chose Stevens T. Mason, the Territorial Governor, as its first State
Governor. It then demanded of Congress a recognition as a State and
the rights of representation. This request Congress agreed to grant,
providing the petitioning State would accept the boundary line
claimed by Ohio. Not until January, 1837, would Michigan accept such
terms, and then only on condition that it should receive, in lieu
of the disputed strip on the south, the territory on Lake Superior
now known as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Immediately after this
the State was formally admitted. By special permission the State was
allowed to cast three electoral votes in the Presidential contest
of 1836-7. In the same year in which it was admitted, Mr. Mason was
re-elected to the position of Governor, which office he continued to
hold until 1839.
THE LONGEST THROWS, LEAPS, AND RUNS.
CAMBRIDGE, Iowa.
What is the longest throw on record with a base ball? What is the
longest single standing jump? What is the fastest time ever made
by man running 100 yards? What is the fastest mile ever made by a
horse?
A. APLIN.
_Answer._—The longest throw with a base ball for the year 1882 was
132 yards 1 foot, made by E. N. Williamson, the third baseman of the
Chicago league nine. The longest standing jump with artificial aid
was made by G. W. Hamilton, at Romeo, Mich., Oct. 3, 1879. With 22
pound weights he jumped 14 feet 5½ inches. The longest standing jump
without artificial aid was performed by J. J. Tickle, Sept. 2, 1871,
at Manchester, England, who cleared 10 feet 5 inches. The fastest run
of 100 yards was made by George Seward, an American, at Hammersmith,
England, Sept. 30, 1844, who accomplished the feat in 9¼ seconds. The
fastest recorded time ever made by a horse for one mile was 1 minute
39¾ seconds, which was accomplished by Ten Broeck, a running horse,
at Louisville, Ky., May 24, 1877. The fastest mile in heat racing
was performed by Ada Glenn, in 1 minute 41¼ seconds, running, at
Sheepshead Bay, L. I., Sept. 21, 1880.
BOLIVAR, THE LIBERATOR.
ORANGE GROVE, Miss.
Give a short historical sketch or the life of General Bolivar.
FRANK.
_Answer._—Bolivar y Ponte, surnamed The Liberator, was a South
American patriot, who in July, 1783, was born in Caracas, a town in
the then Spanish province of Venezuela. His father, having obtained
considerable wealth, like many of the early adventurers, sent his
son to Madrid to pursue the study of law. When Venezuela in 1810
endeavored to throw off the yoke of Spanish oppression, Bolivar
joined the cause of the patriots and began service under Miranda.
Soon his own ability eclipsed that of his senior officer and he was
given a separate command. Defeating the Spaniards in August, 1813,
he entered Caracas at the head of his victorious army in triumph.
He was immediately appointed dictator; but his enjoyment of that
office was suddenly terminated by the reappearance of the Spaniards,
who in 1814 defeated and drove him from the province. His defeat,
however, did not discourage him. In 1817 he led the patriots in a
battle against Morillo and again found himself a conqueror. Venezuela
chose him to be her President, and in 1819 New Granada did him like
honor, the two States uniting to form Colombia. In 1823 his love
for liberty and hatred of Spain caused him to lend assistance to the
revolting Peruvians. The latter were successful, and as a reward for
the excellent service of the Liberator, Bolivia, named in his honor,
was erected into a separate State, and Bolivar was made its President
for life. For a few years he remained President of both Colombia and
Bolivia. He died in December, 1830.
ENGLISH SOVEREIGNS.
HUNTINGDON, Pa.
Who have been sovereigns of England since the reign of King John?
W. S. C.
_Answer._—The following, beginning with John, the grantor of Magna
Charta, have been sovereigns of England:
John—Sixth son of Henry II.
Henry III.—Eldest son of John.
Edward I.—Eldest son of Henry III.
Edward II.—Eldest surviving son of Edward I.
Edward III.—Eldest son of Edward II.
Richard II.—Son of the Black Prince, eldest son of Edward III.
Henry IV.—Son of John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III.
Henry V.—Eldest son of Henry IV.
Henry VI.—Only son of Henry V.
Edward IV.—Grandson of Richard, son of Edmund, son of Edward III.
Edward V.—Eldest son of Edward IV.
Richard III.—Younger brother of Edward IV.
Henry VII.—Son of Edmund, eldest son of Owen Tudor by Katharine,
widow of Henry V.
