Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-12

nave We uhu tIc picdSuTc Oh serving
you through our Washington informa-
to you in your problems? Our business
is to furnish you with authoritative in
formation, and we invite you to ask us
any question Of fact in which you are
interested. Send your inquiry to The
Evening Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric j. Haskin director, Washington,
d. c. Inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps
for return postage.
@. When was the cathedral at Milan,
Italy, begun?-H. B. w.
A. 1t was commenced in 1887.
O. Is there a practical way to break
a Persian cat of eating chickens?-
M. s. w.
A. We suggest the following old farm
method: Place the cat in a bag fitted
with shirr string around the open
end, leaving the cats head outside
Draw the string snugly around the ami
mails neck and then place the cat near
the old hen and her chicks. The cat,
deprived of its best means OF defense
viz, its claws-is soon thoroughly fright
ened and subdued by the hen. Repeat
ing this procedure few times is usually
sufficient to break the cat of the bad
habit of stealing the chicks.
@. What is the difference in time
between Washington, D. c., and Seattle?
Has Seattle daylight-saving timer. e.
A. There Is q difference of three
hours in time between Washington and
Seattle. Neither city uses daylight
saving time. Therefore, at noon in
Seattle it is 3 O'Clock In the afternoon
in Washington.
Q. Who designed the new type Of
speed boat which is to be entered in
the races for the Harmsworth Inter-
national Trophy?-E. B. H.
A. The new speed boat was designed
by Miss Betty Carstairs and is named
the Estelle ~. The boat is built on
very powerful lines and Is expected to
do los miles an hour. The hull, 35
besZn, weighs $500 pounds without en-
gines. The sides are of double plank
ing, horizontal on the outside and
diagonal inside, with layer of oiled
canvas between. The underwater sur
face Is treated with a secret mixture
Of graphite and black lead, which
makes 1t almost frictionless. There are
two rudders, one aft and one under
meath. These move in unison and are
controlled by car-type steering wheel.
The engines are three Napier Lions,
CoSAA 4lttGo Will q SCdL DOA dIlu
propeller Of its own, so that the boat
is the first triple-screw racing boat to
be made. Each engine also has separate
gasoline and oil tanks and water supply.
Q. Are thoroughbreds best for polo
and hunting?-T. H. A.
A. Experience has proved that in the
high types OF polo ponies and hunters
the thoroughbred strain is predominant.
@. What is q "columbarium"?-G.
A. The word "columbarium" is de-
rived from the Latin word COLUMBIA"
meaning a dove. The work was orig
inally applied to rows Of inches in the
walls Of sepulchral chambers in Roman
burial places from their fancied resem-
blance to the dovecote. Eventually the
name was applied to the chamber itself;
hence its use at the present time.
Q. What causes evaporation of water?
L. j. C.
A. Water evaporates when 1t is ex-
posed to air or heat. There is a con-
slant movement of molecules of the
water. Their average velocity is con-
slant at given temperature, but the
individual velocity of the molecules va
ries greatly and changes from instant
10 ulSLdIlt. Is que 10 the
frequent impact between the molecules.
Those which are near the surface of the
liquid and which have high velocities
escape from it into the air above, caus-
ing the phenomenon which we know as
evaporation.
@. When were oranges first sent into
Russia ?-H. r.
A. The first oranges eaten in Russia
were served on Potiomkin's table when
he entertained Catherine the Great in
1871.
O. Did Mussolini attend college?-C.
E. r.
A. During his youth Mussolini went
to Switzerland, where, after suffering
considerable hardship and privation, he
managed to graduate from the Univer-
sity Of Lausanne.
@. Why can't counterfeiters repro
duce the engraving on paper money
perfectly?-C. L. A.
A. The medallion, rulings and circu-
lar ornaments on genuine bill are
automatically correct, and are made
from q machine upon which $50, 900
was spent in the production, and is
therefore beyond the reach of counter
letters. Engraving by hand can never
equal this work.