Evening star., 1936-02-05
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
By Frederic J. Hastis.

By Frederic J. Haskin.
A reader con get the ansDer to any
question OF fact By t0ritinD The Euentng
Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Haskin, Director, Washington, D. c.
Please iaclose stamp for reply.
@. Is the new bridge above New Orleans
across the Mississippi railroad bridge
exclusively?-W. s.
A. 1t is a combination railroad, vehicle
and passenger bridge. 1t is toll free.
Construction started in January, 1892,
and the formal opening was December
16, 1885. It is "A miles long, including
approaches, and extends 1924 feet across
the river at height of 135 feet above
high water level.
@. Who started the credit union or
ganization in this country?-D. N.
A. 1t is attributed to Edward A. Filene,
the Boston merchant, whose interest and
subsidies brought about the formation
in 1921 of what is now the Credit Union
National Association.
@. How is the word ski pronounced?
"A. r.
A. 1t is pronounced in this country as
though spelled skee In England, 1t is
usually pronounced as though it were
spelled shee.
@. What are sea shells made off,
M. r. G.
A. The composition of sea shells, or
the shells of molluscs, varies with the
kinds or species. In general, the shell
is composed of about 80 per cent cal
cium carbonate. 6 per cent organic mat
ter and per cent water.
@. Does the muskrats long hair i'm
pede it in swimming?-D. McN.
A. The outer hairs get wet, but the
inner hairs do not.
O. What makes popcorn pop?-N. s. M.
A. The popping of popcorn is simply
a characteristic of that variety. 1t is
due to the sudden liberation of pressure
produced by steam generated within the
kernel. The source of the steam is the
moisture contained in the kernel. The
colloidal matrix in which the starch
grains are embedded within the cell con-
fines this steam until the pressure be-
comes great enough completely and sud-
denly to rupture the original structure.
O. Was Frances Hodgson Burnett,
author of Little Lord Fauntleroy,"
married?-E. M.
A. Her maiden name was HodgSons
In 1873 she married DR.. L. M. Burnett,
from whom she obtained divorce in
1885, In 1900 she married Stephen
Townsend, an English author, who died
in 1914.
@. How many streamlined trains are
there in operation?-H. o. s.
A. There are now 13. Others are being
built.
@. How many people were with Noah
on the ark?-J. S.
A. The Bible, in the seventh chapter Of
Genesis, relates that Noah went into
the ark with his sons and his wife and
his sons wives. In the New Testament
the number is stated as eight souls.
O. What is the difference between vio-
let rays and ultra violet rays?-S. G.
A. The United States Public Health
Service says that the difference between
fIO1GI rays dIIO uQIId-fIO1Ct lays ID d
matter of degree. The spectrum is a
line toward the end of which violet rays
are found. This is of course, purely a
figurative- example. The ultraviolet
rays are beyond the violet rays in the
spectrum.
O. When using shrimp from a can,
should the dark streak inside them be
roo6u IN iiIcf
as they are?-J. j. S.
A. The little black line just under the
skin along the back of shrimps is part
of the intestinal system. In animals
so low in development as the shrimp this
is not considered detrimental to the use
of the animal as food and is therefore
not removed for commercial use. Most
people do, however, remove this before
serving.
@. Is it true that in Soviet Russia
school children can attend only movies
that are sanctioned by the school
authorities?-H. j. M.
A. All cultural activities affecting chill
dren are under the supervision Of the
Commissariat of Education. These in
clude screen stage and radio.
@. Please give biography of Benja-
min Altman-T. B.
A. Benjamin Altman, merchant, art
collector and philanthropist, was born
in New York City in 1910. Beginning In
his fathers dry goods store and later
trading in a small way for himself, he
developed an immense retail mercantile
business. Early in life he became inter-
ested in European paintings and in ORR
entail art. He made remarkable collec-
tions of Chinese porcelains and Oriental
rugs. OF Rembrandts paintings he
possessed probably the largest private
collection ever assembled. His collec-
tions embraced choice works Of many
other masters. He bequeathed to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art collection,
the value of which was estimated at
$l50OO,000. Shortly before his death, in
1913, he established the Altman Founda-
ton for the benefit of the employees of
the department store of which he was
the head.