Henry VIII.-Only surviving son of Henry VII.
Edward VI.—Son of Henry VIII. by Jane Seymour.
Mary I.—Daughter of Henry VIII. by Katherine of Arragon.
Elizabeth—Daughter of Henry VIII. by Anne Boleyn.
James I.—Son of Mary Queen of Scots, granddaughter of James IV. and
Margaret, daughter of Henry VII.
Charles I.—Only surviving son of James I.
Commonwealth—{ Oliver Cromwell.
{ Richard Cromwell.
Charles II.—Eldest son of Charles I.
James II.—Second son of Charles I.
William III. { Son of William Prince of Orange
and { by Mary, daughter of Charles I.
Mary II. { Eldest daughter of James II.
Anne—Second daughter of James II.
George I.—Grandson of Elizabeth, daughter of James I.
George II.—Only son of George I.
George III.—Grandson of George II.
George IV.—Eldest son of George III.
William IV.—Third son of George III.
Victoria—Daughter of Edward, fourth son of George III.
WHO MADE MAXIMILIAN EMPEROR OF MEXICO?
TAYLOR, Ill.
What part did France take in placing Maximilian on the throne of
Mexico?
M. M. ALDIL.
_Answer._—Taking advantage of the war which occupied the attention
of the United States, Napoleon III., planned the conquest of Mexico.
With but little difficulty his army succeeded in this enterprise
and occupied the City of Mexico in 1863. He soon discovered the
barren nature of his conquest and the certainty of final failure.
To rid himself of the consequences of what had proved a most costly
enterprise, before he should be forced to a humiliating abandonment
of the country, he tempted Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, to accent
the crown of Mexico. To give eclat to the affair and the color of
popular approval, he ordered an election. This was dominated by
French troops and Napoleon’s Mexican accomplices, and the result was
an apparent popular vote to adopt an imperial form of government and
invite Maximilian to accept the throne. In 1864 he was received with
festivities and other marks of distinction planned by the French
and their Mexican supporters. The Mexican patriots, however, still
maintained an organization. When driven out of the capital President
Juarez retired to San Luis Potosi, then to Monterey, and finally
to Chihuahua, and with his Cabinet still maintained the form of a
central, national head of the republic. The French availed of the
excuse that Maximilian was in possession of the government to return
to France, and leave him to his own resources. The guerrilla bands
of patriots which had kept up the harassment of the imperial troops
with more or less persistency from the first, gathered strength, and
at last, deserted by Napoleon, attacked on all sides by the rallying
militia of the republic, the unhappy Emperor undertook to escape from
the country, was captured, and finally executed at Queretaro, June
19, 1867. The French were wholly responsible for placing Maximilian
in Mexico and for abandoning him to his unhappy fate.
TRADES UNIONS.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill.
Please give us information as to the origin, object, and extent of
trades unions.
W. A. LEWIS.
_Answer._—The various trade societies are the outgrowth of the old
English guilds, which originated in the beginning of the eleventh
century, and had for their prime object the relief or support of
infirm guild-brothers, the burial of the dead with proper religious
services, etc. In time, however, these organizations became better
classified and more exclusive. One guild was confined to the
merchants, another to the woolen manufacturers, another to the
cutlery manufacturers, etc.: the objects, at the same time, becoming
more comprehensive. In order to secure skilled workmen and prevent
competition with the inexperienced, the craftsmen secured the
passage of apprenticeship laws. In the case of woolen and several
other trades apprentices were required to serve manufacturers seven
years. Employers and employes were then united in these efforts, but,
finally, as the manufacturing industries became more profitable and
improved, and machinery was introduced, the rich masters withdrew
from the craftguilds, and began to hire children and men who had not
served a complete apprenticeship. This action on the part of the
employers caused the first “trade society” to be formed, in 1796,
called the Institution, which had for its object the protection of
its members against the encroachments of capitalists, and to secure
the passage of stricter apprenticeship laws. Since that time the
trades unions have increased in number and membership, until they
include nearly all the craftsmen of England, and from protective
associations they have grown into societies for the general
improvement of the laboring classes. To its efforts mainly are due
the passage of the eight-hour law of Great Britain and the statute
granting the Saturday half-holiday. In the United States similar
organizations are found, to which, especially in large cities, nearly
all the workmen belong.
