“THE BODY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER, LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK, its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here food for worms. Yet the work itself shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.”
113. Which is the largest stationary engine in the world?
The largest stationary engine in the world is at the famous zinc mines at Friedensville, Pennsylvania. It is known as the “President,” and there is no pumping engine in the world that can be compared with the monster. The number of gallons of water raised every minute is 17,500. The driving-wheels are thirty-five feet in diameter, and weigh forty tons each. The sweep-rod is forty feet long, the cylinder one hundred and ten inches in diameter, and the piston-rod eighteen inches in diameter, with a ten-foot stroke.
114. What was the origin of “pin-money”?
“Pin-money” is a term applied to a lady’s allowance of money for her own personal expenditure. Long after the invention of pins, in the fourteenth century, they were very costly, and the maker was allowed to sell them in open shop only on the 1st and 2d of January. It was then that the ladies of the court and city dames flocked to the stores to buy them, having been first provided with the requisite money by their husbands. When pins became common and cheap, the ladies spent their allowance on other fancies, but the term “pin-money” remained in vogue.
115. Why are our Presidents inaugurated on the 4th of March?
The reason why the 4th of March is the day on which our Presidents are always inaugurated is that the Continental Congress appointed the first Wednesday in January, 1789, for the people to choose electors; the first Wednesday in February for those electors to choose a President; and the first Wednesday in March for the government to go into operation under the new Constitution. The last-named day, in 1789, fell on the 4th of March; hence, the 4th of March following the election of a President is the day appointed for his inauguration. By the act of 1792, it was provided that the Presidential term of four years should commence on the 4th of March. By the amendment to the Constitution made in 1804, if the House of Representatives should not elect a President by the 4th of March, the Vice-President becomes President. The 4th of March is thus virtually made, by the Constitution as well as by statute, the day when a new Presidential term begins.
116. What was the origin of the word “tariff”?
On the coast of Spain, just outside the Straits of Gibraltar, there is an island called Tarifa. When the Moors had possession of Spain, they established a custom-house upon it. The taxes were fixed by the collector. Every vessel passing through the straits in either direction was brought to and robbed of as much as this collector saw fit. If the captain delivered up about fifteen per cent of his cargo, or paid its equivalent in money, he was allowed to go in peace. If he proved stubborn, his vessel and cargo were confiscated. Generally, however, no resistance was offered. When the vessel arrived at the port of discharge, her owner assessed the loss on the purchasers of the goods. Hence all money collected on cargoes is called a tariff, from the island whence the custom was first started.
117. What newspaper is called “The Thunderer”?