THE HERMISTON
RUPTURE COMES;
PASSPORTS GIVEN
Wilson Severs Diplomatic Re
lations on U-Boat Mandate.
GERARD IS ORDERED HOME
President Addresses Congress in Joint
Session—Break With Austria Ex-
pected—Bernstrof Gets Papers..
Washington, D. C.—Diplomatic re
lations with Germany have been
broken.
Count von Bernstorff has
been handed his passports and Ambas
sador Gerard has been ordered from
Berlin.
President Wilson addressed a joint
session of congress at 2 o’clock Satur
day afternoon.
In spite of the fact that this became
known definitely, officials at the White
House and the State department would
not discuss the situation in any form.
The President completed his message
to congress early Saturday morning,
and arrangements for his appearance
were immediately made.
Whether the break with Germany
would be accompanied by a similar
break with Austria-Hungary, could not
be learned definitely.
Inasmuch as Austria is understood
to have indorsed the action of Ger
many, however, this action is expected
to follow, if it has not already been
taken.
The State department notified Am
bassador Gerard to ask for his pass
ports.
The decision to break relations was
reached after the President’s confer
ences with the cabinet and members of
the senate Friday. The President, by
those conferences, came to the con
clusion that the country would stand
solidly behind him in breaking off
diplomatic relations with Germany.
Belgian Relief Ship First
to Sink in New Campaign
London — Official information re
ceived concerning the sinking of the
steamer Euphrates shows that the
probable first victim of the new sub
marine policy of the central powers
was a Belgian relief ship.
The Euphrates had carried a cargo
of relief supplies from the United
States and was homeward bound in
ballast when she was torpedoed. Sev
eral members of the crew have been
rescued and have reached an outlying
port.
In connection with the sinking of the
Euphrates, it is pointed out that all re
lief ships, even when homeward bound,
conspicuously display the flags of the
Commission for Relief in Belgium and
carry balls at the mastheads, the latter
to prevent aerial attacks.
They also carry the safe conduct of
the German consul general at Rotter
dam just as loaded vessels carry a safe
conduct from the German consul gen
eral at New York.
The sinking of the Belgian steamer
Euphrates, of 2809 tons gross, was an
nounced by Lloyd’s Shipping Agency
February 1.
HERALD,
COLD AND HOT ZONES BELOW |
American Ship, Housatonic, Sunk
By German Submarine, is First
Washington, D. C.—The possibility
| that the sinking of the American
steamer Housatonic will become a ser
ious factor in the crisis with Germany
apparently was eliminated Monday by
evidence that the attacking submarine
acted within international law. Amer-
! ican Consul Stephens at Plymouth re
ported that warning was given and
provision made for the safety of the
crew.
Washington, D. C.—News of the
sinking of the Housatonic created a
sensation here.
State department officials said it
would depend entirely on the circum
stances whether the incident would
affect the present situation.
The ship was carrying contraband
and if she was destroyed with proper
warning and provision for the safety
of her crew or in an attempt to es
cape, the United States merely would
have a claim for damages, as in the
Frye case.
The first effect of the incident in
official quarters was to direct anew to
the President’s declaration in his ad
dress to congress that if American
ships and lives were sacrificed “in
heedless contravention of the just and
reasonable understanding of interna
tional law” he would again go before
congress for authority to “use any
means that may be necessary for the
protection of our seamen and our peo
ple.”
________
Germans Cripple Interned
Ship By Spoiling Boilers
Boston—The North German-Lloyd
liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie, which
was seized by the United States Mar
shal Mitchell on a civil process Satur
day night, was found to be crippled
beyond possibility of early usefulness,
according to an official who assisted in
the seizure.
The liner’s boilers were said to have
been cleared of all water, the fires
were burning at top capacity, and
countless valves in the engineroon had
been mutilated, transferred or re
moved entirely, this official stated.
Captain Charles A. Polack and the
skeleton crew of 112 men who have
made the ship their home for more
than two years, had been put ashore
and housed for the time being at the
immigration bureau. They made no
resistance.
The German engineers,
firemen and others had been replaced
by American citizens and 50 men of
the city police force had been put on
board to protect the vessel from any
wilful damage.
Nippon Warships Sighted.
Port Angeles, Wash.—Three Japan
ese battleships passed in at the Cape
about noon Tuesday.
