Evening star., 1939-07-21
Huskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. HaSkin

D. C. Please inclose stamp for replv.
Q. When were the Stars and Stripes
first flown on ship?-R. M.
A. John Paul Jones on the ship Ranger
at Portsmouth, July 2, 1777, first flew the
Stars and Stripes on ship.
c. Is it true that coffee was once used
as medlcine?-M. T. H.
A. When in 1884 Sieur de la Rooue
returned to Marseilles from Constanti-
nople, he brought with him small metal
pot and some coffee beans which he
roasted and breWed in it. At first the
beverage was considered medicine and
was sold in pharmacies. Doctors pre-
scribed it for scurvy, smallpox, consump-
ton, dropsy and other ailments, and
warned their patients against mixing it
with milk
@. Do more people die of extreme heat
or Cold?-M. S. j.
A. Many more deaths are caused by
extreme heat than by cold. In 1880.
excessive heat caused 1487 deaths in the
United States, while the number Of
deaths from excessive cold amounted to
only 1877
@. How many people visit Man o. War,
the great race horse?-D S. H.
A. Approximately 10000 persons year
visit the famous horse at PARKWAY Farms
near Lexington KY.
@. Will television receivers work on
direct current?-K. H. r.
A. AT present television receivers have
been designed for alternating current
operation only. In areas served by direct
current, special speed regulated motor
generator will function satisfactorily.
@. What amount of crude oil is avail
able in this country?-M. J. S.
A. The estimate for January /. 1899,
was 17348 900 900 barrels, the highest In
the history of the country
Q. Where is the largest amount of
monumental granite quarried?-R. B.
A. The quarries of Mount Airy, N c.,
are the largest producers of monumental
granite in the United States.
@. What is meant by an incased
stamp?-T. M. H
A. During the Civil War it was some
times the practice to take a postage
stamp and incase it in small piece of
metal. The stamp would then be cov-
cred with isinglass which protected it.
This was usually done with and
cent stamps and such stamps were used
as currency
@. How early was the African slave
trade established?-L. w. S.
A. 1t was begun by the Portuguese in
1491 and by 1777 over 100000 Negroes
had been carried to other continents.
@. Did Christina Rossetti, the poet,
ever marry?-J. c. N.
A. She refused two offers of marriage
because of religious scruples and re-
manned single throughout her life.
G. How much did the Skyline drive
in Virginia cost?-L. M
A. Approximately S60O0OOO has been
spent on the construction of this beauti-
full highway which was begun in 1881.
Q. Please give the titles of some of the
musical compositions played in the mo.
ton picture "Ballerina. e. ]. D.
A. The music for the Death of the
Swan" dance consists of selections from
Chopin, including "a Flat Impromptu,"
prelude in F Sharp Minor" and e
Minor piano concerto. For the other
dances, Chopin's Minute Waltz" "Valse
Brillante' and the ballet music from
Faust by Gounod are played.
q. What is the inscription on the grave
of Capt, Robert F. Scott at Capetown?
It. J. L.
A. The monument erected in honor of
the explorer and his companions bears
the following lines from his diary Had
we lived I should have had a tale to tell
OF the hardihood, endurance and cour-
age OF my companions which would have
stirred the heart of every Englshman.
These rough notes and our dead bodies
must tell the tale"
G. How are waterspouts formed?-
M. L. E.
A. Waterspouts at sea occur when op-
posite winds of different temperatures
meet in the upper atmosphere whereby
a greater amount of vapor is condensed
into thick black cloud, to which YER
tlcal motion is given. A partial vacuum
is created in the center which draws up
the water in its vortex. When the water
spout has played itself out. it commences
to disappear at the base, gradually tray
cling upward.
Q. What are epiphytes?-C. j. D.
A. Eplphytes are plants which grow
upon the surface of other plants for
mechanical support, but which do not
obtain nutriment from their sap or
growing tissues as do parasitic plants.
They are most abundant in warm, moist
regions. Various MOSES and lichens are
eplphytic, as are an immense number of
tropical orchids. The so-called Spanish
moss which hangs in festoons from live
oaks in the Southern States is a good
example of an epiphyte
q. What is meant by the expression
"the pearl on Inda's brow"?-J. X.
A. 1t refers to the island of Ceylon.