Evening star., 1935-06-27
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

BY Frederic ]. Haskin.
A reader can get the dnsper to any
question OF fact by tDriting The Washing
ton Evening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. HaSkin Director. Washing.
tor, d. c. Please tnclose stamp for reply.
@. What is the extent of the tourist
camp industry in the United States?-
r. r. E.
A. There are some 10000 tourist camps
in this country, representing an invest
ment Of more than $3.50 900 900.
@. What is the estimated age Of some
of the older petroleum deposits?-C P. T.
A. Oil is found in rocks laid down in
| the making Of the earth's crust, even
| farther back than the Cambrian period,
which dates back 1880, ,0OO,0 years of
| geologic time before the dawn of primi-
tive man, which occurred during the
Quaternary period.
@. What percentage of automobile
| accidents are caused by tire blowouts?-
| V. w. NICK.
| A. There were 7,740 vehicles in acci-
dents in 1884 because Of punctures or
blowouts. OF these accidents, 400 re-
suited in fatalities. The percentage of
vehicles involved in accidents because Of
blowoutS was only six-tenths of per
cent.
@. BY whom and when was the Balti-
more Sun eStabliShed?-E. r. B.
A. The Baltimore Sun was established
May IT, 1887, by three printers, Swain,
! Simmons and Abel.
! @. When were decimal fractions first
! employed in mathematical calcula-
tionS?-A. P. NJ.
A. Some authorities are of the opinion
that Sumerian inscriptions indicate that
these ancient peoples were acquainted
with decimal system and also q sex
| ageSimal one. However, the first mathe-
| maticians to use decimal fractions in
the modern way were Christoff Rudolf
in his "EXempel Buchlin," published at
Augsburg in 1880, in which he used a
bar to mark off the decimal part, and
Simon Stevin (Stevinus) who in 1885
published de Thiende," devoted solely
to these fractions.
| @. How many different names are
there for frankfurters?-E. M.
A. In some sections these sausages are
! known as wieners, in other sections as
| Coney Islands, while they are also called
| half-smokeS, red-hots and hot dogs.
@. What was the first American ex-
pedition to the Arctic?-A. M.
A. The first American expedition In
Arctic regions was made by DR.. Kane
in 1858, who penetrated Smith Strait as
far as Cape George Russell.
@. How long has the New York City
| Public Library been open?-C. B.
A. The central building of the library,
! Fifth avenue and Forty second street,
was opened May %, 1911.
@. What percentage of feeble-minded-
ness is hereditary?-P. r.
| A. Feeble -mindedness is more than so
per cent hereditary. OF the remainder
about u per cent appears to be due to
neuropathic ancestry-that is, the fami-
| lies are characterized by such conditions
as paralysis and alcoholism. Nineteen
| per cent is classified as being due to
| accidental causes, including certain dis
eases such as menengitiS. convulsions and
| fevers in early life. 1t is likely that in
| herited syphilis also is factor.
O. How long did it take Carlyle TO
| rewrite the first volume of The French
| Revolution" which was burned?-J. c.
| A. Carlyle had no copy and but few
notes, and to rewrite the volume took
years exhausting labor.
| @. What was the A. B. plot?-G. W.
A. This was a plot to destroy Secretary
| of the Treasury Crawford'S popularity
by accusing him, in 1924. of malfeaSance
| in office. A series of letters appeared in
a Washington newspaper, signed A. B.,
| rejecting upon Crawford'S integrity.
They were written by Ninian Edwards,
who acknowledged their authorship. He
failed to sustain his charges, so Craw-
ford was exonerated.
@. What is the meaning Of the word
Seminole?-J. B. T.
A, The word Seminole means sepa-
ratist or renegade. 1t refers to people
who go out to settle towns and live by
| themselves.
@. What were the qualifications Of the
| men selected by King James to revise
the Bible?-J. r.
A. The greater number OF these learn
ed men were members of the Established
| Church of England, but no political,
religious or sectarian Affiliations were
requisite to selection. The finest schol-
ars of the nations-those best versed IN
| both the modern and ancient Ian
guageS-Were selected. The group was
divided into six companies. Quoting
from the report of the committee, the
procedure was: Every particular man
of each company to take the same chap
ter or chapters and, having translated
or amended them severally by himself,
where he thinketh good, all to meet
together, confer what they have done,
and agree for their part what shall
stand AS any one company hath dis
patched any one book in this manner.
they shall send it to the rest to be con-
sidered of seriously and tudic1ally."
O. When was the George Junior Re-
| public established?-E. M.
A. This community, near Freeville,
N. Y, was established by William H.
George in 1895 as a method Of reform
in the treatment of dependent and de-
| linquent boys and girls.
@. For whom is Parkinson'S disease
| named?-W. w. M.
A. Parkinson'S disease is named for
the English physician, James Parkin-
son (1755-l82D.