They flew no
name signals, only their Japanese en
signs flying. It is probable that they
were bound for Victoria,B. C.
Sailing from South Africa for Puget
Sound, taking 103 days on the trip
without seeing one vessel, is the rec
ord of the four-mast barkentine Puako,
which arrived late Tuesday night in
tow of the Richard Holyoke and
cleared for Victoria.
Capt. Petersen
reports having a tough time with his
crew coming up this trip. Going from
Puget Sound to South Africa the first
mate was lost overboard while round
ing Cape Horn and drowned.
President Halts U. S. Ships.
Washington, D. C.—President Wil
son has issued a proclamation under
the authority of the recent shipping
act proibiting American ship owners
from trasferring their vessels to any
other registry.
The President pointed out that a
national emergency exists and that
many ship owners of the United States
are permitting their vessels to pass to
alien registers and to foreign trade in
which we do not participate, “and
from which they cannot be brought
back to serve the needs of our water-
borne commerce without the permis
sion of governments of foreign na
tions.”
Ship Deals Are Under Way.
Portland— Evidence that the war
scare has not influenced negotiations
for the purchase of new wooden ships
here is offered by owners in some quar
ters, who admit that they are dealing
this week with persons in the market
for tonnage; also it is known more
new contracts are being arranged for.
So far as is known, sales now in
sight will be to American firms, so
war conditions will not affect deals.
Naturally, as compared with prices
asked a year ago, higher figures are in
effect because of increased wages in
shipyards and advance in the cost of
material and gear.
Two Launchings Next Week.
Portland—Two launchings of wooden
ships set for February 17 are to be of
importance to the shipping community
here, one being the auxiliary schooner
Margaret, at the McEachern yard, be
ing the second carrier of the A. O. An
dersen & Co. fleet to be floated here
and the other is the motorship Oregon,
German Spies Are Watched;
building at Seattle for the Alaska Pa
cific Navigation Co., of this city. The
Arsenals Heavily Guarded auxiliary
schooner Allard, launched
Chicago—Steps for the protection of last month at St. Helens, will leave
government property in the zone soon for San Francisco in tow of the
around Chicago were taken here, fol Port of Portland tug Oneonta.
lowing receipt of orders from Wash
ington, when sentries were tripled and
Tacoman Gets Tug Resolute.
all visitors barred from the grounds of
Tacoma—By a decision of the Fed
the Great Lakes naval training station eral court in admiralty Wednesday,
near Lake Bluff. Picked riflemen of Charles E. Steelsmith of Tacoma was
the Illinois naval reserves mounted awarded ownership of the tug Reso
guard on the United States gunboat lute, adjudged a derelict, which has
Isle de Luzon and on the training ship been lying in the Columbia river at
Commodore. Enactment of mobiliza Vancouver since the death of her
tion orders, which have been in pos owner, F. R. Hill, over a year ago,
session of Captain E. A. Evers, is ex upon a libel of the plaintiff.
pected to assemble 1000 members and
ex-members of this organization for
duty on American fighting craft.
NORTHWEST MARKET REPORT
T. R. Offers Self and Sons.
Oyster Bay, N. Y.—Theodore Roose
velt has pledged his support to Presi
dent Wilson in upholding the honor of
the United States. He offered to the
country his own services and those of
his four sons in the event of hostilities.
Plans for a volunteer army division to
be commanded by the Colonel, which
his friends have worked on since the
sinking of the Lusitania, again have
come to the front, and he admitted he
had asked the War department for per
mission to raise such a body of
troops.
New York—The steamship Euphra
tes was under charter to the Belgian
Relief commission and would have
taken another cargo from New York
to Rotterdam had she returned safely
to America, it was said by representa
tives of the commission here Friday.
Chicago Pit Moved to Tears.
She carried a crew of between 26
Chicago
—Patriotic fervor was loos
and 30 men, none of whom was an
ened on the floor of the Chicago board
American, so far as is known.
of trade Saturday at the close of a me
morable session.
It came following
Dying Chief Bars Doctors.
the announcement that this country
Pendleton, Or.—Chief No-Shirt, the had broken its diplomatic relations
Walla Walla Indian chief, who lies at with Germany. An impromptu, rous
the point of death, believes that a spell ing and altogether moving demonstra
has been cast over him by She-Low- tion was staged. In the memory of
He-Tammy, an old Indian doctor, and the oldest trader on the board nothing
absolutely refuses medical aid from like it was ever seen before. It moved
white doctors.
