Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-15
COFFINS.
4 Few Facts In Connection with n
Dreary Subject.


O.. Brave lodgings for one, brave lodgings for
few feet of cold earth, when life is done;
4 stone at the head, stone At the foot,
A rich, juicy meal for the WORMS To eat
Rank grass over head, and damp clay around
Brave lodgings Tor one, these, in holy ground.
Perhaps there IS 10 city on the continent
which is better supplied with undertakes
than our own, and they all seem TO be do
ing a GOOD business too. Indeed, one of
them told a representative of this paper
Yesterday that he had sold, in the thirty
months ending July Ist, 1874, twenty-five
hundred collins. A portion Of these, how
ever, were shipped 20 other points, and the
time given embraces the cholera visitation
of last year.
As the undertaken referred TO above is a
very intelligent man and understands his
business thoroughly, our reporter asked
him a few questions in regard to that busi-
ness and its peculiaritieS.
.Are not people generally disposed to dis
plav extravaCanCe in funerals inquired the
| UNION AND AMERICAN man.
Not so much so now as formerly" was
| the Ieply. at is a curious fact that poor
peOple are more apt 10 make display with
an expensive funeral than rich peO-
ple. As general thing, rich
people are very plain in the matter Of flu
nerals, and usually get a coffin at very
moderate price. and have but few carriages.
.sWhat is the average expense OF tuner-
ais. including coffin, hacks, etC?'
I'VE bury paupers by contract, at Sl-JO a
/ head-that is another house in the city
does-and l have had men pay $500 for a
single funeral. The most expensive
cofins we sell are the metallic, imi-
! tation rosewood casket, fisks patent,
/ worth $3.50 each. These caSkets are richly
ornamented with silyered bars, etc, and
/ are lined with satin or silk, with bullion
| fringe. We have these caSketS Of all
| STYLES and sizes, and it is a strange fact that
| people generally choose a dark colored one,
| though a light cOlOred finish is much bet
/ ter imitation of rosewood. We furnish
these caskets with expensive funerals, and
sometimes as high rs twenty-five
carriages. Perhaps the average expense OF
| funerals would be about So. though we
have a great many that don't so so high as
So
Il should imagine you would have a
| great many customers who are not good
/ paw. For instance, man has lost wife,
/ or a mOther-in-law, and he comes to YOU
/ bowed down with grief. He orders COT
| fin and i number Of carriages, which
YOU furnish. Of course, you are
not likely to make any suggestions
rs to your pay under such circumstances,
/ and when he comes to settle up he finds
tina. he has gone beyond his means and
really cannot afford to pay
! "WeU. we generally measure a man
| fguratively speaking, of cOurse-beiore we
| take charge of the funeral. Ii We know
| II oil 1f1aa Il
and ask no questions, but ii we
do not. we get him to selact
a coffin of moderate price and 10 order
but few carriages. We generally try 20 get
him To make a contract at the start. Now
there are a heap q men who would order a
siOO coffin and think 1t wouldn't cost them
over $50, then when they come to settle up
they're disappointed and think they've
been swindled. So, you see we make il a
point TO show our various styles and the
price of each, before we undertake 4
funeral"
care wooden collins used as much now
as before the war;
Yes. and more; they don't cost more
than half as much as metallic cases, and
are lust rs good. They are made in Nash
willie much cheaper than they can be had in
northern cities. For instance, we pay 50
per thousand for walnut, which costs the
Cincinnati dealers 50, and the work can
be done here at about the same cost"
:. The removal OF bodies is quite an item
in your business, l suppOse?"
:. Not so much as it was Immediately after
the war. Now we get orders occasionally
to remove bodies from country burial
places. for instance, and bring them to
town. Then. once in a while body IS
packed up for shipment. You probably
don't know that IL is rather expensive "a
shin bodies by rail- bat il is, as express
companies always charge double tlrst-claSs
fare-that is. # a ticket from Nashville
to New York costs So, you would