Evening star., 1943-09-21
Huskin's Answers
To Questions
By Frederic J. Haskin.

s1Ders appear II, the newspaper. The
space is limited and would not dc-
comnoddte a fraction OF such re-
quests. Besides, many OF these Ques-
tions are too personal to be OF gen.,
eral interest. Send your questions
to The Euening Star Information
Bureau. Frederic J. Haskin, Director,
Washington, D. c. Inclose stamp for
return postage.
Q. What is the height Of the American
soldier at the present time?--D. g.
A. The War Department says that as
OF July. 1s43. the average height Of sol-
diers in the Army Of the United States
was feet "a inches, and the average
weight was 1909 pounds.
Q. What is Senator Harry 8. Tri.
mans middle name?-F. G. H.
A. The middle initial does not stand
for any name.
@. Are there more bathtubs or auto
mobiles In the United States?-N. A. p.
A. In 1910 it was reported that there
was one bathtub for every six persons but
one automobile for every four persons.
O. What races show the least emo
tion?-E. w. B.
A. The American Indian Of the Plains
and the Chinese are said to be the most
inscrutable peoples. "
Q. How is 1t possible for a circus to
transport a giraffe by rail?-W. B. C..
A. Circuses have specially padded
giraffe wagon which is loaded on fiat
cars. The giraffe must hold its head at
an angle and lie down. This is difi-
cult position to travel in and several Of
the animals have been killed by jolting.
The giraffes in the Washington Zoo were
brought in indoor cars ordinarily used
for shipping automobiles. Recently gi-
raffes carried in the United States have
been shipped by truck.
Q. Please name some famous men
who, in their youth, were newsboys?--
s. R.
A. Among the prominent men Of to-
day are Alfred E. Smith, Hiram Bing.
ham, Harry q. Leslie, former Governor
Of Indiana; Victor M Hanson Of the
Birmingham News and Age-Herald.
Senator Arthur Vandenburg Of Mich
igan, Justice William o. Douglas of the
Supreme Court of the United States.
The late Judge Benjamin B. Lindsey.
Cyrus H. K Curtis, Thomas A. Edison
and Edward w. Box were also newsboys
In their youth.
O. Is it correct to say that sound car
ries better before a rain?-D. K. E.
A. This is an ancient belief and is
scientifically correct. The carry of sound
often is especially good before the onset
of general rain. Several factors com.
bine to make it so. -
Q. What Is the greatest biography In
English Iterature?-C. C.. B.
A. "The Life OF Samuel johnson" by
James Boswell, published in 17sl, Is by
many critics considered the greatest,
The two men did not become acquainted
until johnson was nearly 81 years old
and 1t has been calculated that they met
only on 27s days, brief time for such an
intimate record.
@. Is there an insect that lives In
petroleum?-M. M.
A. 1t Is an astonishing fact that one
member of the insect family, Psilopa
petrolei, can live regularly and thrive In
crude petroleum.
Q. What foreign languages does An.
thony Eden speak?-D. D. j.
A. The British Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs excelled in Oriental Ian.
guages at Oxford, especially in Arabic
and Persian. He speaks French like Q
Partisan and speaks some German.
Q. How many cattle are condemned
under United States inspection? K.G.
A. In 1912 total of 95, ,448 1896 animals
were inspected by the Federal Govern
ment. Of these, 11,577874 were cattle
and 56,S89,559 were swine. There were
4,S44 live cattle and 21,579 swine con-
demned. At post-mortem inspections
6o,661 cattle and 131,0 ,073 swine were con-
demned.
Q. Can an opening two-bid forcing)
and the club convention, both, be used
at the table of bridge, according to
Culbertson?-H H.
A. The club convention is not part of
the Culbertson system or of any other
national system but is used locally and
has different meanings in different cir
cles. The forcing two-bid and the club
convention tend to duplicate each other
and therefore the club convention is not
used.
@. What Is the history Of the three
bronze horses of Venice?-E. Men.
A. In times of peace they stood before
the Cathedral of St. Mark in Venice.
They are feet tall and are the sole
existing specimens of an ancient quad
riga. 1t Is probable that they once
adorned the triumphal arch of Nero. In
1877 Napoleon sent the celebrated horses
to Paris. They were restored to Venics
in 1915.
@. What type of vessel is the o. s. 8.
Millicoma?-L M. K
A. The Navy Department says that the
U. S. S. Millicoma is an auxiliary oiler,
Q. Where was broccoli first cultivatedf
j. M. D. >
A. Broccoli originated in italy. where