Chapter 6
6. Of One Thousand Things Worth Knowing. The Suez Canal is 90 miles long with a depth of 35 feet and is 108 feet wide at the bottom. It cost 100 million dollars. The Manchester Canal between Manchester and Liverpool is 35.5 miles long with a depth
of 28 feet and 120 feet wide at the bottom. It cost 85 million dollars. The canal connecting the Baltic and North Seas is 61 miles long, 29.5 feet deep, and has a bottom width of 72 feet. It cost 400 million dollars.
The Panama Canal, which is not yet complete, will be about 50 miles in length with a width of 300 feet and a minimum depth of 41 feet. The United States government paid 50 million dollars to the New French Canal Company and the Republic of Panama for property rights and franchises, and the total cost of the canal will not be far from 375 million dollars.
At the present time, nearly 50,000 men are at work upon the canal, and the official opening is announced for January 1, 1915. When completed, it will be the largest work of its class in the world, although not the longest canal. Capacity of cisterns and wells.
For each 10 inches in depth, a cistern 2 feet in diameter will hold 19 gallons. 2.5 feet, 30 gallons. 3 feet, 44 gallons. 3.5 feet, 60 gallons. 4 feet, 78 gallons.
4.5 feet, 97 gallons. 5 feet, 122 gallons. 5.5 feet, 148 gallons. 6 feet, 176 gallons. 6.5 feet, 207 gallons.
7 feet, 240 gallons. 7.5 feet, 275 gallons. 8 feet, 313 gallons. 8.5 feet, 353 gallons. 9 feet, 396 gallons.
9.5 feet, 461 gallons. 10 feet, 489 gallons. 11 feet, 592 gallons. 12 feet, 705 gallons. 13 feet, 827 gallons.
14 feet, 959 gallons. 15 feet, 1101 gallons. 20 feet, 1958 gallons. 25 feet, 3059 gallons. Capital at Washington.
The capital is situated in latitude 38 degrees, 53 minutes, 20.4 seconds north, and longitude 77 degrees, 0 minutes, 35.7 seconds west from Greenwich. It fronts east and stands on a plateau 88 feet above the level of the Potomac. The entire length of the building from north to south is 751 feet, 4 inches, and its greatest dimension from east to west, 350 feet.
The area covered by the building is 153,112 square feet. The dome of the original central building was constructed of wood, covered with copper. This was replaced in 1856 by the present structure of cast iron. The entire weight of iron used is 8,909,200 pounds. The dome is crowned by a bronze statue of freedom, which is 19 feet, 6 inches high, and weighs 14,985 pounds.
The height of the dome above the baseline of the east front is 287 feet, 5 inches. The height from the top of the balustrade of the building is 217 feet, 11 inches. The greatest diameter at the base is 135 feet, 5 inches. The rotunda is 97 feet, 6 inches in diameter. And its height from the floor to the top of the canopy is 217 feet, 3 inches.
The Senate chamber is 113 feet, 3 inches in length, 83 feet, 3 inches in width, and 36 feet in height. The galleries will accommodate 1,000 persons. The representative's hall is 139 feet in length, by 93 feet in width, and 36 feet in height. The room now occupied by the Supreme Court was, until 1859, the Senate chamber. Previous to that time, the court occupied the room immediately beneath, now used as a law library.
Celluloid. Celluloid, from which many toilet articles and invitations of ivory are made, is composed from the cellulose found in cotton cloth, or raw cotton. It is treated with a solution of nitric acid which forms it into a pulp, very much like paper pulp. It is then washed with water, which removes most of the acid. It is partially hardened and camphor gum mixed with it when it is rolled into sheets and thoroughly dried.
In order to manipulate it, it is softened by steam and then hardened by drying. Celluloid is very inflammable. Wirrers of celluloid combs and other ornaments should not expose themselves to fire.
