Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-02-03

iarges. cost eao.oeo. IL IL may be as
sumed that the four other towers cost
on an average eao. 900. each, We should
have tenth of million invested in
these buildings alone. Add that SIR
Jamehidie gave 1000 square yafdd
of land aud defrayed the expenses of
q road, and some idea may Be formed
cf the cost of the whole cemetery. In
the circular external wall there 10 but
one aperture, about Ave and . half
feet square end thirteen feet from
the ground, and 10 this the car.
riers Of the dead ascend by fight Of
steps, and there take in the corpse
The outside wall is from 2S to 40 feet
high, according to the inequalities of
the ground on which the tower is built;
Inside is circular platform, depressed
gradually toward the centre, where 10
a wall Of about 10 feet in diameter
The surface Of the platform consists OF
fiuted grooves laid out in three series.
with circular path surrounding each
series, TO which communication 10 OBJ
tained BY straight path leading from
the aperture in the outer wall 70 the
well in the centre of the tower. This
straight path intersects the circular
paths, and is about two and half feet
broad and then three feet.
The corpses are deposited Id The
grooves, those Of men occupying the
first series. those Of women the second
series, and those of children the third.
All the bodies are absolutely nude, t0
fulfil the saving, Naked came l into
the world aud naked shall l go FORTH
and in half an hour from the time they
are put in the grooves every particle OF
flesh is stripped from the bones by the
numerous vultures that inhabit tho
SPOT. The skeleton is left to bleach Id
sun and wind tillit becomes quite dry.
Two carriers Of the dead then enter with
gloves on their hands aud provided
with bags. with which they carry the
bones to the central well, where they
are cast and crumble into dust.
There are perforations in the wall Of
the well, through which any moissure
caused by rain or otherwise passes and
descends into two drains at the bottom
Of the building, where it passes through
charcoal. and SO becomes disinfected
and inorlorous before it reaches the
sea. There is ladder in the we'll by
which the carriers of the dead descend
when il is necessary to clear the perfo-
ratious from obstructions. The dust
in the well accumuiates so slowly that
in the forty years during which the lar
cest tower has been used il has Tiseu
OMIT five feet.
The origin of the whole practice is no
doubt the veneration with which the
Parses regard the clements. Fire 10
too pure To be polluted bv committing
corpses to the flames. Water is almost
equally venerated, anil soi too, is moth'
er earth. Hence this strange systern
has been insented, by which it is sup
posed none of the impurities OF tbs
corpse can infect the elements, at all
events directly. And everything that
can be thought of is done to dispel the
gloomy thoughts which some parts OF
the process naturally engenacr. The
chape,s are situated in a beautiful gar
den, where those who attend the fune.
raj may sit and enjoy the beauty OF
flowers and towering shrubs. Those
| who deposit the corpses IN the towers
90 through purifc1tion, and the gar.
ments they wear when in the Tower of
Silence are put away in another tower
erected for the sole purpose of receiv.
ing them, and there they mouldsr
away.