Evening star., 1936-02-06
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

by Frederic j. HGskIn.
reader can get the anstrer to any
question OF fact By iDrittng The Euentng
Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Hasktn, Director, Washington, d. C..
Please inclose stamp tor reply.
@. Where is the gold spike used to join
the rail when the cross-country railroads
were completed?-J. G. F.
A. 1t Is in possession of Stanford Uni
versity and is usually exhibited at the
Stanford University Museum. Tempo
rarily it is at the San Diego Exposition,
part of the railroad exhibition.
@. Are many graduate students being
helped through the National Youth Ad-
miniStration?-W. D.
A. More than 1000 graduate students
are continuing their studies through
N. Y. A. aid in 1876 colleges and universi-
ties.
O. Was Champ Clark past 10 years of
age when he was a candidate for the
Democratic nomination for President, In
1912?-W. E. S.
A. Champ Clark was only II at the
time Of his death, nine years later, in
1921.
@. How long has Caruso been dead?
F. T.
A. Caruso died August 2, 1921.
@. How many people can be present
when Mai. Bowes' amateur hour is given?
r. M. O.
A. The auditorium in the r. C. A,
Building, New York City, in which the
Maj. Bowes program is held has a seat
ing capacity of 1873. 1t is filled to capac-
ity every Sunday.
@. What was the first fire insurance
company in this country?-P. G. r.
A. The Philadelphia Contributionship,
in many respects patterned after the
Hand-in- Hand of London established
toward the close Of the seventeenth cen
tury), was organized on April 13, 1852,
and was the first fire insurance company
to be established here. This effort at
corporate underwriting was followed by
the establishment of the Mutual ASSur-
ance Co. in 1874, the Knickerbocker Fire
in 1787. the Baltimore Equitable Society
and the Insurance Co. of North America
in 1894, the Mutual Assurance Company
of the City of Norwich in 1875, the Co.
lumbar Insurance Co. in 1901 and the
Hartford Insurance Co. in 1903.
Q. How long has beer been drunk
H. E. F.
A. The scanty records of ancient Baby
lon, going back to 5000 B. c., show that
beer made from barley and barley and
Spelt was extensively drunk by even Ia
borers and by women in the harem. I'm
portant as it was in Babylonian times
beer played an even greater role in Egypt
until the fall of the Egyptian civilization
and the rise of Mohammedanism.
@. Who brought the first cotton mill
to New England?-M S.
A. Samuel Slater. AS a boy he worked
in the cotton factories in England and.
reading of conditions in America, deter
mined to develop the Arkwright patents
in the United States. He was instru-
mental in establishing in Pawtucket,
R. l., the first cotton mills in the United
States. He also established mills at
oxford (now Webster), Mass, and Sla-
terSville, r. I.
@. When were election returns first
broadcaSt?-U. G.
A. The first broadcast of presidential
election returns was November 2, 1920,
by Station KDKA, Pittsburgh.
@. What French novelist forecast the
phonograph?-E. M.
A. Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac Q619-
1850 made startling forecasts of modern
discoveries among which was the phono-
graph. He was the earliest writer to
employ the novel to teach natural science
and was thus forerunner of Jules Verne
and H. G. Wells.
@. Who was called the laughing phil
oSopher?-J. NJ
A. DemocrituS, Greek philosopher who
was born about 47O or 460 B. c., was so
called.
@. What is cuneiform writing?-V. P
A. The word cuneiform was first ap-
piled at the beginning of the eighteenth
century to rock inscriptions from Persia
and to inscriptions on brick and stone
from Babylon, which are distinguished
by the use of characters made up of tri-
angles or wedge-Shaped inciSionS.
O. How many people were guillotined
in France during the RLign of Terror?
L. G.
A. Donald Greer in his new book, "The
Incidence of the Terror" says that there
were 14080 victims of the Terror. OF
these, 878 were members of the noblesse
and $50 were of the nobleSse de robe.
GottSchalk, writing in THE Defensive
Nature of the Terror" says that it is
probable not more than 10000 victims
fell between September, 1893, and July,
1894.
@. Please give the significance OF the
various birthStones.-L. B.
A. The garnet is credited with endow-
ing the wearer with constancy and fidel-
ity. The amethyst betokenS sincerity,
the bloodstone or aquamarine, courage
and truthfulnesS; diamond, innocence;
emerald, happiness; pearl or moonstone,
health and long life; ruby, contented
mind; sardonyX, felicity; sapphire, wis
dom; opal, hope; topaz, fidelity; tur-
quoiSe, prosperity and success.
@. Was Richard Harding Davis mother
a writer?-H. E. M.
A. Rebecca Harding Davis achieved
considerable literary success. She was
the earliest American author to introduce
the labor question into fiction.
O. WHY did "Tipperary" become so
,,orylor d,,r;po tha World War2-T A