Whitworth Gun
in ordnance, a wrought iron or, afterward, steel gun invented by Sir Joseph Whitworth. It had a hexagonal spiral bore, the angles of which were rounded off, and fired a projectile (sometimes called the Whitworth ball), the middle part of which fitted the bore, but the rear part tapered somewhat, and did not touch the rifling, while the point was rounded. Both muzzle-loading and breech-loading patterns were made. There was very little windage, and good ranges were obtained.
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Whooping Cough
an infectious disease characterized by spells of coughing and long drawn breaths producing a peculiar "whoop" from which the disease is named. It appears to have been prevalent among the children of Greece. It is due in all probability to a specific bacterium that breeds in the system. Whooping cough appears to be a disease of children whom it attacks at all ages, but chiefly between the cutting of the first and the second teeth. It ranks with scarlet fever and measles as one of the plagues of childhood. Doctors are able to make the disease easy, but seem to have no way of cutting it short. It seems determined to run from four to six weeks. Deaths from whooping cough are slightly in excess of deaths from measles and scarlet fever. There were 3,669 registered deaths from whooping cough in the United States in the year 1900. See Disease
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Whortleberry
hwur't'l-ber-ry. See Blueberry
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Whymper
EDWARD, an English traveler; born in London, England, April 27, 1840. He was famous as a mountain climber; was the first to ascend the Matterhorn and other great Alpine peaks; ascended several of the greatest of the Andes; and traveled in Greenland. He published, and himself illustrated, "Swiss Pictures" (1866); "Scrambles Among the Alps" (1869); "Travels Among the Great Andes of the Equator" (1892); etc. He died in 1911.
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Whyte-Melville
GEORGE JOHN, an English novelist; born near St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1821. A captain in the Coldstream Guards, he retired from the army, in 1849, but served in the Turkish cavalry during the Crimean War. Among his works were: "Captain Digby Grand" (1853); "The Gladiators" (1863); "Sarchedon" (1871); "Katerfelto" (1875); etc. He wrote also a volume of "Songs and Verses" and translated Horace's Odes; etc. He died Dec. 5, 1878.
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Wichita Falls
a city of Texas, the county-seat of Wichita co. It is on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, the Wichita Valley, and the Fort Worth and Denver City railroads. It is an important industrial center, and has manufactures of automobile trucks, window glass, candy, stoves, pottery, etc. Pop. (1910) 8,200; (1920) 40,079.
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Wick
the county-town of Caithness, Scotland; on the Wick river, at its entrance to Wick Bay; 161 miles N. N. E. of Inverness. Wick is one of the great centers of the herring fishery, and to this industry everything is subordinated There is some fine rock scenery in the cultural products. The merchants are neighborhood. Pop. about 8,000.
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Wickersham
GEORGE WOOD- WARD, an American lawyer and public official, born in Pittsburgh. Pa., in 1858. He was educated under private tutors, at Lehigh University, and at the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, from both of which institutions he later received honorary degrees. In 1880 he began the practice of law in Philadelphia, removing to New York in 1882. When he was appointed Attorney General of the United States in 1909, by President Taft, he resigned his membership in the law firm of Strong & Cadwalader, returning to the practice of law at the end of his term, in 1913. He was a member of the New York City and State Bar Associations, and of the American Bar Association, and a trustee of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. In 1915 he served as a delegate at large GEORGE WOODWARD WICKERSHAM and as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the New York State Constitutional Convention. During the World War he served as a member and as the vice-chairman of the district board of the city of New York under the Selective Service Law.
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Widdin
a town and fortress of Bulgaria, on the right bank of the Danube; opposite Kalafat; 18½ miles from the Serbian frontier, and 130 miles E. S. E. of Belgrade. It is the seat of a Greek bishop, and has an important citadel. The difficulty of attacking the fortress is greatly inc increased by the flat, swampy character of the ground. It manufactures gold and silver filigree and saddles, and has considerable fishery, and trade in rock salt, corn, wine, and agriprincipally Jews and Bulgarians. Widdin is the Bononia of the Romans. In 1801 it was the scene of the defeat of the Hospodar Michael Sutsos by Paswan Oglu, and here in October, 1853, Omer Pasha began the hostilities against Russia by crossing the Danube and occupying Kalafat, whereafter ensued several battles in the neighborhood between the the chief on April Turks and Russians, the 6 and 19, 1854. In the war of 1877-1878 Widdin was occupied by 10,000 Turks. Osman Pasha was commandant, and it was from Widdin he made his unexpected early march to Plevna-the scene of his his victories, and his heroic defense. By the Berlin treaty of July 13, 1878, it became part of Bulgaria. Pop. about 17,500.
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Widener
PETER A. BROWN, an American capitalist; born in Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 13, 1834; was early engaged in the meat business, in which he acquired a large fortune. Turning his attention to politics he was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Joseph F. Mercer as city treasurer of Philadelphia in 1873, and in 1874 was elected for a full term. He became president of the West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company, vice-president of the Union Pas- Philadelphia Traction senger and the the Companies; a director of the Continental and Empire Passenger Companies; and in 1902 was head of a syndicate organized to acquire large street railroad interests in New York C City. In 1897, he gave his city residence in Philadelphia, valued at $600,000, for a branch of the Free Lending Library; in 1898 presented a collection of 500 rare books valued at $28,000 to the library; and in 1899 undertook the erection and endowment of a combined home, hospital and industrial school, in Philadelphia, at a cost of $2,000,000. He died in 1915.
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