THE RED SEA.
CHICAGO, Ill.
Is it generally believed by Bible scholars that the Red Sea was so
called because of the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptian army?
ANN HALLIDAY.
_Answer._—The drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea had
nothing to do with its name. It takes this from a peculiar reddish
color remarked at certain seasons of the year in parts of this sea,
due to marine plants, or to reddish animalculæ, called by sailors
“whale feed,” which float on it like a scum; or to the reefs of red
coral which abound in many parts of it; or, possibly, to the fact
that its upper coast was one of the boundaries of Edom, “the red.” No
Biblical scholar of any repute has ever asserted that the sea took
its name from the overthrow of Pharaoh.
DESCRIPTION OF A CREAMERY.
FORT DODGE, Iowa.
The farmers of this section of the country need to know what a good
creamery is. Tell us what the inside of a really good creamery
looks like.
MANY READERS.
_Answer._—A Chicago inquirer says: “Oblige butter and cheese
consumers with a description of a first-class creamery. Some of us
have a very vague notion of such an establishment.—E. D. Smith.”
Another inquiry comes from Neligh, Neb. So some care has been taken
to obtain a description of a thoroughly well-constructed factory of
this kind. This is the more important as the dairy business of the
West is growing with wonderful rapidity, and nothing has done more
to develop this industry than the recent introduction of creameries.
The term creamery was formerly applied to an establishment fitted
up expressly for the purpose of manufacturing butter, but now the
name is given to factories where both butter and cheese are made.
Milk is brought in spring wagons from dairy-farms for a distance of
six miles or less, and cream is gathered anywhere within a radius
of fifteen miles to be manufactured into butter and cheese. This
product thus handled in larger quantities, in a scientific manner,
with effective labor-saving machinery and proper surroundings, makes
it possible to obtain the best results, and such product is always
marketable at prices much higher than dairy butter. The factory of
the Aurora Creamery Company, built at Aurora, Ill., about a year ago
is generally regarded as a model establishment, and will furnish an
example for this description. To operate a creamery successfully two
things are absolutely necessary, viz., a good spring of living water
of low temperature, say 50 to 54 deg., and good drainage; without
these features there is no prospect of permanent success in the
undertaking. The factory named has a spring located about 200 feet
off which discharges, both winter and summer, 750 gallons of pure
water per hour, temperature 52 deg., with 5 feet 9 inches fall, while
drainage is supplied by a 2-foot square stone sewer which empties
into the river, through which a slough is drained, and into which
there is a 5-foot fall from the factory. The main building is of
brick with a 12-inch wall: size, 32 × 70, 20 feet high; right wing,
20 × 24; left wing, 18 × 24, and rear extension, 18 × 26. The room
in which the cheese is manufactured is 30 × 40. It contains a fine
upright 9-horse-power engine, a Wir’s self-agitating rotary cheese
vat with a capacity for 12,000 pounds of milk and a gang cheese
press. The butter room, 30 × 30 feet, contains one churn with a
capacity of 400 gallons, and one with a capacity of 150 gallons, a
power butter worker, sink with steam pipes to scald, and revolving
brush for washing cans, 3 cream vats 300 gallons each, a receiving
vat into which the milk is strained, and from which it is drawn into
deep pails, or sets, which are placed in three cemented water vats
of capacity sufficient to cool 20,000 pounds of milk daily. The left
wing of the factory contains a 16-horse power boiler, which furnishes
steam to run the machinery and heat the building; a seventy-barrel
water tank, which is placed over the boiler; a Davidson steam pump
and coal bin which will store fifty tons of coal. An improvement
which, it is claimed, is found in no other factory, is an elevated
“whey vat” placed over the boiler-room, into which the whey is
raised by a rotary pump, and from which the farmers draw their
supply of whey to be carried into the country. When all that is
wanted has been drawn out a gate is opened, and the balance is run
into the river, after which the tank is scalded out and kept sweet
and clean. This is a vast improvement over the pestilence breeding
arrangement which is sunk in the ground, and is located near the
butter and cheese rooms of most other factories. The right wing of
the factory contains a driveway, a receiving-room, weighing platform,
and stairway to office. The extension holds 150 tons of ice, and
contains a refrigerator with a capacity of 30,000 pounds of butter.
