Evening star., 1940-02-08
Answers
To Questions
By Frederic J. Hdskin

~ rfCUOf " - I1UchtHs
A reader can get the ansUer to any
question OF fact by tprtting The Eue.
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred.
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
D. c. Please inclOSe stamp for reply.
@ What is the weight of the statue on
top of the Capitol at Washington. D. CO
r.. G. S.
A. The bronze statue of Freedom sur
mounting the dome is 10 feet high and
weighs 1895 pounds. 1t was modelled
In Rome by Thomas Crawford, father
Of Francis Marion Crawford, the
novelist, and the plaster model shipped
to this country, where it was cast in
bronze by Clark Mills.
@. When was protactinium first iso-
lated?-C. B. G.
A. The first isolation Of protactinium,
said to be the worlds rarest metal, worth
s1.000,000 an ounce, was announced Sep
| tember 10, 1884, to the American
| Chemical Society in session in Cleveland.
Ohio The metal is silvery, radioactive,
and its rays are more penetrating than
| those Of radium. One-tenth of gram
of protactinium, all that had been iso-
| lated up to the time of the announce
ment, had been brought to the confer
| ence from the University of Chicago on
fine thread of tungsten l inch long.
| 1t was isolated at the University Of
| Chicago by DR.. Aristed Won Crosse, an
assistant professor of chemistry. It's iso-
lation had baffled scientists for years.
@. What President appointed six diff
ferent Secretaries of the Navy?-M HT.
A. During his administration Theodore
Roosevelt appointed the following Secre-
taries of the Navy: John D. Long,
William H. Moody Paul Morton, Charles
j. Bonaparte, Victor H. Metcan and
Truman H. Newberry.
@. How many miles Of telephone and
telegraph wire are there in the United
States?-W. E.
A. AS of January /, 1888, there were
l68573,00o miles of telephone wires and
6,S57,000 miles Of telegraph wires.
@. Which of Thomas Hardy's novels
Is autobiographical?-H E. P.
A. DR.. William Lyon Phelps says that
"A Laodicean,' published in 1881, con-
tains more of the facts of Hardys own
life than anything else he wrote. 1t was
written while he was dangerously i'll
and dictated to his wife as he was un-
able to hold pen.
@. What was the Window Tax War in
Pennsylvania?-S. T. M.
A. An uprising in Pennsylvania led by
a man named Fries was protest against
the tax placed by the Federal Govern.
ment in July, 1893. on slaves and real
estate. 1t was sometimes called the
Window Tax War because houses were
assessed according to the size and
number Of their windows. President
Adams called out troops to suppress the
rioters, and Fries and other leaders were
captured. In 1900 President Adams pro-
claimed amnesty for all who had parti-
cipated in the rebellion.
| @. Where is Lincoln's grave?-P. S. H.
A. The Lincoln Tomb is in Oak Ridge
Cemetery at Springfield, ILL., Eight statu-
cites, representing Lincoln during differ
ent stages of his career, stand in inches
in the four corners of the interior. TIE
States in the Union are represented by
stars, IL in each corner. In semi-circle
behind the cenotaph in a sarcophagus
chamber are the official flags Of the
States through which successive genera
tions Of the Lincoln family passed.
@. What is the origin of the line
Abandon hope, all We who enter here?"
E. C.
A. 1t is from Dante's Inferno"
@. Was Kallikak the real name of the
family used as an example of heredity?-
MI.
A. The book your Heredity" by Amram
Scheinfeld says: I'm 1893 DR.. H. H. God
dard, then director Of an institution for
mental detectives in New Jersey, chanced
on the strange fact that there were two
family groups in the vicinity, distantly
related to each other. and yet as differ
ent in character as the proverbial night
and day. The one branch comprised up
right, intelligent, prosperous citizens; the
other abounded in degenerates, mental
detectives, drunks, paupers, prostitutes
and criminals. Struck with the contrast,
DR.. Goddard coined for the family the
name Kallikak compounded of Greek
words meaning good and bad"
@. Where are the famous Falls of
Lodore?-E. P. r.
A. The Falls of Lodore are at the upper
end of Derwentwater Lake in Cumber-
land, England. The waters of the Lodore
fall over crags nearly 200 feet in height.
@. In what musical comedy did Lotta
Faust sing "Sammy?"-E. S. C.
A. Lotta Faust sang Sammy" in the
wizard of OF" in 1904.
@. What is the largest inland sea?-
r. A. F.
A. The Caspian Sea is the largest in
land sea in the world with an area Of
168,765 square miles.
@. How much money has Abe Pickus Of
Cleveland spent on making telephone
calls to bring world peace?-L. W.
A. 1t is estimated by Mr. Pickus that he
has spent over $4,000 for cables and tele-
phone calls since he became an emissarv