The dying Indian has many men to tears.
an Indian medicine man in attendance,
Militia Is Called Out.
but holds no hope that this doctor can
New York — The entire National
save him from the evil influence of
She-Low-He-Tammy.
The latter is guard of New York state and the Na
better known as “Big Jim,” and is val militia were ordered out Saturday
said by tribesmen to have caused the by Governor Whitman after a confer
ence with Major General John F.
death of several Indains recently.
O’Ryan. General O’Ryan was direct
ed to have every arsenal, armory and
Five Killed in Train Wreck.
Omaha—Five persons are known to watershed adequately guarded by the
have been killed and several injured militiamen and Commodore Forshew,
when Chicago, Burlington & Quincy of the Naval militia, was ordered to
train No. 12 was wrecked near Crom protect all bridges.
well Station, Iowa, at 10 o’cock Fri
War on Sea is German Hope.
day night. The train struck a broken
Berlin—Admiral Scheer, commander
rail and five Pullmans were thrown
down a 40-foot embankment into the of the German battle fleet, has tele
ditch. The engine, the tender and the graphed the following to the Lokal
observaton car left the track but were Anzeiger: “My slogan is that our fu
not ditched. The injured were taken ture lies on the water. However the
British sea lion gnashes his teeth, we
to Creston.
must and will attack him until a free
path on the seas has been won.”
Ship Ordered to Stay in Port.
Washington, D. C.—At the conclus
Honolulu is on Alert.
ion of the cabinet meeting Friday Sec
Honolulu. T. H.—Extra precautions
retary Lansing said it was his opinion
it would be better if the American to guard against violationa of neutral
liner St. Louis did not sail from New ity were taken here by army and navy
York Saturday, or until the issue had forces. Extra guards are patrolling
been decided, and that he probably the wharves harboring interned Ger
would so advise the International Mer man vessels. The United States cruis
er St. Louis is patrolling the harbor.
cantile Marine.
HERMISTON, OREGON.
Portland—Wheat—Bluestem, $1.50
per bushel; fortyfold, $1.46; club,
$1.44; red Russian, $1.43.
Millfeed—Spot prices: Bran, $26.50
per ton; shorts, $30.50; rolled barley,
$42043.
Hay — Producers’ prices: Timothy,
Eastern Oregon, $19@20 per ton; val
ley, $15016; alfalfa, $14@16; valley
grain hay, $12@14.
Butter — Cubes, extras, 39c per
pound; prime firsts, 37c; firsts, 36c;
dairy,*30c. Jobbing prices:
Prints,
extras, 41@43c; cartons, 1c extra;
butterfat. No. 1, 43c; No. 2, 41c,
Portland.
Eggs — Oregon ranch, current re
ceipts, 30c per dozen;
candled, 31
@32c; selects, 34c.
Poultry— Hens, heavy, 17j@19c per
pound; light, 16@17c; springs, 17j@
19c; turkeys, live, 20@22c; dressed,
25028c; ducks, 18@22c; geese, 12
@13c.
Veal—Fancy, 141@15c per pound.
Pork—Fancy, 14i@15c per pound.
Vegetables—Artichokes, 90c@$1.10
per dozen; tomatoes, $6.00@7.50 per
crate; cabbage, $5 per hundred;
eggplant, 25c per pound; lettuce, $2.35
@3.25 per box; cucumbers, $1.50@
2.00 per dozen; celery, $5.60 per crate;
cauliflower,
$2.25@2.50; peppers,
30c per pound;
sack vegetables,
$1.25 per sack; sprouts, 12Jc per
pound; rhubarb, 9@1lac.
Potatoes — Oregon buying prices,
$2.50@2.75 per hundred; sweets, $4.
Onions — Oregon buying prices, $7
per sack, country points.
Green Fruits — Apples, 75c@$1.50
per box; pears, $1.7502.50; cranber
ries, $10@11 per barrel.
Hope—1916 crop, 5@9c per pound;
1917 contracts, 10@llc.
Wool—Eastern Oregon, fine, 28033c
per pound; coarse, 33036c; valley, 3 3
@41c; mohair, nominal.
