Evening star., 1939-07-06
Answers
To Questions
Bu Frederic J. HGsktn.

~ FTeQc71c !. HGSk1n.
A reader can get the ansDer to ann
question OF fact by ,oriting The Epe.
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred.
eric J. Haskin, Director, Washington,
d. c. Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. Would 1t be possible to receive mail
at the New York Worlds Fair?-J. T. H.
A. Mail should be plainly addressed
in care of General Delivery, Worlds
Fair Station, New York. Do not send
such mail to the city Of New York. It
Is possible to get lock box at the Worlds
Fair Station.
@. Are caterpillars ever used as food,
ID. M. H.
A. 10 Africa many tribes consider
them a great delicacy and as many as
20 different varieties are collected as
being edible
Q. How many hits did Ty Cobb make
and how many times was he at bat?-
r. ]. Med.
A. Ty Cobb made 4,191 hits during
his major league career. He was at
DaC J. J429 times.
@. What is the lake in Massachusetts
with the long name?-E. c.. T.
A. 1t is Lake Chargoggagoggmancha
gagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Worces-
ter County. The lake is named after
an Indian village.
9. Are there any cities In England other
than London where the title lord is pre-.
fixed to the word mayor, referring to
the chief executive of the city?-J. H. G..
A. According to Whitaker's Almanac,
there are 10 English cities, five Scot
tish, one Northern Ireland, five Aus
tralian and two cities of Fire whose
mayors carry the distinction of the
prefix lord. In Scotland the term lord
provost is used.
Q. Please give the origin of Mardi
GraS in the United States.-L B.
A. The carnival season at Mardi Gras
is Of ancient and somewhat obscure ORR
gin. 1t was introduced into America
by the French colonists, and celebra-
tions are recorded among the activities
of the soldiers at Fort Louis de la Louisi-
ana Q702-10) on the first site of Mobile,
Ala. Similar festivities were observed
In New Orleans from the time of its
foundation. 1t was not until 1857 how
ever. that a group of former residents
OF Mobile, Ala, produced the first pa
rade with floats at New Orleans.
q How 1opp have hovc uorLod THAN
way through college by soliciting maga-
zine subscriptions?-T. F. L.
A. AS early as 1905 Success Magazine
employed 1000 boys to canvass for sub
scriptions in order to meet their college
expenses.
@. What is the widest point of the
Mississippi River?-D. w.
A. The Mississippi River Commission
says that according to the latest survey
the widest point on the Mississippi River
at bankful stage was found II miles be-
low Cairo, Ill. where the river was
l4,420 feet across.
@. Was "Wuthering Heights popular
when it was first written?-T J. H.
A. When Emily Bronte's one novel was
published in 1847 under the pseudonym
of Ellis Bell, it was an almost complete
failure with both the public and the
critics.
@. OF what great building has it been
said, 1T requires neither moonlight nor
sunset; it brings its own atmosphere, its
own light, that was never yet on land or
sea- "?-C L.
A. That statement was made with
reference to the Tai Mahal.
Q. What causes mirage?-M. r. S.
A. mirage is due to conditions exist
ing in the atmosphere. AS a result of
deviation of the rays of light caused by
refraction and reflection, objects seen
with the eye appear in unusual positions
and often multiple or inverted. One
cause of mirage in the desert is the
diminution of the density of the air
near the surface of the earth often
produced by the radiation of heat, the
denser stratum being thus placed above
instead of, as is usually the case, below
the rarer
@. Are there any ivory-billed wood
peckers left?-J. j. D.
A. The ivory-bill is facing extinction,
but there are few in isolated localities
In the South. The National Association
Of Audubon Societies has recently estab-
lished fellowship at Cornell University
for the study of these birds and it is
hoped that they may be saved.
Q. Please give some information about
the sinking of the submarine S-5-S.P P.
A While en- route to Baltimore from
Boston on 72-hour endurance run the
U. S. submarine SIS sank while making
a crash dive off the Delaware Capes on
September l, 1920. The submarine re-
sponded to its diving rudders, but failed
to straighten out after submergence and
dived until her bow was embedded in
the sea bottom. BY blowing the main
and after tanks the stern was lifted above
water. The crew then drilled small
hole in the stern through which thev
passed rod flying an article of clothing
by means of which they managed to
attract the attention of a passing
steamer, the Atlantis. The crews of the
Atlantis and General Goethals, another
steamer, cut large hole in the stern
of the submarine, releasing its crew
after 81 hours of submergence. The SIS
subsequently sank and efforts to salvage