The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-15
A CREMATION FURNACE.
PREPARATION FOR FIRE BURIAL
IN PENks
Dr. lie Moync's Rctort nj Washington, Pa.
Description of the building Disposition of
the Ashes - Applications for Burning.
Prom ne chicago Tribune.


WASHINGTON, Pa, Oct j.-The first and
only cremation furnace ia this country is sit
uated at this place, aud 1t n now about ready
Tor the reception Of cOrpses. Its owner and
originator Is Dr. f. Julius lie Hoyne, gentle
man OF wealth and culture, and with wide repu-
thtiOn as "A physician ana scientist. lie Is an
enthusiast upon the question Of cremation, aud
| he has been at tho expense OF httng up iur-
| mace Tor the moderation Of human remains.
| solely for the purpose OF making that method
| Of disDOsinR OF human remains popular. Inc
| No fees will lie charged for Uremation and no
person desiring the cremation OF ms own or
relatives CORPSE Will be refused tie courtesies
OF the Establishment. The site upon which the
building Is erected u made gh Isty by remlnis-
cences Of its bloody history 1t called Glliows
| Hill, and was formerly used as place OF public
execution. IL Is about a mile outside the town,
and 1t Is hemmed In on all sides by small
forest. since the beginning OF tbs construction OF
the doctors building tue drive leading to the nil
has been much frequented. Every stranger VINO
the furnace. One OF the most distinguished
visitors was Gen. Grant, who, while sOJourntng
here, visited the hill and examined the prepara-
| tiuns for carrying the theory Of cremation into
| practice with great interest.
| The furnace IA enclosed in a building which Is
| at once the grave and the cemetery. Economy
| Is one OF the doctors pet hobbies. aud the
building has been constructed upon economical
! principles. IL Is Of brick. but one story In
/ height, with roof Of corrugated iron. IL has
three chimneys Of ordinary size. one leading
| from the furnace rooll. one from the reception
room, ana u thifd from ono of the corners Of the
building. The use Of the third Is simply to pre-
! .erye the architectural symmptry of the struc-
tufe. The house Is dividcn into two rooms. the
| reception and the furnace room. The recep ion
| room IS abuut twenty feet square. Its furniture
IL oi the smplt st kind consisting Only OF GAIA
fnlque Tor thr bodies to rest upon, a sheved
case, with transparent glass door IN when the
! chairs for the accommodation Of the fiiends 90
the departed, anu a small stove to make Things
| comfortable in cold weather. door leacs
from this room into the cremation depart
ment proper, which IS a room Of ABOUT ieh by
! twenty feet.
In the cremation room there is nothing but
| the furnace. The retort has been made
especially Tor tho accommodat,on OF rollins.
IL Il seven ana unc-hhli ieet IN lrhRth' twenty
inches IN height, and twenty inches IN
width. All these are inside measurements.
THE REIORT.
The retort somewhat resembles a Gas retort,
the difference being that It's sides are perpen-
| diculAr instead OF being arChtd. Above the
| perpendicular line along which the cOmn viii
rest, the retort Is archcd. IL Is but arched with
| blick work. IN the same STYLE tnat gas retorts
are. In the work OF cremation coke will be
used, ana II Is calculated that the retort can be
! brought TO white heat IN twenty-fO hours.
when ths degree OF heat Is Ohtai ed, the body
to he crematcd-enclOsed III the ltinest sort Of
a pine coflln-wtll be put INTO the furnace, and,
III u few hours. the work OF incineration will be
complete. The present calculations OF Dr. LIE
MOyne do not provide for the eliulinhti on Of tue
! wood ashes Of the coffin from the human ashes
of the person crematsd. This, however, the
doctor does not consider To be avery great oD-
lection. "a the proportion Of wood asnes will tie
only AS one pound to i've, ana after the furnace
Is IN practical operation, N TINS objection be
found to seri pusiy initiate against It, success,
amethod which tue doctor has IN contempla-
A number OF boxes. large enough to hold four
or ive pounds OF ashes. viii be provided by the
doctor These will lie made Oi metal or OF elias
tic glass the material mol having YET been de-
cidcd upon. Upon one emu OF tue boxes there
viii he place Tor the photograph OF the person
whose ashes are On the inside. and below tue
Photograph VIII De a record oi the date Of the
death and Of Tie date OF me cremation Of the
safely stored IN the case Ia the reception
room already described, and there they will
be preserved subject to the detnads Of the
relatives OF the deceased. In this same case
there will be kept the records OF nil cfe-
nations, and these will be ALWAYS accessible
to persons having the right to inspect. An in
dsy Of the boxes wifi oe kept and the ashes Of
any man OF bis mother-in-law can be gotten at
with the greatest facility. There Will be no
niger OF the escape OF unv part OF the remains
after they have been reduced to powder. 1he
boxes will he Theoretically sealed, and IN pack
ing them the greatest care viii be taken 10 get
possession Of every atom of tpe cremated
THE cHIMsEYs ASD cREMAroR.
