C. H. Whitlock,
P. O. Box 485, Ithaca, N. Y.
R. O. C.—The city of Santa Fe, in New Mexico, is the oldest in the United States.
"Inquisitive Joe."—The first narrow-gauge railroad was that leading from collieries either in Wales or the north of England, upon which point authorities differ. The gauge of four feet eight and a half inches is supposed to have been determined by the width of axle of the colliery wagons, and, once adopted, to have been applied to new roads built in other localities for passenger traffic.—It is supposed that the Chinese were the first to mine coal, and also from time immemorial to collect gas from it for purposes of illumination. Their method of working mines was very primitive, and is but little improved up to the present time. It is supposed that coal was used in Great Britain previous to the Roman invasion, but was probably collected only at the outcrops of the coal seams. In 1259 a charter was granted to the freemen of Newcastle to "dig for cole," by the King, Henry III., and from this time coal mining was an extensive industry. In France and Belgium, coal was also mined for fuel at a very early period. The Greeks and Romans were evidently acquainted with coal as fuel, but are supposed to have made little or no use of it.
Michael G. S.—There were two obelisks on the site of the ancient port of Alexandria, known as Cleopatra's Needles, one erect, the other fallen. The fallen one was taken to England in 1877, and the obelisk formerly erect is now placed in the Central Park of New York city.
John C.—Cockroaches, often called Croton-bugs in New York city, will devour anything they can find in the domestic store-room. They will also eat woollen cloth. They will exist a long time without food, as did the specimen you imprisoned in a bottle. Had you fed your bug with crumbs of bread or cake, he would have eaten greedily. The species of cockroaches which is found in houses in all maritime towns is supposed to be an emigrant from Asia, from which country it spread to Europe, and afterward came to America, where it has made itself thoroughly at home, to the great annoyance of many housewives, who battle in vain against the ravaging hordes of these disgusting insects.