Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-02

@. Please give a brief sketch of the
celebrated race between the Robert e.
Lee and the Natchez.-E. c. L.
A. The Robert e. Lee and the
Natchez for long time had been rivals
on the Mississippi River. On June 80,
1870, the Robert z. Lee backed out Of
its wharf at New Orleans a few min
utes ahead of starting time. 1mmedi-
ately the Natchez followed suit Both
passengers and cargo were left behind,
| and the two boats tore up the river to
st. Louis. The Robert e. Lee had made
arrangements to have fast boats meet
II with coal, while the Natchez dragged
barges Of coal, which considerably re-
duced its speed. The Robert E. Lee ar
rived at st. Louis on July 4, covering
the 200 miles in 90 hours and 40 min
utes. The. Natchez was over 6 hours
later in arriving.
@. How many freight cars are there
in the United States?-R. D. M.
A. There are about 100000.
@. What is the most expensive chem
ical in use today?-M. S.
A. Radium is probably the most ex-
pensive chemical in use today.
@. At what temperature is steam
said to be live steam?-D. B. w.
A. Steam is said to be live steam at
any temperature above 212 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Q. Is the Mississippi River Commits
sion composed entirely of Army engi-
neers?-R. e. S.
A. The Mississippi River Commits
sion is a committee of three Army en-
gineers, three civil engineers and one
member Of the Geodetic Survey.
Q. When will the Tomb of the IN
known Soldier be finished?-W. G. B.
A. Only the foundation of the Tomb
OF the Unknown Soldier Is laid. At this
date the design of the tomb has not
been selected and 1t is not known when
the tomb will be finished.
Q. How many Boy Scouts were there
in 1919 and in 1928?-W. P. G..
A. The number Of Boy Scouts that
was officially recorded as of January /,
1919, was 360,069. AS of December /,
1928. there were 5s5,955 Troop Scouts
and 14,361 Lone Scouts, making a total
OF 600,3l6 Scouts registered.
@. What hotel was the first to have
mechanical air-cooling sysUem?-J F.
A. We find no definite statement as
to which hotel first installed a mechan-
ical air-cooling system. Undoubtedly
one Of the earliest systems was that in
SN"AASA AOA OAAC OIipCAdh lOOIH anu
banquet hall in the Congress Hotel in
Chicago in 1907.
q. How many saddle horses are there
in the United States?-C. N.
A. 1t Is estimated that there are
about 100000 saddle horses.
@. Can Russian money be exchanged
for United States COMA K.
A. Since Russia is not recognized by
the United States, Russian money may
not be exchanged for United States
currency.
Q. Why is the twilight longer the
farther from the Equator an observer
ISL. +. N.
A. Twilight ends when the sun is 10
degrees below the horizon. In low
ATTITUDES, because of the quickness with
which the sun traverSeS the 10 degrees
below the horizon, and because of the
transparency of the atmosphere, there
Is little twilight. However, the higher
the latitude the smaller the angle at
which the suns path meets the horizon,
and hence the longer it takes the sun
to sink to the required distance.
@. Who was the first woman to hike
up Pixies Peak?-M. A. B.
A. The Colorado Springs Chamber
OF Commerce says that Mrs Holmes Of
Lawrence. KanS.. was the first woman
to accomplish the feat. She liked up
In 1850