The height Of the chmneys from the top OF
the building Is Disappointing. Visitors cont
IDENTITY expect TO see great lies oil bricks rising
scores Of feet above the roof, and the majority
Of them believe that the failure TO have such
chimueys Will result IN the poisoning Of the at
inosphere by the gases whcn will escape
through the low ventilaturs. Ihts would prob
abb he the result but for the arrangement that
has been made To- eneotuaily dispose OF these
gases. At tue back OF the retOrt there Is AVent
hole four inches IN diameter opening into the
furnace. Through this vent The gases generated
IN he retort during the combustion of body
will be forced To escape into the furnsc- there
/ being no other outlet from the resort. In the
] furnace thoN VIII b0 consumed. But Httle
smoke will escape through tue chimney, aud
that winch does VIII be harmless. as will tue hot
air which viii accompany IT,
Francis julius lie MoYnc, who will soon, no
doubt. come 10 be known As the great American
cretn-tor, IS remarkable man IN many ways.
/ ii i over seventy -hiue years OF age, ans Tor
years re has been crippled 10y the rheunatiem,
Dut ri.en seated lao Looks AT least twenty years
| yun.Vr than he ia. III, face Is thichly covered
with growth If beard OF a color between IRON
griy aud white. His count enauce Is not speus-
Tug one. ~ Is Iull of energy and determination.
lie Il lluui faIkert ana upon cremation
lac never tree. After inspecting his building,
your correspondent enjJyed lengthy cunversa-
lion vi h hiu. and the Information elcited was
met with "A urs.t deal OF otposituu of The moral
suisiOn sort tom his old nsignbors when hs
Uroached the subject OF building furnaces for
cremation. ami hr pI,iriss in ~ counting how he
met the college professors, and other gentlemen
of science, aud caused tneir objections to dis
appear one alter another iefoIe the Irresistible
force OF his argument and logic.
JAMES BUCHANAS.
A well-rememhered Incident In the career OF
President James buchanan attracted the doctor
10 d line Ol study and investigation that has
ended Ia MS oecolulug the tluncor cfemation-
ist %. tins Iuntrl. while the campaign which
ta1ll sd ia the election of liuch man TO the
Presidency was going on, lie and pumOer OF
zen lemen friends were poisoned by meals
talen in q Washington, ID. e.. hotel a number
Of the poisoned gentlemen died, aud Buchanan
hnd n rrow escape. Oh course. u was charged
that the opposition party bai procured the
commission vi the Cume. Inc nyestIgaiion
thtt followed close upOl the dreadful occur
re nr,. iii .,..yrr-d tho fact thlt tne poisoning
lad beeu caused los the wator ~hich was drank
~ hrcnkn-t,i hsyin- been contaminated BY
Cuntac. VITA sewage. fhe putrid animal mat
Ter IA the sewage was deadly. Inc doctor was
then ia fun practice, bat he WIS one of school
VI sclcnts > who were busy investigating the
cuoct OF decou| posing matter upon animal life.
lie soon became satisfied that. among other
things, II poisoned the atmosphere. soon
after It determined that the ceme-
terles Of the world were great pro-
meters Of disease, 10y the irlltratiOn OF
u"t IN posing animal mhttor. by which springs
Of water happening 10 be contiguous To the
grayeNards were poisoned, anu tne poison
sprtat among tho people NHo drank from THESE
| sprin-s. linen II was thai, IN Europ cOun
tiIcs, tue people were forbidden g. have graves
ma le near water course, or within GU yards al
q dwelling house. Alter ppnderug upon these
| facts, DR.. Ls aoYne arrived AT Il settled conclu-
| 4 IN that the health u tno human family de-
pended upon tue adoption OF some means Of
di-pOsing Of the dead by which the deleterious
results OF lingering decomposition would he
! aVpiued, ana which would NJ the Same Tune be
| u,,On sucn an economic scale as TO he WITHIN
tle rraCh oil the iOOr As well ~ the rirh. Gre
! nation the means he decided upon.
| HERE II np l.Ck OF applications Tor cremation
Before "A human body il Cren aLed the operation
| Of The furnace III be thoroughly tested Ere
the beginning 81 The New Year the first corpse
Will DO cfemAted with great ceremony, many al
the leading scicntis o. and scores Of distinguished
~ en from all p ats Of tho country having slgul'