Evening star., 1934-08-13
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. H4SKIN.

A reader can get the dnS,per 10 any
question of fact By iDriting The Wash
ington Evening Star Information BIZ
redu. Frederic J. HdSkir, Director.
Washington, d. C. Please incloSe
stamp for reply.
@. How long does it take to COM
plete a course in f1ying?-W. H.
A. The average length Of time to
complete flying courses is: Private
pilot, six weeks: limited commercial
pilot, four months; transport pilot,
eight months.
@. Please explain about the grain
ship races between Australia and Eng
land.-H. w. K.
A They race each Spring between
Australia and England carrying
Australian grain. The Parma is one
of these ships which has won the race
during several past years. There are
only from one-half dozen to dozen
Of these ships left at the present time
and they are no longer important
commercially, but are still a novel
feature of the Australian grain trade
and the race is still held annually.
The sailing dates vary, the race con-
sisting of the time consumed in transit
rather than an attempt to reach Eng
land before any other ship. The
months of sailing are from January to
March and about three months Is
generally required for the trip. The
last ships generally arrive in England
during June.
@. How can weighted silk be dis
tinguished from unweighted silk?-
A. N. McM,
A. Usually by simple burning test.
Unweighted silk when burned melts,
forming a brittle globule, whereas the
weighted silk retains the shape of the
thread or fabric.
@. How much money is coined in
the United States in yesr?-G. w. S
A. Coinage executed by the mints
! of the United States during the fiscal
year ended June 80. 1898, totaled
! 38.076,l00 pieces, of which 32,154, 300
were domestic. consisting principally
| of 1-cent coins, and 1921 800 were
foreign coins, for Panama, Honduras
and Cuba, principally silver. made at
the Philadelphia Mint. The total
value of the domestic coinage was
$27. .861 APO, of which 26,45O,OO0 was
gold, $l.158,200 silver quarter dollars
of the Washington Bicentennial de-
sign. and $253,22o bronze 1-cent
pieces.
@. Is some salt necessary in the
human diet?-W. H. o.
A. Salt is an absolute necessity tC
human life because it is necessary tt
form the hydrochloric acid in the
stomach.
@. OF what is the atmosphere COM
posed?-G. T.
A. The atmosphere is about u by
volume oxygen, "a nitrogen, 1/250C
carbon dioxide, and variable pro-
portion of water vapor.
| @. How many people lived in the
Roman Empire about the time o1
! Christ?-T. A. H.
A. 1t has been estimated by Edward
Gibbon that in the reign of Claudius
4l-54 AID, the population Of the
Roman Empire was 120 600, ,00o-about
the population of the present con-
tinental United States.
@. Why is the mongoose barred
from entering this country?-H. c. M
A. The United States maintains q
strict ban on this animal because OF
the havoc it caused in the, Island OF
Jamaica when imported there to con-
troll vermin.
O. How soon after death does rigor
mortis set in?-H. E. P.
A. The length of time before rigor
tnortis sets in after death depends
on the individual and the cause OF
death. Rigor mortis means stiffen-
ing Of the body and usually occurs
from one to seven hours after death
due to the hardening of the muscular
tissues in consequence of the coagu'
lation of the myosinogen and param-