NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions lor reply in coming lwoe to be r» wiT«« no* later than SATURDAY night. '<pbfllvon» will NOT be repliod t° through th» post. Interested asks (1) if the widow of a soldier who married on the eve of his departure receives a pension? (2) If so, how mlic h? -(1) Yes. (2) £2 per week and 10s per week for each child. Soldieb—A specific sum as a pensionjfpr the loss of an arm is not fixed. The Pension Board allows a pension,, and tho ' amount is reviewed generally every six months. D. C—There would be no difficulty about sending tho parcels. The honey would require to be- in hermetically-sealed tins. Postage is charged according to weight. There would be duty to pay in England, but it is impossible to state at this end what it would amount to. E. M.—On September 21, 1792, the convention decreed the abolition of royalty in Prance and procladmed the Republic. On April 11, 1814, Napoleon abdicated completely. Restoration of the Bourbons followed immediately. On March 1, 1815, Napoleon landed at Cannes from Elba, and was acclaimed Emperor by the army and people. In 1821 he died at St. Helena. The second revolution occurred on February 22, 1848. In November, 1852, Louis Bonaparte accepted' as hereditary Emperor of Prance under the name of Napoleon 111. The second Empire under Napoleon 111 lasted from November 4, 1852, to September ' 4, 1870. Oh September 4 the" third Republic was proclaimed. Napoleon 111 died in January, 1873, and was the last Emperor. . Subscriber asks how to wash and prepare sheepskins for mats? Make a strong lather with soap and hot water, and let it stand till cool. Wash the skin in it, carefully squeezing out all the dirt from the wool; then rinse well in cold water to remove the soap. Dissolve lib each of salt and alum in two gallons of hot water, Mid put the skin into a tub with sufficient to cover it; let ft soak for 12 hours, and hfcng it over a pole to drain. When well drained stretch it carefully on a board to dry, and stretch several times while drying. Before it is quite dry sprinkle on the flesh aide loz each of finely-pulverised alum and saltpetre, lubbing it well in. Allow it to remain until 'the wool feels firm on the skin, then, rub again with alum. ISI Fold the flesh sides together and hang in the shade for two or three days, turning over each day until quite dry. Scrape, the flesh side with a bturit knife, and rub well down with a smooth piece of pumice stone. If the skin is snyway stiff, draw it quickly backward and forward through a large smooth ring until it is quite soft. Wageb asks for information concerning tho wrecks and death roll ot (1) Titanic, (2) Lusitania. On her maiden voyage to New York the Whiet Star liner Titanic (45,000 tons) collided with an iceberg on April 14, 1912, off Capo Race, and sank in a few hours. Of the 2206 persons on board 703 escaped in boats, and some hours later were picked up by the Carpathia. The number of victims reached the total of 1503. The Lusitania was torpedoed on May 7, 1915, off the Old Head of Kinsale, near Queenstown, on her voyage from America. One thousand one hundred and ninety eight people, compitsing men, women, and children, were drowned. For/TY-ittvE Years' Header. —Your question' is touched upon in the Week. As head of the only unexhausted Power which took up the sword in support of an ideal, ' as head of the Government approached by the Central Powers seeking an armistice and representing the only nation that fought against Germany with the solo

object of making the world safe for democracy, President Wilson was bound to have a commanding influence at the Peace Conference. He formulated his 14 points, and to these the Allies gave their assent when agreeing to the armlistice. W. E. S. —If you communicated with the writer you-refer to ho would give you all the information you require. You should, however, state definitely what you do want to' know. ." All about him " is too vague. W. J. M., Nevis.—The address is 35 Octagon,

Dunedin. Edendale.—Mr H. M. Davey replies: "Ro your questions, (1) it is quite possible to do all you desire, ae already told you. (2) It has so far been found impossible • tp get any particulars of size and cost, but inquiries are still being made, and if theao can be obtained you will be answered next issue. The fact is-that, owing to the war,' bopks of this sort have been coming far less freely, and local shops are quite out of them. (9) The place indicated on the plan, which as all that can be desired for the reply to the second question, came, and it is hoped that the full reply will be

given next week. Motob Engine, Lumsden.—Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, Princes street, replies: "It is hard to say exactly the power the 40 h.j). you have on offer would • really develop. If of American make, it would be about equal to 36 h.p. British. ; The saw you mention would take from 15 ' to 20 h.p., and the corresponding speeds would vary from about 850 to 1100 per minute. The usual pulleys for this size : would be from 12in to 14in in diameter, and from sin to 6in wide. As to how the engine would be geared you ornlit to give* its speed, but probably, a belt and pulley 12in wide and of the proper diameter to get the above speeds would be about what you would require. It is difficult to compare the engine you describe with a steam engine, for the one you describe would not bo likely to give any more power than you state, and may not quite give even that, while a steam engine of British make would generally give more than the power named, and could always do so if the Jboiler power were' ample, as in reality the engine depends on its bdller more than on' itself."