In the second story is a neat office, store-rooms, and curing room,
to which the cheese are raised by an elevator. The lower floors are
made of 2 × 6 joists, dressed and matched and imbedded in cement;
under which is a four-inch coating of grout, so that there is no
possible chance for the milk to leak through the floor and produce
the sickening stench which is so common in many factories. Special
attention has been given to ventilation in every part of the building
and the whole establishment has the appearance in neatness of a tidy
farmhouse kitchen. The sum of $10,000 was expended in real estate,
buildings, and fixtures of this factory, but a good creamery with a
comfortable outfit of medium capacity could be put up for much less
money. The machinery for churning and working the butter is as simple
as it is ingenious. The churn is a great square chest revolving on
an axis running through its longest diameter; the butter-workers are
fluted wooden cones running around a circular disk inclined at an
angle to the horizon, so that the buttermilk runs off as fast as it
is expressed. The apparatus for stirring the cheese curd and pressing
the cheese, and a score of other nicely contrived instruments,
operate with the uniformity and precision of clock work.
SPEED OF RAILWAY TRAINS.
WAUKEGAN, Ill.
How does the speed of railroad trains in this country compare with
that of trains in Europe?
C. D. ADAMS.
_Answer._—The fastest recorded railroad speed in the United States
is given in the New York Clipper Almanac, as follows: The train
which left West Philadelphia for Jersey City over the Pennsylvania
Railroad at 7:35 a. m., Sept. 4, 1879 (Edward Osborn, engineer), made
1 mile in 50¼ seconds; 3 miles in 2 m. 36¼ sec., and 5 miles in 4
m. 50 sec. A train on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad
made the run from Hamburg to Buffalo, N. Y., 10 miles, in 8 minutes.
The locomotive Hamilton Davis and six cars, on the New York Central
Railroad in 1855, made 14 miles in 11 minutes. A new Fontaine engine
and two coaches, carrying W. H. Vanderbilt and party, ran from
Amherstburg to St. Thomas, Can., over the Canada Southern Railroad,
111 miles, in 98 minutes—no stop. Probably the fastest run ever made
for any considerable distance in England was that of the special
train carrying the Duke of Wellington from Paddington to Slough, 18
miles, in 15 minutes. But these are exceptional runs; what is of
more importance is to compare regular time-table speed. The London
_Engineer_ says, commenting on a series of articles on this subject
which have appeared in the German journal, _Die Verkehrszeitung_, in
the _American Railroad Gazette_, and in other papers, “it appears
that railroad speeds in Great Britain, on the Continent, and in the
United States are much slower than most people suppose. If we take
for instance, the run from London to Edinburgh, a distance of 397
miles via York, this is made in 9 hours by great Northern trains, the
average speed being 44.1 miles per hour. From Euston the distance
is 401 miles, and London and Northwestern trains make the run in 10
hours, or 40.1 miles an hour. By the Midland Railway the distance is
404 miles, and the time 10 h. 5 min., or very nearly the same speed.
Some of the fastest trains in the world are those run between Leeds
and London. From King’s Cross the distance by the Great Northern is
186½ miles. From St. Pancras by the Midland is 196 miles. The fastest
train on the Great Northern makes the run in 4 h. 5 min., or an
average speed of 45.4 miles an hour. The Midland trains traverse the
distance in 4 h. 30 min., giving an average velocity of 43.5 miles an
hour. The fastest train in the world is the Flying Dutchman, broad
gauge, which makes the run to Swindon at 53½ miles an hour. The Great
Northern trains run from London to York, 188 miles, at 48 miles an
hour, and at least one train runs to Peterborough at 51 miles an
hour. The run from London to Grantham has been made repeatedly at 51
miles an hour. On the United States railways the quickest run appears
to be that made between Jersey City and Philadelphia, 89 miles, made
at the rate of 47⅔ miles an hour. There is not in the world a train
timed to run 60 miles an hour, although it is, of course, certain
that that velocity is often exceeded. If a speed of 60 miles an hour
could be maintained continually between London and Edinburgh, the
journey would occupy only 6 hours and 36 minutes; and allowing for
three stops of 10 minutes each on the route, the time would be under
7¼ hours, instead of 10 hours. So far as the machinery of a railway
is concerned—by which we mean the road, the rolling stock, and the
signals—there is nothing to prevent an average speed of 60 miles an
hour being maintained. That it is not attained is certain.”
THE UNITED STATES CIVIL LIST.
