, 1935-04-26

QUESTION Oh TACT py writing Inc
Brownsville Herald Information
Bureau. Frederic J. Haskin. Di-
rector. washington, d. G. Please
enclose three CD cents for reply.
q. Has the New York racing sea
son opened. II. g.
A. II opened April 20 at the ia
maica uong Island) track.
q. How many world Series have
been won by the American Baseball
League? The National? IL. q.
A. To date, the American League
has won 10 World Series. and the Ma
tional League has won Is.
q. Are the dust storms that have
occurred lately q new thing In the
West? G. G.
A. The Weather Bureau says that
the West has always had them. Un-
til the last two years they have been
local. Several years Of drought, on
top Of the reckless denuding CT
thousands Of acres Of land where
rainfall is normally relatively light,
provided, in great abundance, the
first ingredient OF dust storms. The
high winds that blow over the plains
In spring and summer brought the
second ingredient.
q. Is there any standard set for
railroad ties? T. A. w.
"A. All ties used In the railroad in
dustry have TO pass certain specifi-
cations set UP by the Committee on
Ties Of the American Railway Engin-
eertng Association.
q. When and where were roller
skates first used? P. wi. 3.
A. Wheeled skates we're used on the
roads of Holland MS far back as the
18th Century, but It was the inven-
ton OF the four-wheeled skate,
working on rubber pads. by j. y.
Plimpton Of New York, In 1868 that
made the amusement popular. Still
greater advance was made by the
RAYMOND skate with ball and cone
bearings. The wheels of roller were
first OF turned lockwood but the wear
OF the edges was a fault which has
been surmounted by making them OF
a hard composition or Of steel
q. Is there n difference between n
night hawk and q whippoOrwill? E.
w.
A. They belong to the same fam
ily, but are not the same species.
q. which Justice Of the United
States Supreme Court has the tenth
circuit? s. II.
"A. At the present time. due to the
stress Of business in the Supreme
Court and In Washington, d. O., the
Supreme Court judges do not go ON
circuit as formerly and each circuit
may be supervised by any justice best
able to serve. or the whole court may
take the matter under advisement.
Previously, after the tenth circuit
was established, Mr.. Justice Van De-
vanter supervised this circuit IN
addition to his own.
q. What is the Laxey wheel? w. r.
III
A. This wheel is in the town Of
Laxey On the Isle OF Man. There are
in Laxey lead and silver mines. The
famous Iaxey wheel Is u gigantic
| structure designed by Manx engin-
GERS and originally used for pump
ing these mines.
q. What was q letter-of-marque
ship? G. G. w.
A. This was a ship which had re-
ceived a license or extraordinary
commission granted by q government
to q private person TO fit out an
armed vessel to cruise as a privateer
or corsair at sea and make prizes
of the enemy's ships and merchan-
disc. Under such a commission. the
acts So committed were not consid-
cred piracy.
q. Why are seed pearls 20 called
and where do they come from? q. II.
A. Yhey are SO called because they
are tiny and appear like seeds. They
are the pearls found in the musSels
IN rivers Of Germany, Ireland, Sect
land, Russia, AND Cnlna-
q. When we're diplomatic relations
established between the Soviet Union
and the United States? c. B. A.
A. They were established by an
exchange or notes between President
| Roosevelt and Commissar Litvinoff
In washington. November 10. 1888.
The Ambassadors are william G.
Bullitt and Alexander A. Troyanov-
sky.
q. IN no cotton were raised for n
year would the boil weevii survive?
". w. G.
A. The Bureau OF Entomology
saws the boil weevil Is known to
breed on only one other plant besides
| cotton in the cotton belt, namely,
| the shrub-althea hibiscus Siriacus).
III no cotton YER raised for a year
In the cotton belt. most OF the wee
wis would be eliminated.
q. When were the first Negroes
brought 90 the new world? ID. III. B.
A. The first ship OF negroes
brought to the new world came In a
Portuguese boat to Santo Domingo
In 1903. The first shipment OF slaves
to the United States was on a Dutch
ship in 1913. The Portuguese Mono
polized the slave traffic for about a
half century. Spain entered the slave
trade about 1917: England about
1853: and France In 1924.
a. why II the prison called Sing
Sing and the city called Ossining?
C.. TX G..
A. Sing Sing Prison is located lust
outside the city limits Of OSsining.
". Y. OSsining was formerly Sing
Sing. The name Sing Sing by which
" was known until 1901 comes from
the Indian Word meaning n stony