Evening star., 1939-08-07

u. {. PIease tnclose> stamp for reply.
@. What is the largest piece of soft
coal ever mined?-W. w. S.
A. The block of coal in the West vir-
ginia Building at the New York Worlds
Fair is said to be the largest piece Of
soft coal ever mined. 1t came from the
Elk River Coal e. Lumber Co. mine in
Widen, Clay County, w. Va. The block
is feet long, feet wide and feet
deep and weighs tons.
@. How old is the average State Goy-
ernor?-E. j. H.
A. A survey by the Council of State
Governments shows that the average
State Governor is about 81 years old.
@. Where in London is the statue of
Alfred the Great?-H. B.
A. The statue in London supposed to
be that of Alfred the Great stood out
side Westminster Hall until 1922. 1t was
then removed to Trinity Square, South
wark, where it now stands. The statue
dates probably from 1895 and is said to
be the oldest outdoor statue in London,
@. What is the Oldest syndicated news
paper feature?-E. r. H.
A. The column by Dorothy Dix (Eliz-
abeth MeriWether Glmer). 1t was es.
tablished on April g. 1896, in the New
Orleans Times-Picayune.
@. How large were the hailstones that
fell in Dallas, Tex, in 1926?-R. D.
A. In the storm that occurred there
on May 8, 1925, the hailstones in many
cases were 3 inches in diameter.
@. What is a Jeffersonian Bible?-M.
G. H.
A. Thomas Jefferson, third President
of the United States, compiled for his
own use book in which the sayings
and precepts of Jesus Christ were ar
ranged for easy reference and study.
The book was entitled The Morals of
Jesus In 1904 an edition was ordered
published by the Fifty-seventh Congress
and 5000 copies were printed. There
have been later editions issued.
@. Does the Grand Lama of Tibet have
to be born on the day his predecessor
dies?-M. K.
A. Tibetans believe that the Dalai
Lama never dies, but that his soul is
merely transferred into the body of a
newborn child Immediately upon his
death. The infant-el must have been
born at the precise moment of the Dalai
Ian1p'S 6notH nd
must have attested to his holy birth. In
cases of doubt other possible methods
OF finding a successor are provided.
@ Please give the number of World
War veterans now living in the United
States-E. E. w.
A. On January /, 1899, it was esti-
mated that 4073, 176 World War veterans
were living.
@. Please give the date of the National
Air Races and the Thompson Trophy
raCe.-G. W. M
A. The National Air Races will be held
September 2. 3 and at the Cleveland
(Ohio) Municipal Airport, The Thomp-
son Trophy race will be held on Sep
tember 4.
q. Who are the four kings in deck
of playing cards? The queens?-H. PR.
A. The four kings pictured on cards
are David, Alexander. Caesar and
Charlemagne. The identity of the
queens is not known.
Q. Please give some information about
DR.. George Gallup of the American In
stitute of Public Opinion-F. K.
A. DR.. Gallup was born in jefferson.
Iowa, November 18. 1901. He was head
of the department of journalism at
Drake University from 1927 to 1881.
professor of journalism at Northwestern
University in 1881 and 1882, and is now
a professor of journalism at Columbia
University. He is director of research
for the Young e. Rubicam Advertising
Agency of New York City. In 1895 he
founded the American Institute of Pub
lie Opinion.
@. How did the tarantula get its namep7
j. K. T.
A. The name of this large spider is
derived from the town of Taranto,
tTarentum) in Apulia, near which IL.
occurs and where 1t was formerly be-
lieved to be the cause of the maladv
known as tarantism, in which the victim
is characterized by tendency to dance
@. Where is the Currecanti Needle2-
E. J. M.
A. This is one of the scenic features
OF the Black Canyon or Grand Gorge of
the Gunnison River in Southwestern
Colorado. 1t is massive pinnacle Of
highly colored rock, hundreds of feet
in height, and tapering at the top to
somewhat pointed spire. -
O. Did Gen. Smedley D. Butler capture
fort in Haiti?-L. T.
A. Gen. Smedley D. Butler was given
the Congressional Medal of Honor frorn
the United States and the Haitian Mill
tary Medal for the capture of Fort"
Riviere in Haiti in 1915. The citation
said that Fort Riviere was the head.-
quarters of all the Cacos bands in North,
ern Haiti and was supposed to be i'm.
pregnable. Gen. Butler with % men en.v
tered the fort and captured 1t.
@. How fast does the earth mover
E. o. A. =
A. The average speed of the earth IN
its orbit is 1914 miles per second Th.