Cattle—Steers, prime, $8.0009.20;
fair to good, $7.0008.00; medium,
$6.50 @6.75; cows, choice, $7.35@
7.7 6; medium to good, $6.5007.00; or
dinary to fair, $5.7506.25; heifers,
$5.00 @ 8.00; bulls,
$3.75 @ 6.00;
calves, $3.0009.00.
Hogs — Light and heavy packing,
$11.25@ 11.76; rough heavy, $9.850
10.00; pigs and skips, $9.35010.00;
stock hogs, $8.5009.00.
Sheep—Yearling wethers, $9.76@
10.50; lambs, $11.00@12.50.
Theory That Heat Uniformly Increases
With Descent Into Interior of
Earth Is Proved.
The question is often asked: “Are
there cold and hot zones below the
surface of the earth Just as there are
on the surface?” Recent developments
would tend to prove that such Is the
case and that the long-accepted theory
that heat uniformly increases with de
scent into the interior of the earth is
incorrect.
It has been shown that heat gener-
ated by oxidization is often a deter-
ring or determining factor in deep min
ing. In sundry localities it has been
noted that the Increase in tempera
ture with depth is not regular, being
subject to the amount of pyrites in
the ground, or to the time that the
hole In the ground is opened up. At
Sandhurst, Victoria, New South Wales,
Australia, a fall of five degrees Fahren
heit in temperature was noted after
the ground had been opened up for
one year, and after four years had
passed there was a further fall and
then an unchanged temperature.
In telling of an instance at Com-
stock, Nev., a government official says :
"At a depth of 1,700 feet boiling wa
ter was found, and the statement was
then made that a little farther down
all matter was molten ; yet on passing
the 2,000-foot level the temperature de
creased, the union shaft at a depth of
3,500 feet having a more comfortable
temperature than could be found half-
way to the surface.”
In the Lake Superior region these
irregular conditions are conspicuous.
Here there appears to be a local cold
zone, as is demonstrated in the Cal
umet and Hecla shaft, where at 4,700
feet the temperature was 79 degrees
Fahrenheit, or only 20 degrees warmer
than at a depth of 100 feet.
When a Bachelor Takes a Wife
By LAURA JEAN UBBEY
Whom first we love, you know, we seldom
wed.
Time rules us all. And Life, indeed. Is not
The thing we planned it out ‘ere hope was
dead.
I The problem which worries many a
| bachelor is whether or not he could
content himself to
conform to the
ruling
of
one
woman after hav
ing been a free
lance so long. He
■
hasn’t the home
spirit in him and
never hud. He
has been used to
living here and
there as long us
he found it pleas
ant—striking out
for pastures new
when his sur-
roundings became
irksome to him. It
was the same case
with his loves. He
discarded the old
for the new, to suit his fancy, lie
grants that love usually changes a
man’s entire nature. But the ques
tion is, how long will it remain
changed? By no possibility would lie
drift into his old ways and notions?
Of all men the bachelor should be the
most clever in choosing the right kind
of a wife to make him happy.
The callow youth, who has not had
his experience, is apt to make the iris
take of his life by imagining fervent
admiration to be the grand passion.
When all is said and done, the man in
How December Got Its Name.
his thirties is not much wiser. He is
The first appearance of December in Just as apt to stray far afield in search-
the calendar was in the role of the
tenth month of the year of Romulus,
its name being derived from “decem,”
Here Are Simple Tests by
meaning ten. In 713 B. C., Numa in
Which to Tell Whether
troduced January and February before
March, and December was relegated
You Are Physically Fit.
to twelfth place. The name thus ceased
to be etymologically correct, and sev
In the last analysis, the condition of
eral attempts were made to change it,
but without success. For a decade in the fibers of a man’s heart determines
the second century of the Christian his physical fitness. Or, stated in an
era, in the reign of Commodus, Decem other way, a man is not physically fit
ber was called Amazonfus, In honor of unless his heart fibers will stand cer
one of the light lady loves of the tain tests. These tests have recently
prince, but soon after the death of been reduced to such simplicity by
Commodus—he was poisoned by his fa French army surgeons that they may
vorite mistress, Martia — Romans be applied by any intelligent person;
dropped the name of Amazonius and and they offer an excellent hygienic
suggestion for persons in civil life for
restored the old name of December.
In the original calendar of Romulus determining their physical condition.
