SHOOT
1747
SHOWERS OF FISHES
shoe. Finally a machine is used for trimming and polishing. In the United States about $120,000,000 is invested in the manufacture of shoes; and the annual output is probably worth $300,000,000. Yet these figures represent only about 1,600 great shoe-factories.
Shoot. In the higher plants the main axis of the body grows in two directions. In general, that part of it which grows downward is the root and that which grows upward is the shoot. In ferns and seed-plants the shoot for the most part is differentiated into stem (of ten with branches) and leaves. In ordinary liverworts (as Marchantia) and in the sporophyte of mosses the shoot is not so differentiated.
Shorthand or Phonog'raphy is a mode of writing which has been invented to enable one to write as rapidly as a man can speak. The first system appeared in 1588, and nearly 200 different systems have been developed and published. Sir Isaac Pitman's (q. v.) system, called phonography, was published in 1837 and is largely used, though some improvements have been made in it. It has been adapted to the Japanese, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Hindu and Malagasi languages. It is based on the use of characters to represent the sounds instead of the letters of the English language. The characters used, curves, lines, dashes, etc., also stand not only for a sound but for words which occur very frequently, as the, and, it, etc., called letter-words or grammalogues. The marks also indicate the vowels by their position on, above or below the line. By the use of shorthand a reporter writes 200 words a minute. Average speed is 120.
Short Ballot. A feature of modern electoral reform is the "Short Ballot," under which only the more important public offices are filled by election, other offices being filled by appointment, the officials thus chosen being held responsible for the conduct of those whom they appoint. Many states have direct primary laws under which candidates are nominated directly by the people. Under this system the names of all candidates whose petitions are signed by a certain percentage of the party voters are placed on the ballot. The primaries are conducted by the regular election officials at the usual polling places and at the public expense.
Shoshone (sho-sho'ne) Falls, a cataract on Snake River in southern Idaho. The river runs through a deep gorge between walls of rock 1,000 feet high. The head of the falls is in the shape of a semicircle, from which the water leaps 210 feet in a sheet 950 feet wide. Niagara falls less than 170 feet. Little Shoshone Falls are two cataracts separated by a great rock, with a fall of 182 feet, about four miles higher up the river.
Shoshones or Snakes, a family of American Indians, which includes the Utes, Comanches and several other tribes. They have been known by various names, as Buffalo-Eaters, Sheep-Eaters and White Knives. They were found by Lewis and Clark beyond the Rocky Mountains in 1805. Their homes were in the valleys of Snake River, Humboldt River and Great Salt Lake. They have usually been peaceful, having little intercourse with the whites. From 1849 to 1862 there were battles and skirmishes with the advancing settlers, treaties made and broken by the government, until in 1867 they made peace at Fort Bridger and were settled on reservations in Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. They number about 6,000.
Shot is the name given to all solid projectiles, i e.t anything thrown out or fired from any kind of firearms. The shot used for cannon and machine-guns are made of cast iron or steel and formerly were solid balls. Balls weighing more than three pounds are not now made solid. Bar-shot were two discs of iron joined by a bar, used to destroy the rigging of a ship; chain-shot, used in the same way, were two round shot fastened together by a chain. Canister or case-shot is a tin cylinder filled with bullets. Grape-shot was a number of small, iron balls held together by canvas or iron plates, but is no longer used. Small shot, used in hunting, is made of lead in various sizes, from that of large peas to dust-shot. The melted lead is dropped from a height through a colander into water. The lead falls in small drops through the holes of the colander, the shot varying with the size of the holes. The fall through the air cools and hardens the lead before it falls into the water. Shot-towers are from 100 feet to 150 feet high; the highest shot-tower is in Austria and is 249 feet high. The shot is sifted in sieves to separate, the different sizes, imperfect ones being discovered by rolling them down an inclined plank, and is finally polished. See CANNON, PROJECTILES and SHELL.
Shotgun. A light, smooth-bored gun for sporting purposes, in contradistinction from the military rifle. It is especially designed for firing a number of small shot at short range to kill small game. Shotguns formerly were double-barreled, but now more commonly obtain rapid fire by means of a revolving cylinder or other device. The present perfection in the mechanism and efficiency of the shotgun is due to many inventions in France, England and America. For a long time the best were of English manufacture, but it is now generally conceded that the American weapons have preeminence. See ARMS, GUN and RIFLE.
Showers of Fishes, a curious phenomenon most common in tropical regions. It is explained by a. strong draft upward in
