BORACIC ACID 



839 



BORDEAUX 



of a modern shoe the hide undergoes more than 

 100 processes before it comes out of the fac- 

 tory as a finished product. The first process 

 is that of tanning. This is done by soaking the 

 hide in chemical solutions which change the 

 nature of the skin and turn it into leather (see 

 TANNING). The modern shoe consists of a 

 sole and upper; these are also divided into sev- 

 eral component parts. Usually twenty-six 

 pieces of leather are used, with the addition of 

 fourteen pieces of cloth, twenty-eight nails, 

 eighty tacks, two tips, two heels, two box toes, 

 two steel shanks and twenty yards of thread, 

 and eyes of brass or other metal for lace holes, 

 or perhaps twenty-four buttons. By far the 

 greater number of shoes sold now are made 

 almost entirely by machinery, and so perfect 

 has that machinery become that a pair of shoes 

 can be completed in less than a quarter of an 

 hour. 



Bootmaking Machinery. In modern boot 

 and shoemaking almost the only work done by 

 hand is the assembling of the various pieces. 

 Many machines are employed, each doing its 

 own particular portion of the work. One makes 

 button holes, while another is used only for 

 fastening on the heel. Certain seams are sewn 

 by one machine; others, by different machines. 

 From the year 1810, when the first shoemaking 

 machinery was invented, constant improve- 

 , ments have been made. F.ST.A. 



BORACIC, boras'ik, ACID, or BORIC 

 ACID, is a substance used in medicine and 

 surgery to prevent infection of wounds, for 

 sprays for the nose and throat and for an eye 

 wash. In manufactures and the arts it is 

 valuable for preserving meats, for making 

 glazes for pottery and in enamel work. 



The chief supply of boracic acid comes from 

 Tuscany, where the steam that issues from 

 crevices in the ground is charged with it. 

 The steam is passed through water which col- 

 lects the boracic acid; the water is then evap- 

 orated by the use of volcanic heat, and the 

 acid forms into crystals. It is purified by re- 

 heating, and when again cooled appears as 

 white flaky crystals. Boracic acid is one of the 

 chief constituents of borax, which is found so 

 extensively in Death Valley, in Southern Cali- 

 fornia. See BORAX; DEATH VALLEY. 



BORAX, bo' raks, a borate of sodium, most 

 familiar in the form of white crystals which 

 dissolve in water, giving a solution of alkaline 

 reaction. Borax is used for many purposes, 

 as in the manufacture of colored enamels and 

 glazes for porcelain, and in soldering and weld- 



ing, since it dissolves the oxide on the sur- 

 face and thus gives clean surfaces of the metal 

 to stick together. It is employed to some ex- 

 tent in preserving butter, soft cheese, canned 

 meat, fish and other foods. Whether in the 

 quantities used for such purposes it is in- 

 jurious to health is a disputed question. Some 

 soaps and washing powders contain borax, 

 which, like soda, softens hard water. In the 

 laundry borax is used to soften water and to 

 enhance the gloss of starch in ironing. It is 

 employed to some extent in the textile indus- 

 tries and in medicine. 



When borax crystals are heated in a loop 

 of platinum wire they swell up greatly, owing 

 to the boiling out of the water. When the 

 bubbling ceases a clear, glassy liquid remains, 

 which combines with many metallic oxides, 

 giving "borax beads" of various colors. In 

 mineralogical and chemical analysis these beads 

 are used to detect the presence of certain 

 metals. Thus cobalt gives a blue bead, copper 

 and nickel, green, and manganese, amethyst. 



Borax is found in large quantities in the 

 Death Valley region in Southern California, 

 and an impure variety called tincal comes from 

 Tibet. Large quantities are manufactured from 

 borio acid (which is found in Tuscany, Italy) 

 by boiling the acid with carbonate of soda. See 

 DEATH VALLEY. 



BORDEAUX, bawrdoh', one of the chief 

 commercial cities of France, noted as the center 

 of the wine export trade. It is situated on the 

 River Garonne, about seventy miles from the 

 Bay of Biscay and 358 miles southwest of 

 Paris. It has a spacious harbor. During the 

 early stages of the War of the Nations, begin- 

 ning in 1914, it was made the temporary capital 

 of France, its situation, far removed from the 

 scene of hostilities, being admirable for the 

 preservation of government documents and 

 property. The red wine of Bordeaux, generally 

 known as claret, is extremely popular in Eng- 

 land and all European countries. In addition 

 to wine and brandy, the city exports sugar, 

 vinegar, earthenware, glass bottles, carpets, 

 paper and great quantities of dried fruits. 

 Shipbuilding is an important industry. The 

 fisheries are important, and a large fleet is sent 

 every year to the cod-fishing grounds off New- 

 foundland. 



Bordeaux came into the possession of Eng- 

 land through the marriage of Henry II to 

 Eleanor of France, but it was regained by 

 France in 1451. Its great Cathedral of Saint 

 Andre dates from the middle of the eleventh 



