Evening star., 1936-02-12
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

| BY Frederic J. Haskin.
reader caH get the dns1cer to any
question OF fact By tortttng The Wash
ington Star Information Bureau, Fred.
erick J. HGsktn, director, Washington,
D. c. Please enclose stamps for rec
turn postage.
@. When did Mussolini become min
lister of colonies?-H. P. E.
A. Premier MusSolini took over the
ministry of colonies on January 16, 1885.
@. Do more people die of extreme heat
or extreme cold?-I. H.
A. Many more people die of extreme
heat than Of extreme cold. In 1880, ex-
cessive heat caused 1,487 deaths in the
United States, while excessive cold
caused only 337 deaths.
@. How much does a parachute
weigh?-A. F. N.
A. A parachute is made of carefully
chosen silks. The total weight when
packed is about 18 pounds. The shroud-
lines or cordage are of extremely fine
silk made by an American manufac-
turer of fishing equipment. The Army
Air Service parachute is "a feet in diam
eter and will safely land a man weigh
ing $50 pounds
Q. How many people have been
lynched in the United States in the last
so years?-V. M.
A. Since 1882 1921 whites and 1882
Negroes have been lynched in the
United States.
@. When did the Washington family
first acquire land in the tract which
became Mount Vernon?-D. C.
A. The title of the Washington family
to Mount Vernon, early known as the
Hunting Creek tract, dates from a grant
made in 1874 by Lord Culpeper to Lieut..
Col. John Washington and Col. Nicholas
Spencer jointly. consisting of 5000 acres
"in the Ffreshes of the Pottomeek River,
and neare opposite to Piscataway, In
dian towne of MARYLAND" This Col.
Washington, known as John the Emf
grant, was the first member of the
family to come to America, and was
destined to be remembered in history
as the great-grandfather of the first
President Of the United States.
@. What has been done with the silent
movie f1lms?-M H.
A. Some of them are In the storage
houses Of the production companies,
others have been placed in museums and
many have been destroyed.
@. Will an electric clock be as ac-
curate as a chronometer?-M.L L.
A. The National Bureau of Standards
says that the fluctuation in frequency
of the electric power circuit causes errors
in the clock amounting TO as much as
Is or 20 seconds at times In a long
run, such as a day. these errors are
generally about neutralized. For gen.
eral commercial purposes, these clocks
are very satisfactory, but they are not
precision instruments unless operated
from a very carefully controlled circuit.
Clocks of this type cannot be regulated
for error. Chronometers are regular
timekeepers that are capable Of being
adjusted and regulated to keep time
within a fraction of a second a day.
The rate is generally regular and not
subject to fluctuations.
@. How much did Joe Louis and Primo
Carnera weigh when they met in the
prize ring?-A. G.
A. Joe Louis weighed 1856 pounds at
the time of the Camera fight, while
Primo Camera weighed 260h pounds.
@. Is it impossible to boil an egg on
Pixies Peak?-W. K.
A. If water and fire are available, it
is quite possible. Water boils at lower
temperature at that altitude and it will
take longer to cook the egg to the same
hardness than it does at sea level.
@. Does the American Dental ASsocia-
ton approve of advertising dentiStry?--
w. D. L.
A. The American Dental Association
in its national convention in October,
1888. at Memphis. Tenn, decided to ad-
vertise. However, such advertising is In
no sense commercial or individualized.
Instead it is confined to publicity on a
high plan and devoted exclusively to
dental education.
@. How many of the blind people in
the United States lost their sight early
in life?-J. A.
A. There are more than $4,000 blind
persons in the United States. Over one
third of this number lost their sight
in childhood or youth and over two
fifths during early or middle adult life,
or between 20 and IS years Of age.
@. Who is the present Tammany
leader?-C. D.
A. James j. Dooling.
@. What is the English term for the
work-study cooperative plan used In
some schools in the United States?-
N. E. F.
A. 1t is called the sandwich plan in
England.
@. Does the South American condor
take flight the same as any other bird
or does it have to have running start?
H. ON.
A. The Bureau of Biological Survey
says that the condor, like other large,
heavy birds, cannot get off the ground
in flight without some aid from the
feet In so-called running start. In
this, the wings are Tapping from the
beginning of the run. The condor can
also propel itself from a projection, as
a cliff, and begin flight by gliding.
O. How long has it been since the
Department Of Agriculture has dis
tributed free seed?-R. j.
A. 1t has been 13 years since this gen.
eral practice has been discontinued.
@. How long ago did George Gray
Barnard execute 1.-TWO Natures" which