Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-02-28
MRS. PITMAN'S CREMATION.
cineratiOn of the First Woman In
America---HOw III was Done. and How
the Body Looked.

Washington CPa.] Special to Chicago Inter-oce
Arriving at the crematory | found it
to be a one-story brick building, in app
pearance cross between county Jail
and a cheap district school house, sur
rounding which was crowd of about
$50 persons, who were mainly amusing
themselves by vainly endeavoring to
see the process of incineration b,- look
ing through the brick walls.
The cremation was in charge of VIM.
Blackhurst, foreman of the gas works.
who was selected on account of his ia
miliarity with retorts He had for his
stoker and assistant a large darkey,
named Ed. Shekels. Fire had been ap-
piled to the furnace twenty-four hours
when the door was opened for the ad-
mission of Mrs. Pitman's body. There
was pale orange glow in the retort,
that indicated to Mr. Blackhurst's prac-
ticed eye fully 1000 degrees of heat.
After being removed from the casket,
the body was wrapped in large cloth
which had been wet with solution OF
alum In water. A beautiful wreath of
flowers was placed OH the breast of the
remains by one of the Misses lie Moyne.
and then, without prayer, blessing, or
other religious exercise, the body was
lifted onto the wire crate, or cradle,
that was to hold it during its fiery pur.
cation. The body had been embalmed
with arsenite of sala, which gave it
rosy look of perfect health. and those
who looked on the face of the dead wo-
Man before it was covered for the last
Il hot I. e.,
ly startled them. All being in readi
ness, the crate containing the body was
lifted up and thrust into the open re-
tort head first. As the head neared the
mouth of the fiery retort the heat en-
anating from it set fire to the hair of
the corpse, and singed the flesh so bad
ly that, though it was thrust into the
melting bolts with all speed, it was i'm
possible to prevent the escape Of dis
agreeable smell and of considerable
quantity of smoke. The door of the re-
tort was quickly screwed on, however,
and the windows of the room lowered
from the top, and the odor soon passed
off. Just here it may be prop
er to state that prior to putting
the remains into the retort Mr. Pitman
was urged to take final look at them,
but he declined, saying that he wished
to remember her as she was when In
life. For the first fifteen minutes after
the body was put into the retort it
smoked considerably. This was caused
robe in which the remains were en-
shrouded. and of the flesh and tissues.
These were quickly consumed, and then
! the spectators were treated to the sight
| Of a skeleton Of fire encircled by mass
Of fame of Kaleidoscope colors. Fiercer
grew the temperature of the retort, and
fiercer famed the gasses from the burn
ing body. 1t was a sight once seen
never to be forgotten. Soon all the
carbonitorious portions of the lady's
frame were destroyed, and presently
her ribs tumbled in, and with them fell
in the alum-treated cloth, which until
this time had retained its shape, though
nothing but film of ashes. Other
bones tumbled and fell through the
crate, until the pelvic were the only
bones burning IN proper positions. DR..
LeMoyne took notes of the progress of
the destruction of the body, and Mr.
Pitman frequently looked into the peep
hole of the retOrt to see how the fire
was doing its work. All present ex-
pressed their warm approval of the
process, and none more heartily than
the husband of the deceased. In one
hour and fifty-one minutes after the
body had been placed in the retort, all
the bones had fallen through the crate,
and but a small tongue Of flame was
visible issuing from a portion of the ver-
zebra. In other words, the actual Gre
nation began at 1;58, and -'at precisely
$40 the attendants began to wall up
the door of the furnace preparatory to
letting the retort cool down. This is a
slow process, and, in the opinion of Mr..
Blackhurst, it will not be safe to remove
the calcined bones until Monday. on ac-
count of the danger of cracking the
retort by admitting cold air to it sooner.