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Beaumont

(Encyclopedia)Beaumont, city (2020 pop. 115,282), seat of Jefferson co., Tex., on the Sabine-Neches Waterway; inc. 1838. A ship channel provides the facilities of a m...

semaphore

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Positions of a railroad semaphore: (A) clear, (B) caution, (C) stop semaphore sĕmˈəfôrˌ [key], device for the visible transmission of messages. The marine semaphore, used by day between s...

Barron, James

(Encyclopedia)Barron, James, 1768–1851, U.S. naval officer, b. Hampton, Va. Of a seafaring family, he served in the Virginia navy in the Revolution, entered the U.S. navy as a lieutenant in 1798, and held command...

Feng Yü-hsiang

(Encyclopedia)Feng Yü-hsiang fŭng yü-shyäng [key], 1882–1948, Chinese general. He held various military positions under the Ch'ing dynasty. Feng's conversion to Methodism in 1914 gained him the sobriquet the ...

Point Reyes National Seashore

(Encyclopedia)Point Reyes National Seashore rāˈĭs [key], 71,068 acres (28,772 hectares), W Calif.; est. 1962. Included in the area are steep bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, lagoons, and esteros enclosed by...

parcel post

(Encyclopedia)parcel post, sending of packages through the mail service. At the congress of the Universal Postal Union in Paris in 1878, an international parcel-post system was established. The British parcel-post ...

Hawke of Towton, Edward Hawke, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Hawke of Towton, Edward Hawke, 1st Baron touˈtən [key], 1705–81, British admiral. He entered the navy in 1720 and first saw fighting as commander of a ship in the battle of Toulon (1744). He was p...

sweepstakes

(Encyclopedia)sweepstakes, contest or race, usually a horse race, on which a lottery is run. Prizes are awarded to the holders of winning tickets. In the case of a horse race, the draw is made from the names of all...

Newfoundland, breed of dog

(Encyclopedia)Newfoundland, breed of massive, powerful working dog developed in Newfoundland, probably in the 17th cent., and later perfected in England. It stands from 25 to 28 in. (63.5–71.1 cm) high at the sho...

lumber

(Encyclopedia)lumber, term for timber that has been cut into boards for use as a building material. The major steps in producing lumber involve logging (the felling and preparation of timber for shipment to sawmill...