Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/482

450 ers labelled their bottles " Riim, Romanism, and Rebellion," and nothing was left undone to convey the impression that the republican leaders secretly, if not openly, approved the expression. The election proved closer even than was anticipated, and eventually the choice depended upon the vote of New York state, which was so evenly balanced that it remained for several days in doubt. The official count gave the state, and the presidency, to the democrats by only 1,047 votes, and the" number changed by Dr. Burchard's remark was reasonably estimated at several thousand. For weeks he was subjected to untold annoyances, and it is but fair to say that he bore them in a philosophical, manly, and Christian manner, alleging that if he had been made an instrument for good or evil in the hands of Providence against his own will, he was content to abide by the consequences.

BURDEN, Henry, inventor, b. in Dumblane, Scotland, 20 April, 'l791 ; d. in Troy, N. Y., 19 Jan., 1871. He was a farmer's son, and early showed his inventive genius by m.aking, with his own hands, labor-saving machinery from the rough- est materials, and with but few tools and no moulds. His first great success was in the construction of a threshing-machine ; afterward he was engaged in erecting grist-mills and in making farm imple- ments. Having decided to come to the United States, with the intention of becoming an inventor, he followed in Edinburgh a full course of scientific studies, including mathematics, engineering, and drawing. He left Scotland in 1819, and on his arrival in this country at once devoted himself to the manufacture of agricultural implements. His first effort resulted in the production of an im- proved plough, which received the first premium at three county fairs. The first cultivator invented in this country was patented by him in 1820. and in 1825 he received a patent for making the wrought- iron spike. Meanwhile, in 1822, he had become the agent of the Troy iron and nail factory, which was greatly enlarged under his supervision, and ultimately he became sole proprietor. In 1835 he invented a machine for making horse-shoes, and in 1840 one for making the hook-headed spike, after- ward used on nearly every railroad in the United States. Without this invention the rapid progress of railroad building in this country woidd have been impossible ; for spikes could not have been made by hand with sufficient rapidity to supply the demand. He was continually improving his inventions, and in 1843 received a patent for a modification of his machine for making horse- shoes, and in 1849 patented a self-acting machine for rolling iron into bars. His greatest triumph in mechanics was his new machine for making horse-shoes, which he devised in June, 1857. A rod of iron, fed into this machine, is converted into shoes entirely completed, with creases and counter- sunk holes, leaving nothing more to be done but to clean out the holes, and each machine produces from the iron bars sixty shoes a minute, which is equivalent to a day's labor of two men. Mr. Burden obtained patents for this machine from nearly every government in Europe. He was also interested in steam navigation, and in 1833 built a steamboat, which from its shape was called the "cigar-boat." In 1836 he warmly advocated the construction of a line of ocean steamers of 18,000 tons' burden, and in 1845 visited Enghmd for the purpose of persuading ship-owners to adopt the side-wheel ; but in this he was unsuccessful. The works at Troy were increased until the plant be- came one ot the most extensive in the world. Blast-furnaces, Bessemer-furnaces, and rolling- mills were built, and the manufacture of iron be- came the principal business of the corporation. Mr. Burden accumulated a large fortune, and was liberal inJiis donations for charitable purposes. — His son, James Abercronibie, iron-master, b. in Troy, N. Y., G Jan., 1833. He studied in New Haven with a tutor, and attended lectures in the Yale scientific school, after which he pursued a partial course -in the Rensselaer polytechnic in- stitute. Later he became a practical mechanical engineer and millwright, and then was made fore- man of one of the departments of the works, ad- vancing step by step until he became president of the Burden iron company. Subsequently he held many places of trust, and was for some time presi- dent of the Hudson river ore and iron company, Mr. Burden has obtained several patents for inven- tions of his own, the most important of which are one for the manufacture of horse- and mule-shoes, and one for making snow- and mud-shoes for horses and mules. From these inventions alone a very large revenue is obtained. In 1880 he was a presidential elector on the republican ticket. He is a prominent member of the American institute of mining engineers, and has been elected its vice- president several times.

BURDETTE, Robert Jones, humorist, b. in Greensborough, Pa., 30 July, 1844. Early in life he removed to Peoria, 111., where he was educated in the public schools. He enlisted as a private in the 47th Illinois volunteers in 1862, and served during the war. In 1869 he became one of the editors of the Peoria " Transcript," was afterward connected with the " Review," and still later, in connection with others, established a new paper in Peoria, which did not succeed. He then became associate editor of the Burlington, Iowa, " Hawk- eye," and his humorous contributions to this jour- nal, being widely copied, made his reputation. In 1877 he began to deliver public lectures, in which he has been very successful, his subjects being " The Rise and Fall of the Mustache," " Home," and "The Pilgrimage of the Funny Man." He has published, in book-form, " The Rise and Fall of the Mustache and other Hawkeyetems " (Bur- lington, 1877) ; " Hawkeyes " (1880) ; " Life of Will- iam Penn " (IS'ew York, 1882) ; and " Innach Gar- den, and other Comic Sketches" (1886).

BUREAU, Jacques Olivier, Canadian states- man, b. in Three Rivers, province of Quebec, in February, 1820. He was educated at Nicolet col- lege, and was admitted as a notaiy public of Lower Canada in 1843, represented Napierville in the Canadian assembly from 1854 until 1862, when he was elected for " De Lorimer" division, for which he sat until the union in 1867. He was a member of the executive council and provincial secretary (succeeding A. A. Dorion) from January to May, 1863. He was a reformer in politics, and was called to the senate in 1867.

BURGER, Louis, soldier, b. in Spire, Bavaria, 6 Feb., 1821; d. in New York city, 25 May, 1871. He was educated at the high school in Kaiserslautern, and then at the polytechnic school in Munich, where he devoted special attention to engineering and architecture during 1840-'4. Afterward he followed his profession and filled various posts in Bavaria and Würtemberg. Subsequent to the revolution in 1849 he came to the United States and established himself in New York as an architect. In 1854 he organized the engineer corps of the 5th regiment of the New York state national guards, and was elected captain. During the civil war he commanded his regiment in the short campaign in 1861, and again during the invasion of