Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-02-18
THE EVENING STAR.
MONDAF February IL, Iss o.
The Cremation Of Mrs. Pttman.
MONDAY.

The crel,fatury Is a substantial one-SIory
brick building with an iron corrugated roof
anu might be mistaken from its external APP
p~alance for country school house, incloSed
IN small yard with whitewaShed picket fence
lhere are TWO apartmentS-the reception and
furnace rooms. The furnace was infinitely
described at the time OF the cremation of Bi-
ron de Palm, in December, 1876. 1t is built of
hre7clay, with heavy iron door, through
which The body is passed. The fires are fed
from beneath. with one fue for the smoke and
one for the escape of the hot air and CvseS
from the retort The fires were lighted YES
terday morning at 10 o clock, and the heat was
over 2otO deg. Fahrenheit this morning. The
ceremony of the cremation, however, did not
take place till O'Clock in the afternoon.
large crowd OF curious people had gatheredon
the hilltop and around the building when the
carriage with MIR. Pitman and invited friends
drove up and were admitted. Upon a table in
the reception room was wire rack. Into thiS
the body, having been removed from the
casket was tenderly placed, covered with
a white cloth saturated in alum, and
upon the breast was placed a bunch
9i ,. white ,d flowers, emblematic of purity,
they wore sweet, placid expression, and that
there seemed TO be almost tinge of natural
color In the cheeks and on the lips. The EN-
balmment had been most successful in pre-
venting diScoloraiion, the hands themselves
being as white as those of a living person
Everything was conducted in a quiet, subiued
manner, Mr.. Pltman c0nverSing very freely
with those present, and especially of the iny
remarkable traits of the dear one now gone
At length, when the word was given, four gen
tlemen bore the rack containing the corpse
from the reception into the furnace room
The iron door of the retort had been removed
he rack was slid into the retort without delay
and the outer door, lined with fire-clay al
IuSted and closed. AS the rack was moving
in slight smoke issued from the aperture
with a slight ojOr. as of burned wool. This
was due to the failure to cover the head com.
pletely with the cloth saturated with alum
but 1t was only momentary. For a few
minutes those outside detected a slight smoke
was no Odor whatever, nor was there
either In the furnace or reception rooms.
The incarceration was rapid, and DIR. lie Moyne
who made the observation said there was hard
ly any flame, while the average heat was about
2OU degrees. In the back part of the retort il
was estimated at 1900 degrees There was
simply rich red glow of heat within. The
away and vanish in thin air The body was
placed in the retOrt at 2 o'clock, and at 2lS
very little remained of il but the bony struc
ture. Within an hour this was reduced to a
state that, when the retOrt is opened to-mor.
row, 1t will crumble into fine powder of alb
SOlute WhlteneSS. The process of incremation
was more rapid than in the case of Baron De
Palm, whose body had been long embalmed,
and was almost mummified when put in the
oven. As there had been some question as 10
the complete and thorough action of intense
heat on body not deSccated as the BarOn's
was, 1t is at least scientifically gratifying to
know that the process was so rapid and a bSO-
lutely inOffenSve. DIR. lie MOyne's NAV not be
the ultimate and best, but his furnace has
sumo body within an hour, leaving only the
mineral substances in a form no more repug-
nant to the senses of sight and smell than a
handful OF hour.-l Cor. Gin. Commercial,