ARCTURUS 



332 



AREQUIPA 



ground-ice. See POLAR EXPLORATIONS; NORTH- 

 WEST PASSAGE. J - R - 



Consult Nansen's Farthest North; Peary's The 

 North Pole. 



ARCTURUS, arktu'rus, a star of the first 

 magnitude in the constellation of Bootes, next 

 to Sinus, the dog star, the brightest in the 

 northern hemisphere. It is so distant from 

 the earth that it takes 125 years for its light 

 to reach us, yet it is much nearer than many 

 other stars. To locate it, follow the curve 

 of the handle of the Dipper; the continued 

 line will point direct to Arcturus, the Bear 

 Driver, a star of ruddy hue. See, in article 

 ASTRONOMY, illustration of location of heavenly 

 bodies. 



ARDMORE, ard'mohr, OKLA., the county 

 seat of Carter County, in the south central 

 part of the state, the center of a vast oil-pro- 

 ducing section. It is 100 miles south of Okla- 

 homa City, and nearly the same distance north 

 of Fort Worth, Texas. It is on the Gulf, Colo- 

 rado & Santa Fe; the Chicago Rock Island 

 & Pacific; the St. Louis & San Francisco, and 

 the Oklahoma, New Mexico & Pacific rail- 

 ways. The population, 8,618 in 1910 and 9,868 

 in 1914, is largely American, including a few 

 Indians and a number of negroes. The area 

 of the city exceeds three and a half square 

 miles. 



Ardmore is situated twelve miles south of 

 the Arbuckle range of hills, and is surrounded 

 by a series of lakes. Within a radius of forty 

 miles from the city are eight oil fields; a 

 number of large pipe lines extend from them 

 to Ardmore. In the vicinity are also large 

 deposits of asphalt and extensive zinc fields. 

 Throughout the country are many large cattle 

 ranches and farms, whose produce includes 

 fruits, cotton, corn, cereals and forage crops. 

 The important industries of the city include 

 oil refineries, cotton compresses, flour mills, 

 the largest cigar factory in Oklahoma and an 

 asphalt brick plant. 



In addition to the public school system, 

 Ardmore has Saint Agnes Academy, a com- 

 mercial school, night schools (one for white, 

 and one for colored students), and a govern- 

 ment Indian school. The prominent buildings 

 of the city are the Federal postoffice erected 

 in 1916 at a cost of $185,000, the county court- 

 house, costing $165,000, the high school build- 

 ing, costing $150,000, a Carnegie Library and 

 the Hardy Sanitarium. 



Ardmore was founded in 1887. It was in a 

 region which was the home of a large part of 



the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. It was 

 incorporated in 1898 and has since adopted the 

 commission form of government. In the fall 

 of 1915 a tank car of gasoline on the tracks 

 of one of the railroads in the city, exploded, 

 causing the death of forty-three persons, in- 

 juring 350 others and destroying property 

 valued at $500,000. Claims against the railroad 

 company were satisfactorily settled out of 

 court through the efficient arbitration of a 

 city commission and road officials. c. OF c. 



AREA, a' re a, a Latin word meaning piece 

 of level ground, has come to have in English 

 several different meanings. In arithmetic and 

 geometry the area of a surface is the number 

 of square units it contains, as square inches, 

 square feet, etc. (see MENSURATION). Often 

 the word is used to mean any open space, as, 

 "Within this area the entire city was built." 

 It is also applied to the open space of a 

 narrow front yard, or a back court. The early 

 Christians gave the name to the sections of 

 consecrated ground in which the faithful were 

 buried. The word area is also used in de- 

 scribing particular parts of the cortex of the 

 brain. The various areas of the brain are 

 indicated in the article BRAIN (which see). 



AREOPAGUS, air e op' a gus, the oldest court 

 of justice of ancient Athens, so named because 

 its meetings were held on the Hill of Ares 

 (Mars), directly west of the Aeropolis (see 

 MARS' HILL). In the time of Solon it was 

 composed of those who had once been archons 

 (see ARCH ON), and the term of office was for 

 life. This court tried cases of murder, had 

 general oversight of the morals of the people, 

 and could fine citizens found guilty of extrava- 

 gance, insolence or any form of intemperance. 



AREQUIPA, ah rake' pah, an old city of 

 Peru that has been conspicuous in the history 

 of its country. It is the capital of the depart- 

 ment of the same name and is situated on the 

 Chile River in a fine dry climate 7,000 feet 

 above sea level. Mollendo, with which it is 

 connected by rail, is 100 miles southwest. 

 Arequipa is one of the best built cities in 

 South America; it has good streets, a cathe- 

 dral, two national schools and a university. 

 At a height of over 8,000 feet above the sea, 

 overlooking the city, is a branch of the Har- 

 vard Observatory containing the largest pho- 

 tographic telescope ever constructed. The 

 people are employed chiefly in the making 

 of jewelry and the cutting of precious stones. 

 The city has some commercial importance, 

 as it is the center of trade for the interior 