OSKALOOSA, Iowa.
What officers are included under the civil service?
L. A. H.
_Answer._—The civil officers of the United States are those employed
by the several departments. In 1876, in reply to an inquiry made
by order of Congress, the following official statement was made:
Department of State, 430; Treasury, 12,482; War Department, 1,489;
Navy Department, 131; Postoffice Department, 44,897; Interior, 2,475;
Department of Justice, 528. Total number of civil officers, 62,427.
GREAT FIRES.
JOLIET, Ill.
Which was the greatest fire, that of London, Moscow, or Chicago?
AN INQUIRER.
_Answer._—The great fire of London, which occurred in 1666, destroyed
about two-thirds of the city; but there is no estimate of the value
of the property. The burning of Moscow, in September, 1812, destroyed
property which has been valued at $150,000,000. The great Chicago
fire of 1871 consumed $192,000,000 worth of property. The area burnt
over in the Chicago fire was greater than that covered by either the
London or Moscow fire.
PRESIDENT JACKSON’S DOUBLE MARRIAGE.
OWENSVILLE, Ark.
Who was the first husband of Andrew Jackson’s wife, and what was
the cause of the separation?
SUBSCRIBER.
_Answer._—Mrs. Jackson was formerly the wife of Mr. Lewis Robards,
of Kentucky. While Mr. Robards and his wife were residing at the
home of Mrs. Donelson, the mother of Mrs. Robards, Andrew Jackson
became a boarder, and consequently quite intimate with the family.
In time, Mr. Robards became intensely jealous of his wife, which
culminated in his charging her with adultery and suing for divorce.
This charge, however, was neither proven nor generally believed.
Through the influence of Jackson, the Legislature in 1791 passed an
act legalizing the separation of Mr. and Mrs. Robards, but the legal
divorce from the courts was not obtained until 1793. After the act
of the Legislature, Jackson married Mrs. Robards, supposing that she
was lawfully divorced; but after the decision of the court, in order
to remove everything questionable, he was remarried.
THE BUNKER HILL FLAG.
CHICAGO, Ill.
What flag, if any, did the provincials use in the battle of
Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775? What was the first flag used by the
revolutionary army?
H. J. H.
_Answer._—Reference to that standard work, “The Origin and Progress
of the Flag of the United States of America,” by George Henry
Preble, U. S. N., and other sources of information, shows that it
is uncertain what flag, if any, was displayed by the Americans at
Bunker Hill, in the famous fight of June 17, 1775. The flag raised on
Prospect Hill by General Putnam, a month later, July 18, 1775, was
red, with the motto, _Qui Transtulit Sustinet_, (who transplanted
still sustains) on one side, and “An Appeal to Heaven” on the other.
This latter motto was emblazoned on the white flag with a green
pine tree carried by the privateers commissioned by Massachusetts,
soon after this. The first cruisers commissioned by Washington
also bore “the pine tree flag.” Before the battle of Bunker Hill,
indeed, immediately after the battle of Lexington, on the 19th of
the preceding April, the provincial troops of Connecticut carried
a standard bearing the arms of that colony and the Latin motto
above cited. As General Putnam and his Connecticut troops took a
prominent part in the battle of Bunker Hill, it is presumable that
this flag was displayed in that action, and by parity of reasoning
it may be inferred that the colonial flags of Massachusetts and
New Hampshire were carried into the action by the militia of those
colonies. Precisely what these were it is almost or quite impossible
to determine with certainty. Indeed, there seem to have been several
different flags. The “union-flags” so frequently mentioned in the
accounts left us of the revolutionary movements of 1774 and the
early part of 1775 were, in most instances, the English red ensign,
with such mottoes as “Liberty and Union,” “Liberty and Property,”
or simply “Liberty.” Peculiar devices were employed by the patriots
of different neighborhoods. Not until Jan. 2, 1776, was the first
common standard raised. This was the “Great Union,” as it was
christened, adopted by General Washington, and first displayed at
his headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., on the date above given. It
consisted of thirteen stripes, alternately white and red, with the
crosses of St. George and St. Andrew in the union where the stars now
glitter.
ORIGIN OF PORTERHOUSE STEAK.
CHICAGO, Ill.
Can Our Curiosity Shop tell us why steaks cut from the small end of
the sirloin are called porterhouse steaks?
EPICURE.