Fermo
a walled city of central Italy, till 1860 capital of a delegation of same name, forming part of the states of the Church in the province of Ascoli, 3 miles from the Adriatic, and 32 S. S. E. of Ancona. Its harbor on the Adriatic, called Porto di Fermo, is small, and but little frequented. Fermo was founded by the Sabines before Rome existed, was colonized by the Romans toward the beginning of the First Punic War, and was repeatedly sacked by the Goths and other barbarians. In the 8th century the city was transferred to the Holy See. Pop. about 5,000.
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Fermoy
a town in the county of Cork, Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the Blackwater. It is the site of a cathedral, archbishop's palace, two convents, and a college. The chief industries are agricultural products and grist mills. It is an important garrison town with accommodations for 3,000 troops. Pop. about 12,000.
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Fernando De Noronha
an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Brazil. It is 8 miles long, by FESSENDEN 124 ton the Order of the Society of the Cincinnati. Later he went to France, where he became a favorite at court,, and was the disguised coachman at the flight of the royal family from Versailles during the Revolution. He returned to Sweden, where he was received with honor, and in 1801 was made grand marshal that country. On suspicion of complicity in the death of Prince Christian of Sweden, he was seized by a mob while marshaling the funeral procession, and tortured to death, June 20, 1810.
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Ferret
a relative of the weasel, now known only as a domesticated animal. It is about fourteen inches long. It is of a whitish or yellowish color, with red or pink weasel-like eyes. It is bred in confinement, both in this country and in Europe. It has an exceedingly slender, lithe body, and is used to rid houses of mice and rats. English poachers and gamekeepers use the ferret to drive rabbits out of their underground warrens, a bag being held over the entrance to catch the rabbits as they come popping out. As a verb, the term, ferret, is used to denote a sly, furtive method of detecting crime or drawing out a secret. Common weasel. European polecat. Ferret. Furbearing animals Pine marten. White-breasted marten. Furbearing animals Russian sable. Furbearing animals
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Ferrex and Porrex
. See Tragedy
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Ferric Oxide
This material is used in its natural state and also prepared artificially under various names, such as crocus, red stuff and rouge It is used for polishing fine articles of steel, gold, silver, copper and bronze. Tin Putty is an artificial compound prepared from glowing oxalate of tin, which is obtained by decomposing tin salt with oxalic acid.
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Ferris
WOODBRIDGE N., American educator and statesman, was born at Spencer, N. Y. January 6, 1853. He graduated from the Oswego Normal Training School and studied medicine at the University of Michigan, 1873-4. From 1875 to 1884 he was connected as teacher or principal with a number of Illinois business colleges and in 1884 became the founder of the Ferris Institute at Big Rapids, Michigan, of which he was president for almost forty years. He was governor of Michigan in 1913-14 and again in 1915-16. In 1922 he was elected U. S. Senator from that state, being the first member of the Democratic Party to hold the office for over seventy years.
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Ferris Wheel
a device for pleasure seekers. It may be described as a merry-go-round on edge. The cars are swung between the circumferences of two large wheels. The axis of the wheels or wheel is turned by power. As the wheel turns, the cars are carried up and down , describing the circumference of a circle. The cars are swung in such a way that they retain an upright position. Ferris wheels are a popular feature of fair grounds and summer resorts. The original Ferris wheel was built on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. The inventor was Mr. G. W. G. Ferris, of Pittsburg. The wheel, the largest wheel ever built, was 250 feet in diameter, and swung fourteen feet in the clear. The upper part of the circumference was thus 264 feet above the ground. This wheel carried 36 cars. Each car had seats for 40 passengers. This wheel weighed 2,200,000 pounds, 1,100 tons, and cost $300,000. After the close of the Chicago fair the wheel was operated for a time on North Clark street, and later it was set up in St. Louis. Finally, being too large to pay for removal from place to place, it was sold for old iron; but it has been succeeded by many imitations.
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Ferro-manganese
Pig-iron containing from 25 to 75 per cent of manganese, employed extensively in the manufacture of mild steel by the Siemens, Bessemer, and crucible methods. See MANGANESE; SPIEGELEISEN; OPEN-HEARTH STEEL.
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Ferrol
a Spanish seaport in Galicia, Spain; on a narrow arm of the sea, 11 miles by water and 33 by rail N. E. of Corunna. A poor fishing town till 1752, it now is one of the strongest fortified places in the kingdom, and possesses one of its three largest arsenals (with dockyards, naval workshops, etc.), while the annual trade reaches about £500,000. The harbor is safe and capacious, and has a very narrow entrance, defended by two forts. The town has manufactures of naval stores, linen, cotton, and leather, and exports corn, brandy, vinegar, and fish. In 1805 a French fleet was defeated by the English off Ferrol. The town was taken by the French in 1809 and 1823, and in 1872 had a republican rising. Pop. about 30,000.
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Ferrule
The small pulley or wheel around which the string of a bow is wound when giving motion to a piece of work. See also Collet. FETIL, PIERRE. A noted French Watchmaker, born at Nantes in 1753, and died at Orleans May 18, 1814.
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Ferry, Jules
fa-ree', Jules (1832-1893), a French statesman. While practicing law in Paris he dipped into journalism, always as an opponent of the empire of Napoleon III. As a member of the National Assembly he voted against the war with Prussia. He was mayor of Paris during its siege by the Germans in the winter of 1871. After the close of the Franco-Prussian War he held various important positions under the republic. As minister of public instruction he brought about the expulsion of the Jesuits. As prime minister he put forth efforts, not always successful, to secure territory in Africa and Farther Asia. His reputation is that of an intelligent patriot who served his country faithfully and well.
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