke
taken into the mouth. If a cigarette
smoker smoked steadily for an hour. he
might absorb about So milligrams. or
haif grain. of nicotine if he inhaled
or about p milligrams if he did not
inhale.
O. How does the size Of Australia
compare with the size of the United
tates?-M-G.
A. The gross area of continental
United States is 3,026. 789 square miles:
OF Australia, 2,s74,5S1 square miles.
g. In what sports did the Egyptians
indulge?-V. S.
A. The people of Egypt were greatly
given to hunting and fishing: also
throwing of the rounded stones and
discus. They were also expert runners.
q. How many sheets and blankets
did the Pullman company buy in 1927?
A. c.
A. The Pullman company SAYS that
In the year 1927 1t purchased S75. 5.24S
sheets and 81 500 blankets.
@. What was the estimated and the
actual cost of Key Bridge?-A. A. p.
A. The United States Army Engineer
Corps says that the estimated cost of
the Key Bridge was 81 900 600. The
actual cost was s., $50. 900. The increase
IN the cost Of construction tabor and
materially between the date when the
cost Of the bridge was estimated and
the date when II was constructed ex-
plains the large difference in the above