Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/90

BOONESBOROUGH BOORHANPOOR acquisition of the Chinese language, and in time became one of the first scholars of modern times in that difficult tongue. In 1840 he re- moved to Macao for the benefit of his health, and two years later to Amoy, where his wife died in August, 1842. By desire of the for- eign committee on missions, he returned to the United States in the summer of 1843, and was consecrated missionary bishop for China, Oct. 22, 1844. Taking with him several assistants, Bishop Boone reached Shanghai in June, 1845. He was especially occupied in translating the prayer book into Chinese, and, in connection with the missionaries from other denomina- tions, in securing an accurate version of the Bible. It was in this work that his knowledge of the language was especially conspicuous. On two occasions, in 1852 and 1857, he returned home for the benefit of his health. Having suc- ceeded in getting the mission to Japan under way, he returned to China in December, 1859. Severe domestic afflictions and other trials in connection with his mission, as well as inces- sant labors, soon broke down his feeble health and terminated his life. BOONESBOBOCGH, a decayed village of Madi- son co., Kentucky. In 1775 the first fort erect- ed in Kentucky was built here by Daniel Boone. In Boonesborough was convened, toward the end of last century, the first legislative assem- bly ever held in the territories now forming the western states. BOONTON, a town of Morris county, N. J., on the Rockaway river, at the terminus of a branch of the Morris and Essex railroad, and on the Morris canal, 40 m. N. W. of New York ; pop. in 1870, 3,458. The town is situated in a mountainous region, the canal here overcoming a perpendicular elevation of 80 feet. The Dela- ware, Lackawanna, and Western railroad passes through it. The Boonton iron works, from which the place derives its chief importance, cover about 60 acres of ground, and include 14 large buildings, several offices and stores, and exten- sive sheds. Every branch of production is car- ried on, from the smelting of ores to the manu- facture of the machinery and tools used in the establishment. There are two blast furnaces, which together produce about 450 tons of pig iron per week, the greater part of which is manu- factured in the works. The proprietors own and operate the mines at Dover from which the ores are obtained. These are of the New Jersey magnetic variety, yield from 50 to 75 per cent, of iron, and contain but little sulphur. The product consists largely of gray and mottled iron of fine grain, available for both forge and foundery purposes. Connected with the blast furnace is a chemical laboratory, in which all the materials used are analyzed. The rolling mills contain 12 double puddling and 11 heat- ing furnaces, and 6 trains of rolls. They pro- duce chiefly the plate iron from which nails are cut, while of bar iron the production is limited to the requirements of the nut and bolt fac- tory which forms a part of the establishment. The two nail mills are the most important por- tion of the works, and contain 138 machines, which produce 100 kegs of nails an hour. About 300,000 kegs are used annually for pack- ing the nails, and 20,000 for bolts and nuts, of which about 1,000 tons are produced annually. The keg mill connected with the establishment consumes yearly about 1,000,000 feet of head- ing stuff and 1,500 cords of stave timber. The only steam engines in the works are those which furnish the blast for the furnaces. The power that drives the machinery is furnished by the Morris canal, the water of which, after revolving a large overshot wheel in the nail factory, passes to the rolling mills, which have two large iron overshot wheels and four tur- bines, and thence into the canal again. In the old town of Boonetown, which was swept away early in the present century by the burst- ing of the dam across Rockaway river, was built in 1770 the first nail mill in the United States, which, notwithstanding opposition from the British authorities, was worked successfully for many years. There are no locks on the canal at this point, but the boats are transferred from one level to the other by means of an in- clined plane 500 ft. long, upon which is laid a track of about 9 ft. guage. The transfer is effected with great rapidity by means of an eight-wheeled cradle, capable of holding a canal boat, which is drawn along this track by a tur- bine wheel at the top of the incline. Boonton contains several churches and schools, and a weekly newspaper. BOONVILLE, a city and the capital of Cooper co., Missouri, on the right bank of the Missouri river, 43 m. N. W. of Jefferson City ; pop. in 1870, 3,506. It is situated in the midst of a rich fanning region, in the vicinity of iron, lead, and coal mines, and of marble and lime- stone quarries. The grape is extensively cul- tivated. Boonville is the centre for most of the trade of S. W. Missouri, of a portion of Ar- kansas, and of the Cherokee nation. It has a court house, several churches, ropewalks, and four weekly newspapers, one of which is in German. It was settled by Daniel Boone. BOORHASiPOOB, or Bnrhannpoor, a town of British India, formerly capital of Candeish, in the territory of Gwalior, 130m. S. S. E. of Oo- jein and 210m. E. of Surat; lat. 21 19' N., Ion. 76 18' E. ; pop. about 20,000. It stands on the north bank of the Taptee, 60 or 70 feet above the stream, and is surrounded by a brick ram- part in the form of a semicircle, in the centre of which is a palace of brick, called the Red Fort. It was built by Akbar, with pleasure gardens, halls of white marble, and a mosque ; but it is now fast falling to ruin. The town itself contains but one edifice of much preten- sion, which is a mosque built by Aurungzebe. The streets are wide and regular, and many of the houses neat and commodious. The trade is almost monopolized by a Mohammedan tribe called the Borahs, who came originally | from Arabia, and still retain the dress and