Evening star., 1935-07-08
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

a TeuQeT Gun get Lne Qu8UeT 10 any
question OF fact by priting The Washing
ton Euening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing
ton, d. C. Please i,Sclose stamp for reply.
Q. How did the length of stride Of
Man O. War compare with that of Phar
Lap?-T. r. C.
A. Man O. Wars stride was once meas
ured coming down the stretch and at
full racing speed was 26 feet. Phar
Laps stride measured in about the same
situation was "a feet.
@. What building comes nearest to
the Empire State Building in height2
p. H.
A. The second in height is the
ChrySler Building. The Eiffel Tower
in Paris. the third tallest structure, is
the tallest in Europe.
@. What color Is the Tiffany dia-
mond?-R. S. z.
A. 1t is best described as orange yellow.
Its color is so rare that it is doubtful
whether another stone of exactly the
same tint has ever been found or
ever will be.
@. Please give the cost OF Boulder
Dam Reservoir, the American Canal,
and the Los Angeles Aqueduct-H. p.
A. 1t is estimated that the dam
Reservoir will cost S70,60O 900: that the
American Canal will cost S38, 500 900, and
the Los Angeles Aqueduct will cost
s220,000,000.
Q. How many newspapers have repre-
SentativeS in the press gallery in Wash
ington?-F. A.
A. About 310.
Q. Is there any observable natural
swing back compensating for the effects
of the drought?-M. D.
A. In addition to the unusually heavy
rains which have visited the drought
areas, hog litters are reported as larger
than normal and an unusual number
of twin sheep are being born, tending
TO compensate for the drought deaths
and the A. A. A. slaughterings in 1884.
Q. Why is Corned beef so called?-R. M.
A. Many years ago, the word corn
meant small, hard particle Of any sub
stance such as sand, salt or gun powder.
Beef was treated with cornS of salt and
SO derived its name.
@. How are automobiles loaded in
freight cars?-G. L. 3.
A Autos are sometimes loaded into
freight cars by being rolled in on their
own wheels. The vehicles are loaded
ond NH nm fhair 0yxyy, WI
three or four make carload. When they
are loaded by what is called the Evans
loading device. the wheels are taken of
of the front Of the car. When stacked
at angles with the front wheels removed,
six small vehicles can be accommodated.
@. Which Of Thackeray's works Is
called a novel without hero?-E. H.
A. Vanity Fair Qa47-184s). which is
also called his masterpiece.
@. Who first used the word sympo-
sium?-H. L.
A. Both Plato and Xenophon used the
word as the title of a work describing
the conversation of Socrates and others.
Since then it has come to mean dis
cussion.
Q. What is the Torrey Botanical
Club?-E. G.
A. This is a scientific society in New
York City, incorporated in 1871 and now
one of the six associated societies form
ing the Scientific Alliance. It has
valuable herbarium Of several thousand
specimens illustrating the fora within
100 miles of New York, which is exhib-
tied at the New York Botanical Garden,
home of the club.
@. Who was Echetlus?-W. NJ. r.
A. An unknown stranger clad as a
peasant. who at the Battle Of Marathon
appeared armed with a plowshare and
killed many Persians. The name was
conferred by the oracle.
@. What is the purpose of the Ma
tional Shrine of the Immaculate Con-
ception now under construction in
Washington?-C. w.
A. 1t is designed as symbol of Amer
lean Catholic devotion to the Blessed
Virgin. The building will take its place
with such notable memorials as Santa
Maria Maggiore of Rome, Santa Maria
del Fiore, Florence; the modern shrines
of Lourdes and Fourviere in France, and
the shrines at Einsiedeln and Guade-
loupe. 1t is felt to be fitting that great
architectural work embodying the high
est historical ideas of Christian art
should be related to this center Of Cath
olic learning in America.
@. What was the earliest lighthouse?
w. M
A. Modern lighthouses may be said to
date from the construction Of the Eddy
stone Lighthouse in the English Chan
mel in 1855.
O. Please give some information about
the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore?-
r. S. M.
A. The Walters Art Gallery and It's
contents was left to the City Of Balti-
more by the late Henry Walters, who
died November 80, 1881. and who also
included in his bequest the Walters resi-
dence and the income from one-fourth
of the residue of his estate in trust for
its maintenance. The art objects are
said by experts to form the greatest pri-
vate COLLECTION ever brought together.
The great collection was begun in 1850
when william T. Walters, father of
Henry Walters, acquired his first paint
ings In paintings alone there are over
1.5O0 canvases. The Oriental collection
includes ceramics, bronzes, tapestries
and rugs.
O. How are the seats for members OF
the British Parliament arranged?-S. c.
A. The members sit on benches facing