Evening star., 1935-09-11
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

BY Frederic J. Haskin.
reader can get the dnsWer 10 any
question OF fact By tDritino The Washing
ton EUentny Star Information Bureau,
frederic J. Hdskia, Director Washing
ton, d. c. Please irctose stamp for reply.
@. How much cement will be used
in building the Grand Coulee Dam?
S. B.
A. About 100000 barrels.
Q. Is it hard to learn to play kettle
druns?-N. A.
A. The Etude says that the art Of
playing the tympani is not easily mas
tered. They are as difficult to play
as the violin. A person should first
be fair pianist, then learn to play
snare drum, bass drum, traps, cymbals,
bells and the xylophone. Then he begins
on kettledrums. He must learn to tune
by hand or pedal, to roll, learn pedal
effects. glissandoS and double rolling.
He must also have absolute pitch.
@. How can books be printed on India
paper when writing seems to soak
through the paper?-R. D. B.
A. Printing ink is made differently
and remains to a great extent on the
surface, while writing ink is usually
fluid and sinks into so thin a paper.
@. What is the origin Of the express
sion, going the whole hog"?-J. w. v.
A. 1t is believed to have originated
in the slang use Of the word hog, mean
ing a ducat IN Jewish, or one shilling
in medieval English.
O. What is the troposphere?-F. C.
A. 1t is that portion of the atmosphere
lying below the StratoSphere or iso-
thermal layer and within which the
CONNECTIVE disturbances are confined. 1t
is also known as the convictive region
a term first applied to it by Teisserenc
de Bort.
@. Who invented the vacuum cleaner?
C. s. F.
A David T. Kenney Of New York is
credited with installing the first pure
vacuum system in 1902 and about 1905
DR.. William Noe Of San Francisco con-
structed the first portable vacuum
cleaner.
@. What is the difference between a
patent pending" and patent applied
for"?-M B.
A. They have practically the same
meaning Each indicates that the In
ventor has started negotiations toward
procuring patent.
@. What is the meaning Of alcazar?
e. M.
A. This is the name applied to various
Moorish palaces in Spain. Originally
constructed as forts, they are never
theleSs chiefly noted for their decorative
work and arcaded courts. The alcazar
of Seville, built in the fourteenth Gen.
tury on the site of Moorish citadel of
1181 and restored in 1924 and 1857, is
one of the most famous.
O. In which Of the national parks are
the most geysers found?-S. A.
A. There are more geysers In the
Yellowstone than in all the rest of the
world together.
O. Is the apricot a native fruit of
England?-A. B.
A. 1t is a native fruit of the countries
east of China and Japan. Brought from
Asia Minor, it was first introduced into
England by Richard Harris, a fruiterer
to King Henry VIII in l540.
@. When were vigilantes first organ
lied in this country?-H. 2.
A. The term has been applied in this
country to any self-constituted judicial
body occasionally organized in the
Western frontier districts for the pro-
lection of life and property. The first
group of prominence bearing the name
was organized in San Francisco in June,
1851, when the crimes of deSperadoes
who had immigrated to the gold fields
were rapidly increasing in number.
@. What are the Twelve Tables?-C. H.
A. They are the earliest code of Roman
law civil and criminal and religious,
made by the decemvirs in 45l-449 BIC.
The original bronze tablets on which
the laws were written are believed to
have periShed in the sack of Rome by
the Gauls in 800 BIC. Copies of them
stood in the forum in the second CEN
tury AID.
@. What postmaster in the United
States has had the longest record Of
Service?-C. L. B.
A Mr.. Roswell Beardsley served the
longest of any postmaster in the history
of the postal service. He was appointed
postmaster at North Lansing, N. Y, June
%. 1928. and served continuously until
the day of his death, January 6, 1903.
@. Who built the Trianon In the
Park of Versailles?-H. G.
A. The Grand Trianon was built in
1885 by Louis XIV for Nine. de Main
tenon The Petit Trianon was built by
Louis XIV in 1766 for Nine. du Barry.
@. What was accomplished by Ad-
miral Byrd's second expedition to the
Antarctic Pm. M.
A Among the accomplishments OF the
expedition may be mentioned the fact
that the explorers proved by ship and
airplane that the unmapped space north
of the 18th parallel, between the 12Oth
and 16Oth meridians west, Is part OF
the Pacific Ocean. They spent 300 hours
studying coSmic rays 1000 miles farther
south than ever before. In astronomy,
thanks to the clearness of the atmos-
phere, they did remarkable work on
meteors, seeing on an average one
second. They traced the EdSel Ford
Mountain Range for hundreds OF miles,
settling in the affirmative the question
- l. -ew3@ Ia