The tests as described in the bulle
December had 30 days. When Numa
tin
of the French academy are made
reformed the calendar he reduced De
cember to 29 days, but Julius Caesar as follows: The first test consists in
gave it 31 days, and it has been that having the subject, after the pulse rate
number ever since. By the ancient at rest in the standing position has
Saxons December was called Winter- been determined in the usual manner,
monat, which was changed, after the execute running steps on one spot,
introduction
of
Christianity,
to with the thighs, nt the rate of two
Helighmonat, or Holy month.—Buffalo steps a second. At the enti of one
minute the subject stops and remains
Times.
standing, while the pulse is counted
for fifteen seconds in each minute, and
A Wrist Watch In the Desert.
continuing the count until the pulse
One night a company of Arabs at rate has returned to normal, or nearly
tached themselves to our party. This so. If the pulse rate has returned to
is customary in these wild lands. They normal by the end of the second min-
saw that we were well armed and Ute, the subject Is considered fit for
came with us for safety. One of them, any kind of hard physical exertion.
a dignified young chief, was accom If, at the end of the second minute,
panying a woman across the desert. the pulse rate is over thirty in the
She was well dressed, this Arab girl, fifteen seconds—that is, 120 beats per
with a yellow turban and a silken minute Instead of about seventy-five or
robe. On her wrist she wore a Swiss eighty, it is u sign of slight weakness
gold watch, and, though bare-footed, of the heart. Such a condition, how
she wns as dignified as the queens of ever, may be corrected by proper treat-
Lenox and Newport. One of my men ment, and treatment should be under
apparently made an insulting remark taken at once.
to her, and she called him down jast
In the second test the subject, while
is nn American girl would have done. standing, raises a ten-pound weight
According to the custom of the desert, over the head, then brings it down be
we had to give him a thrashing, which tween the legs with the body bent for
Mahomet did lustily with a big stick. ward, repeating this for one minute nt
After that the Arab party always the rate of one cycle In two seconds,
showed us white men the deepest re- or one second for each upward and
spect.—Peter MacQueen in World Out each downward movement. The pulse
look.
rate Is then tested as in the first ex
ercise.
Chinese Woman Studente In Japan.
This second test is considered some
Chinese girl students In Tokyo are what more exacting than the first ;
no longer the curiosity that they were but either is adequate for practical
in former years, there being scarcely purposes.
any girls’ school in the metropolis but
has among its students young ladles
Things That Are New.
from the only republic in the far East.
Many of these girls are studying for
Electrically heated pads feature a
teachers, while others are only anxious
to acquire new knowledge and become new English cure for frostbitten feet.
Celluloid letters to be set Into
worthy citizens of their country. There
are 20 Chinese women, mostly mar grooves in plate glass form a recently
ried, studying at Mme. Yoshioka's invented transparent sign.
As a substitute for horsehair in up
Medical School for Women, Kawada-
cho, Ichlgaya. These naturally wish holstering the waste from cleaning Ba
to go into practice when they have hama sisal fiber Is being used.
A recording meter has been invent
completed their studies.
ed to measure the amount of steam
used in an industrial plant and check
Cheated His Widow of a Pleasure.
The will in which a testator direct waste.
An Illinois Inventor has built a life-
ed that his ashes, after cremation,
should be buried at the foot of a pear size human figure of steel that draws
tree in his garden wns Inspired by a a miniature wagon and Is having one
dislike of the needless and largely in built that will be nine feet tall and
sincere pomp of mourning. Perhaps correspondingly powerful.
A transparent, noninflammable ma
the most eccentric choice on record
was that of a testator more than a terial resembling celluloid has been de
hundred years ago who directed that veloped by an Austrian inventor for
his coffin should be dropped into the airplane wings to make them almost
sea a mile below the Needles. It is said invisible even near the ground.
A Pennsylvanian has invented a port
that his wife had vowed she would
dance on his grave, and he grimly re able developing cabinet for photog
solved that if she did it should cost raphers which folds flat for carrying
and into which a man can Insert his
her her life.—London Globe.
arms through light-tight sleeves.
Sanitary advantages are claimed for
Deadly Weapon of Submarine.
In most cases the submarine dis- a new kitchen sink that has a strain
charges its torpedo when submerged. er that can be removed for cleaning or
The water enters the torpedo tube, but replaced by a nlug when it is desired
this does not interfere with the dis- to retain water in the sink.
charging of the torpedo, nor does this
A tunneling machine has been per
water enter the body of the subma- | fected that employs a number of pneu-
rine. This is secured by a set of | matic chisels to cut a bore eight feet
valves. Most torpedoes have an ef- ! in diameter through solid rock at a
tective range up to 2.000 yards.
speed of nine feet in 24 hours.
