The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-21
CBEmATroN.
Suceessfui Cremation ct Washington
Pa%tsurning Of the Rody OF Haros
From the p;tt.buyg Di,potea. Dee,ns,,. ?

Starring from Vienna, Aus, !. q, 1873
with all the impetus that q " recon-.
mandation Of the MsDayefs of the
World'e Exhibition could give it, crema.
tion was yesterday firmly planted ON the
soil OF free America. II there had been
the slightest defect in the process OF
Baron Won Palms cremation. that
method Of disposing Of tho remains of the
departed would have received a death
blow III this country. But the experi.
5'Oas. VAS SUCCESS, not alone H. the per.
iecs inciueration vi the body, but also
FROM eanitary standpoint. Opponents
OF cremation have asserted that the gases
ariaing from the burning body would
poison the surrounding atmosphere. The
tess OF yesterday proved that the gasee
can, and are consumed in the furnace.
before reaching the flue through which
the smoke passes to tho air beyond.
The experiment yesterday proved
another thing incontestably. Two hours
and twenty-seve.i minutes were consumed
In the cremation Of the body of the
Baron, and as a preliminary to the ere.
nation it vas necessary to maintain n
fire in the furnace during thirty-six
hours, so that it may be brouRb. to a
proper degree of heat for the reception
Of the body. In the actual work of in
cineratior but forty bushel of coke were
used. These facts show that the system
is yet in its infancy here, even in the an.
plication Of facilities. The furnace Of
Or. lie Moyne is susceptible of many im.
provements, whereby there would be
much saving Of time and fuel.
At the exhibition at Vienna Professor
n L.
whose corpse weighed ninety pounds
Ihe body was reduced to ashes in about
iour hours. at an expenditure of about
l6o pounds Of wood. Tho furnace he
"sed :=ss ohlong in shape, and was made
of refractory bricks.
The greatest success in the matter of
furnaces has been achieved by Siemens.
lis furnace is CONSTRUCTED o.: the p.iEai.
pie OF regenerative heat. To build it
costs about 81 .250, or about 5000 less than
that of LIE Moyne, aud it will incinerate
body of 200 pounds weight in one hour,
at an expense of rs cents for fuel. The
wife of Sir Charles Dixie was cremated
in furnace of this description at Dres.
den in 1874.
Yesterdays cremation vividly recalls
the burning Of the body of the poet Shell.
ley, on the banks of the Mediterranean.
III 1922. The horrid details of that sad
scene in Tuscany are familiar to all
English readers, as Trelawney did not
fail to graphically reproduce them.
That was probably the first cremation in
modern times. That of yesterday was
the first of any time since the settlement
OF this country, or, at least, the first pro-
NOTED and successfully carried 10 com.
pietion by the civilized people of the
country, and the reader Of the detailed
report appended canuot fail to mark the
great contrast between the scientific ere.
nation of Won Palm and the burning CT
poor Shelley.
THE CREMATION.
The successful cremation of the re-.
maius of Baron Won Palm in Little
washington, yesterday, was an event that
will make that borough famous. But it's
citizens DID not seem to appreciate it.
The majority of them are hard headed
Presbyterians, and they are prone to re-
gard the reform as desecration of the
dead. Rev. George 2. HAYS, the Presi.
dent OF Washington and Jefferson Col
lege, is notable exception, however. and
his influence has done much to moiiify
the people of his sect thereabouts. The
apathy of the people seemed to be q
studied enc, and very few of them visited
Galiows Hill duringtLe cremation of the
Baron. The c:..Iw space around the
building was at no time crowded. Few
carriages were driven to the ecene, aud
ttseee we're Of public character The
reception room. small as it was, was suffi-
ciently commodious to accommodate tho
spectators in attendance. Scientific men
were conspicuous by their absence, and
befcTs, the cremation was over It leaked
out chat the slim attendance of notablea
was attributable to Dr.. La Moyne, who
had notified them that there would be no
room for ,hem. The night before the
event was busy one for Col. Olcott.
Upon him devolved the whole business
OF arrangement, and of this duty he &c.
quilted himself very creditably. At the
last moment there was some discussion
as TO whether the body should be inserted
head or feet foremost, but at the earnest
suggestion of DR.. Le Moyne the body was
put in head fiTst.
THE BODY IN THE CRIB.
The crib rested on the catafalaue near
o window in the rec, .ion room, and di.
rectiy opposite the door leading from the
front of the building In the crib were
the remains of the Baron. The head
only was exposed, the body being
wrapped in winding sheet of linen.e.
the face was very dark, nearly black in
color, but the features were natural. The
tissnes were haccid, and the eyes sunken
and wasted. With the exception of a
faint smell of carbouic acid, the remains
were odorIess. The r. gaas IL. snch
condition that nr..bcr of physicians
expressed the opinion that it would not
be q difficult work to separate the akin
from the muscular tissues. The odor of
carholic acid noted arose from o crystali-
Zation of that acid with which the cavity
Of the stomach had bcsn partly filed.
In addition to this, preparation of not.
ter's clay was used in the process of en-
bnlmment. The body weighed ninety
two pounds. e ~.
AT fifteen minutes after 8 O'Clock Col.
Oleott completed the preparation of the
body for cremation. Frsnkincense,
myrrh, aud aromatic spices we're Rprink-
led over it, and then 1t was wrapped in
linen cloth, which had been saturated in
6 solution Of alum. A few primroses,
::..:::s: sc;:.eiis= s:scn &C Se.en!.m.
and roses, and several sprigs of ever.
green were laid upon the dead Baron's
breast, and the pall-bearers stepped to
the crib and lifted the body from she cat
afalque. q At the head were Henry 8.
Olcott and Henry ]. Newton, the execu-
tors of the Baron, and at the feet were
Doctor Le M0yne and Doctor Astiale, of
Pittsburg. Before the body was put into
the furnace the members of the Theo-
aophical Society broko of sprigs Of the
evergreen, and put them carefully away,
as memailtoes uf the occnaion. Thhl