The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-03-14
4 WOMAN CREMATHD.
RsruiuR OF tire Body Of Ntr-. Pttmnn 10
'VyvmuJorv " At Wp~hiuEIan. pa.

phouogrophor, diyd uJccutly ip Clnciu
uau and nt her own request her body was
taken ,u Washington, In tn bo Gro
matCd iu nr I,wpyn,s tarauve, oS.
rrcssiy hWIttor the purpose vt reducing
human bodies {. ashes New YORK.
r.S,y reporter dcsu4n, 'l, operation
u N.s. plwHH's casr- hy GAYS.
The yat8'B,Quc. or fyurlogEcd table
ou which Baron iy Palms body rostod
before It wRs reduced to ashes, stooj 80
the middle of the reception r1om nm
apartment about whose walls cling alb
suri rcyollcctous ot tho sheep and
melancholy thoughts ot the harun, The
jumping. joltiug, muddy little hoarhe
tollrd painfully up the hong hill. wash
iugtou Is between two high halls that
come very close together, ami in walking
through tho streets, II You are not walk
ing up steep incline, You are walking
down sleeper descent The rai to
the iuruacc-or the crymUtory, as Or.
l.emoyuc and the admlriue toWusVeaple
call it stands upon the stvepost of these
hills, aud coffin has "a hc fastened very
securely indeed inside the hcarsr 90 pre-
vent it from sliding uu, vt the back
door aui upon the road The cremation
house begins o. show signs ul IsS grow
ug aEc. lt Is not So red as 10 was, not
50 trim-looAiue, and altogether Il bears
the sign uf ITS mechanically and eccentric
use. There Is little doubt, however,
tha1 il will stand long enough to fulfill
the purpose for which It was built, the
conversion OF pr LemayLc himself into
a handful ui ashes. The body is not
pat directly into the furnace, but into Ii
tir,,-claV gaS rt't1rt immediately over the
fire. which after twcnty-tour hours or 80
al heating, has brought Il to a white
heat. There Is "a small hole through the
door If tins retort, through which the
process of reduction can be watched.
The caskct containing Mrs. Ptman' :
bod, was land on tie table IN the reccp-
uou room to await preparations, and All
Wa, announced e. be ready 10y one
O'Clock, except the presence of the
muuuers. Mr. Pirnau sat In DR.. LIE
muyuc's house talking with DIR. lie
mayle about cremation, while hls wlte's
h1is WAS going up hill m the hearsv,
and Dc was no, tlll Aalt un hour Atcr that
the doctor AMI Mr.. Pitman reached tile
top of GAllavs Han, ana looked for the
last time at the pleasant taco ui Ncs.
Pman. When they arrived ., the crt-
ma.prv the ho>iN hal been taken ugt u!
the y4sGtt, and land n an iron cradle
e -uphyateu! the one used for tag BIrul
dc PALM. IL was "a fya inches Ion Nrr
than the body, ana just vida enough tu
give firm resting place for u. The
BODY va> dressed lu white, corrcsroL,.-
l1G in tLlS rrspvc. with the inside ul the
casLeg. There v.s un' SHRED ut Any
sombre color aboU. t. When all else
wss ready q sha,. soaked IN alIm-waty
WAS wrapped around the body, and Mr..
Ntman took las. lgok at the familiar
features. The only persons IN ;hc build
ing Uho could he .yslgnatei as mourners
were Or Lcwuvue's -Eo sa-s aud tNa
daughters, Mr.. Pirm0u himself a4a his
newspaper friend from Cincinnati.
'' Are YOU ready, said tie fireman at
two O'Clock
"All ready" said Young Lguuyue.
There ~as a creakrug tr TIRE screws ~
tle great iron Guur 4 tha r.tyrt. In .u
instant a broad rcd Ela-e aal terrific
heat h.len the turIue, rrnu. A. tie
same moment, Dr Lewoy-,'E two sons
took ap the hoiy ~ the iron cradle and
carried it from the catatluue into the
iurnlcl-ro5m. While they were doing
tLi-. the lrsmeu pVt coating ". crnvnt
around the edges o. the iron door
There was no discussion this tirne rs to
which J,l should 80 IN uret. The Gre
lnatlr hsL issued D man late tA... las
Young sons dara. not disubay, and tuv
body wg~ pushed il nart IirSf A. jAe
head Of the corpse entered Jae fiery re-
tort there was tAe Same cuTlsng smoke
and the same unpleasant smell that Sas
noticed when the Baron lie Palms body
first entered the furnace. At that time
the smell was sickeniug. The ever
green's on the baron's breast burned
quickly. and the odor which they emit
ted was mingled with one that was sics-
euiug. As Mrs. Pltmau's body passed
into the retort the two young Lemoyues
were compelled 10 run hurriedly away
from in front II the opening, so great
was the heat. Two Of the fremen seiZee
the heavy door by its handles, and ~ all
instant i; WAS fastened in its place, and
tie body OF Mrs. Jane Pitmuu was shut
ont from view forever. Not PRAYER
was uttered; not a sigh was heard; not a
tear-drop moistenei the windlng-sheet
OF the woman who for thirty years had
been the beloved wife of Mr.. Ben Pit
man. The great iron screws ratified
heartlesslv into place. The iremen
shoveled more coal into tie furnace.
The two young men went back "a the
reception room. The crowd OF villagers
outside stared and wondered, a little
smoke curled up through the chimney
Of the retort, and the uuceremuuious
ceremony was over.
1t was Just I:5S bv PittsburC time
when Mrs. Pitmau's body was put in
the retort. The alum-soaked cloth that
covered her body did not cover her en-
tire head, and the upper part OF her
head was swathed in cloths that had not
been wet in alum water. As soon as the
head was within foot OF the open door
of the retort these uuwetted clothes took
fire burning the hair and head. In an
instant, almost. both rooms were filled
with the sickening odor OF burning hair
and flesh. A dense black smoke i'm
meliatelv poured ont Of the retort be
fore the door could be closed, and this
remained in the building for more than
fifteen minutes, notwithstanding the
opening Of tho windows. The same
kind If smoke poured from the chimney
OF the retort, in dense clouds, filling the
cir about the binding with the olur.
The odor Of the burning voolen dr"ss IN
which Mrs. P!tman w.ss ensirold'd WAS
I. .l. -h IN
which the body was wrapped calcIncd
rapidly, but did not lose its shape tl
the body gave way under the intense
heat. After the body had been in the
retort for about fifteen minutes slight
BLUSH fame could be seen emanating
from the corpse, and this continued
throughout the cremation, and little
Of it was visible even when the building
was closed and the cremation pronOunc-
Cd complete. After a little more than
three quarters Of an hour of burning the
some skeleton OF fire could be seen that
was noticed conspicuouslr when Baron
dc Palm was creu atod. The head WIS
burned off. and in q few minutes more
the bones were oil lying separately.
The iron cradle lost It's shap7 and Icy
fat on the floor Of the fetort long before
the bones gave way. Tho bones Of the
hips wer3 the last "a fail. When they
gave way the burning was considered
complete. Il took nearly two hours 70
reach this stage. The building was then
cleared, and the FIRE wGs drawn from the
furnace.
Cast Line for Yourself.
A rnnnn, rnnr- stnnd l.ilcsslY wnirlinv