8.
ing for the right kind of wife. It is
often the matter of simple luck that
he gets the right one.
The well-seasoned bachelor has had
so many lessons in the book of life
that his studies on woman and her
nature should be valuable to him. He
knows the pouting sweetheart would
evolve Into a grumpy wife. He knows
there is nothing like a sulking wife to
make homelife unhappy. He is wise
enough to steer clear of the young
woman who would do all the talking.
He can see far enough ahead to real*
ize that her tongue would run on in
cessantly through all the years. No
matter how much the flirt has attract
ed the bachelor in other days, he Is
wise enough not to take her to the al
tar. A flirting sweetheart is bad
enough, but a wife whom other men
were making eyes at—oh, never ! The
bachelor can judge with much accu
racy whether or not he would be suit
able for a woman when he has been in
her society a few times.
There is one great and glorious good
trait about the bachelor when he does
meet the right woman, he surrenders
straightway and loses no time In ask
ing for her heart and hand. He makes
one of the best of husbands. Places
outside of home have no longer a lure
for him. He is forever grateful to the
woman who has married him ; realiz
ing that the first and best years of his
life have been squandered and that
only the husks of life’s fruitage re
main for her. Ills devotion makes
up for all else. The bachelor does not
exist who does not secretly admire
modest, noble womanhood.
(Copyright.)
oowes omosesim.
How He Lost His Friends
wieuqumu ouaizinu aman vuianausanis mmuamaoua is • uaimazoni > mcemnmmsssmecemngsmeamaarnoummomaegus
He was always wounding their
feelings, making sarcastic or funny
remarks at their expense.
He was cold and reserved in his
manner—cranky, gloomy, pessimistic.
He was suspicious of everybody.
He never threw the doors of his
heart wide open to people nor took
them into his confidence.
He was always ready to receive as
sistance from them but always too
busy or too stingy to assist them in
their time of need.
He regarded friendship as a luxury
to be enjoyed Instead of an opportu-
nity for service.
He never learned that implicit, gen-
erous trust is the very foundation stone
of friendship.
*
He never thought it worth while to
spend time in keeping up his friend
ships.
He did not realize that friendship
will not thrive on sentiment alone,
that there must be service to nourish
it.
He did not know the value of
thoughtfulness in little things.
He borrowed money from them.
He was not loyal to them.
He never hesitated to sacrifice their
reputation for his advantage.
He measured them by their ability
to advance him.—Success.
Mistletoe an Odd Parasite;
Has No Use for the Earth.
The story of how the mistletoe gets
on the trees is a most Interesting one.
Covering the mistletoe twigs are
pearly white berries. These come In
the winter season, when food is com
paratively scarce, and hence some
birds eat them freely. Now, when a
robin eats a cherry he swallows sim
ply the meat ami flips the stone away.
The seed of the mistletoe the bird can
not flip. It is sticky and holds to his
bill. His otdy resource is to wipe It
off, and he does so, leaving it sticking
to the branches of the tree on which
he Is sitting at the time. The seed
sprouts after a time, and not finding
earth—which, indeed, its ancestral
habit has made it cease wanting—it
sinks its roots into the bark of the
tree and hunts there for the pipes that
carry the sap. Now. the sap In the
bark Is the very richest In the tree,
far richer than that in the wood, and
the mistletoe gets from its host the
choicest of food. With a strange fore-
sight It does not throw Its leaves away,
as do most parasites, but keeps them
to use In winter, when the tree is leaf,
less.
Odd Facts.
Oil fuel Is used to some extent on
no fewer than 40 railroads In the
United States.
Until 1874 the Japanese used to vac
cinate on the tip of the nose.
Roller skating dates back to 1790.
Mecca's pilgrims annually exceed
100,000.
There have been woman sailors
among the Finns and Norwegians for
many years.
“Curfew” comes from two French
words, "couvre feu,” which means
"cover fire.”
There are 672 volcanoes In the world,
of which 270 are described at active.
Rubber was first introduced Into
Europe In 1735 as erasers.
Russia has more blind people than
the rest of the world, two to one.