The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-09-10

Il
Sa es;1..iss ss..::ss.. rbiisas; pi,isss s. :.
Daniel p. Read, In, psotor., was sst,t to
examine the place. and made the follow.
ing reports: e.. 90.
PHILADELPHIA, August %. 1873. - TO
Mr. Addicks. HeaAI OMcer-SIn: In
compliance with your instructions, I
visited the premises, Ninth street, above
Jnesnut. formerly occupied by the
Medical Department of the University
LOT Pennsylvania. In the cellar of said
building found several vaults contain
ing pits filed with the remains of hu.
man beings, and was informed that said
pits would average about sixty feet deep.
L tried to lower an ignited candle in one
OF the pits that was, partially filled, and
gas put out the light within six inches
from the top. I then tried a dar,
lantern with tho same result. All
through the said cellar portions of hu-
man remains could be found, and the
stencil arising therefrom was stiflinp.
Not only in the cellar, but throughout
the entire building I found the remains
OF skull bones. Very respectfully,
DANIEL P. READ,
Inspector Ninth District.
A correspondent of the Inquirer, who
inspected the vault, gives this account
OF what he saw:
AS the door OF the apartment was
flung open, n disagreeable and nauaen.-
ing odor hoated out, that told OF a
oharnel house in close proximity. It
was damp, barn-like room, with q
brick floor, beneath which were several
wells filled with human bones; while in
the centre OF the room were found large
boxes that resembled the cases in which
coffins are deposited for burial. To the
writer, the situation was not as pleasant
and comfortable as it might have boen;
yet, determining to ace all the horrors
OF the place. he faced the music The
lid of one of the boxes was taken of,
which disclosed to view the BODY of a
fe!n!:le in readiness for the knife and
scnlpel of the student The corpse had
been thoroughly injected, and the flesh
what little there was upon the bones
was hard and clammy. Another lid was
removed, and the body OF middle aged
man was seen. The reporter WAS told
that three other bodies we're cont lined
in the boxes underneath, all prepared
for the work of dissection.
Other horrors were in wuitino: for
1onAo6 u low otCpo tOWuEd6 urge VaG
that stood in the Northern part of the
room, the enterprising and case-hard-
ened attendant laboriously removed O
heavy covering, when floating in brine
was revealed the sight of two other
bodies-one that Of {. man and the other
of an aged, gray-haired woman. The
corpses were floating in tho water, side
by side, over q couple of other bodies,
and oil were in process Of "pickling,"
having been injecte nd now ready to
''go up stairs" for manipulation, dis
memberment and dissection.
The manner OF preservation was then
explained. First, the body is stret she'd
upon slab, and the throat opened wide
enough to admit Of small tube, which
is thrust down the neck to the spot
where the arteries centre, by which the
blood is distributed throughout the
body; then q strong injection of liquid
(chloride OF zinc) is syringed into the
corpse, which psrmeates the entire
body. After this operation, the wind
pipe is plugged and the body cast into
the vat for piokling in salt and water.