The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing Part 66

T

Tabitha, Syriac, a roe.

Theodosia, Creek, given by G.o.d.

U

Ursula, Latin, a she bear.

V

Victoria, Latin, victory.

Vida, Erse, fem. of David.

W

Walburga, Saxon, gracious.

Winifred, Saxon, winning peace.

Z

Zen.o.bia, Greek, the life of Jupiter.

PRINc.i.p.aL AMERICAN CITIES

With Population of over 100,000 in 1910.

(The population for 1900 is given in parentheses by way of comparison.)

New York, N. Y., 4,766,883 (3,437,202); Chicago, Ill., 2,185,283 (l,698,572); Philadelphia, Pa., 1,549,008 (1,293,697); St. Louis, Mo., 687,029 (575,238); Boston, Ma.s.s., 670,585 (560,892); Cleveland, O., 560,663 (381,768); Baltimore, Md., 558,485 (508,957); Pittsburg, Pa., 533,905 (451,512); Detroit. Mich., 465,766 (285,704); Buffalo, N. Y., 423,715 (352,387); San Francisco, Cal., 416,912 (342,782); Milwaukee, Wis., 373,857 (285,315); Cincinnati, O., 364,462 (325,902); Newark. N. J., 347,469 (246,070); New Orleans. La., 339,075 (287,104); Was.h.i.+ngton. D. C., 331,069 (278,718); Los Angeles, Cal., 319,198 (102,479); Minneapolis, Minn., 301,408 (202,718); Jersey City, N. J., 267,779 (206,433); Kansas City, Mo., 248,331 (163,752); Seattle, Wash., 237,194 (80,671); Indianapolis, Ind., 233,650 (169,164); Providence, R. I., 224,326 (175,597); Louisville, Ky., 223,928 (204,731); Rochester, N. Y., 218,149 (162,608); St. Paul, Minn., 214,744 (163,065); Denver, Col., 213,381 (133,859); Portland, Ore., 207,214 (90,426); Columbus, O., 181,548 (125,560); Toledo, O., 168,497 (131,822); Atlanta, Ga., 154,839 (89,672); Oakland, Cal., 150,174 (66,960); Worcester, Ma.s.s., 145,986 (118,421); Syracuse, N. Y., 137,249 (108,374); New Haven, Conn., 133,605 (108,027); Birmingham, Ala., 132,683 (38,415); Memphis, Tenn., 131,105 (102,320); Scranton, Pa., 129,867 (102,026); Richmond, Va., 127,628 (85,050); Paterson, N. J., 125,600 (105,171); Omaha, Neb., 124,096 (102,555); Fall River, Ma.s.s., 119,295 (104,803); Dayton, O., 116,577 (85,333); Grand Rapids, Mich., 112,571 (87,565); Nashville, Tenn., 110,364 (80,865); Lowell, Ma.s.s., 106,294 (94,969); Cambridge, Ma.s.s., 104,839 (91,886); Spokane, Wash., 104,402 (36,848); Bridgeport, Conn., 102,054 (70,996); Albany, N. Y., 100,253 (94,151).

STATE FLOWERS.

The following list includes all the "State flowers" Commonly accepted or officially adopted:

Alabama, goldenrod; Arizona, sequoia cactus; Arkansas, apple blossom; California, poppy; Colorado, columbine; Delaware, peach blossom; Georgia, Cherokee rose; Idaho, syringa; Illinois, violet; Iowa, wild rose; Kansas, sunflower; Louisiana, magnolia; Maine, pine cone; Michigan, apple blossom; Minnesota, moccasin; Mississippi, magnolia; Montana, bitter root; Missouri, goldenrod; Nebraska, goldenrod; New Jersey, sugar maple (tree); New York, rose; North Dakota, goldenrod; Oklahoma, mistletoe; Oregon, Oregon grape; Rhode Island, violet; Texas, blue bonnet; Utah, Sego lily; Vermont, red clover; Was.h.i.+ngton, rhododendron.

HEIGHT OF NOTED STRUCTURES.

Following is the height in feet of some noted monuments and structures:

Amiens cathedral, 383; Bunker Hill monument, 221; Capitol, Was.h.i.+ngton, 288; City Hall, Philadelphia, 535; Cologne cathedral, 512; Eiffel tower, 984; Florence cathedral, 387; Fribourg cathedral, 386; Masonic Temple, Chicago, 354; Metropolitan building. N. Y., 700; Milan cathedral, 360; the Great Pyramid, 451; Rouen cathedral, 464; St. Paul's, London, 404; St. Peter's, Rome, 433; Singer building, N. Y., 612; Stra.s.sburg cathedral, 465; St. Stephen's, Vienna, 470; Ward building, Chicago, 394; Was.h.i.+ngton monument, 556.

MAXIMUM AGE OF TREES.

Palm, 250 years; elm, 355 years; cypress, 388 years; ivy, 448 years; maple, 516 years; larch, 576 years; lemon, 640 years; plane, 720 years; cedar, 800 years; chestnut, 860 years; walnut, 900 years; lime, 1,076 years; spruce, 1,200 years; oak, 1,600 years; olive, 2,000 years; yew, 2,880 years; baobab, 5,100 years; dragon, 5,900 years.

Eucalyptus, or Australian gum-tree, sometimes grows twenty-four feet in three months: bamboo, two feet in twenty-four hours.

DICTIONARY OF AERONAUTICS

The new science of aeronautics has given rise to many new words, among them some of awkward derivation, and even those properly formed and worthy of preservation in the language are often erroneously used. The following compact lexicon is therefore both interesting and instructive:

Aeroplane--A generic term applied in common use to all cla.s.ses of sustaining surfaces; strictly applicable only to flat surfaces.

Adjusting Surfaces--Commonly a comparatively small surface, usually at the end of a wing tip, used to adjust lateral balance; preferably restricted to surfaces capable of variable adjustment, but not of movement by controlling devices. See "Stabilizer'" and "Wing tip" and compare "Aileron."

Advancing Edge--The front edge of a sustaining or other surface.

Advancing Surface--A surface that precedes another through the air, as in a double monoplane.

Aerocurve--A proposed subst.i.tute for aeroplane.

Aerodrome--A subst.i.tute proposed by Langley for aeroplane. Strictly applicable to a course rather than to a vehicle.

Aileron (a'ler-on)--A small hinged or separated wing tip or surface capable of independent manipulation for the purpose of maintaining lateral balance.

Aviation (a-vi-a'shun)--Dynamic flight by means of heavier-than-air mechanisms.

Aviator (a'vi-a-ter)--The operator or pilot of a heavier-than-air machine.

Aerofoil--Term used to indicate lifting surface,

Angle of Incidence--The angle which a line drawn from the leading to the trailing edge of the plane makes with the horizontal trailing angle between the tangent to the trailing edge of the plane and the chord or a line drawn from the leading to the trailing edge.

Arc--Any portion of a circle or other curve.

Aspect--The top or plan view of an aeroplane surface.

Automatic Stability--Applied to lateral or longitudinal stability maintained by the action of suitable elements on mechanisms independent of any control exercised by the operator. There is a tendency to restrict the term to such stability secured by automatic manipulation of controlling devices, rather than to systems in which balance is maintained by the use of dihedral arrangements.

Biplane (bi'plane)--An aeroplane with two superposed main surfaces.