The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-04-29
The Dead of a Great City.

relative to the establishment OF ceme-
teries in close proximity to their living,
breathing population. The Board of
Supervisors of San Francisco, at a re-
cent meeting, listened to report frsm
one of their members concerning the
alarming proximity of the densely pop
ulated city of the dead to the city of
the living upon the Bay of San Fran
cisco. We submit the following extracts
from this report
THE TWELFTH WARD AND THE GENE
ETERIEs.
Supervisor Stetson, of the Twelfth
Ward, spoke as follows when his name
was called:
Among the matters in the Twelfth
Ward to which l feel 1t my cuty to call
the attention of this Board, and the
public too, is the matter Of the burial
of the dead, or more properly the pres
ent location of the various cemeteries of
the city, which at present are all located
in the ward which [ have the honor to
represent. The present area devoted to
cemetery purposes consists of 45O acres,
all located as 1 have before stated in
the Twelfth Ward, and from the direc-
ton of the prevailing winds during
nearly the whole twelve months Of the
year, to the windward of the settled
portion of the city. The number of
bodies now contained in the burial
grounds of the Twelfth Ward l have
been unable to obtain. The number of
burials is now at the rate of about g.
900 per apnum. At this rate there
will be in ton years added to the num-
Der about 10000 bodies lying directly
to the windward OF the living and
breathing population of our city.
WHERE SHALL THE DEAD BE BURIED.
My object in calling public attention
to the subject is that some thought may
thus early be given to the subject, that
in the end some just and reasonable
plan may be adopted that will afford
remedy for that which is now detrimen-
tai to our health, with greater possibili-
ties in the future. For if nothing is
done to prevent the increase of the CITY
of the Dead" those who come after us
and are obliged to take hold OF this
matter in fifteen or twenty years hence,
will blame those who have now the
power to make commencement of this
public requirement. will not disgust
the Board with the recitals which have
been made to me by citizens living to
the leeward of these cemeteries they
are from persons of repute and stand
ing. The facts so given are disgusting
in the extreme, and the mere recital
causes feeling of horror and astonish
ment that such state of things can eX
list in our community.
METHODS OF BURYING IN OTHER CITIES.
l have no plan to propose, but brief
notice of methods adopted in other cities
in the world may be useful to us when
we shall take hold of this subject in
earnest, as we surely must at no distant
dav. In some cities in Australia the
cemeteries are located twenty miles
from the city, and "hurial trains are
run twice daily. Rooms are prepared
of suitable character at the depot, and
funerals are conducted at the residence
of the deceased, at churches, or at one
of those depot rooms, the services being
arranged to conform to the departure of
the trains. The train conveys to the
cemetery the immediate relations and
friends.
Thee are many places outside the
limits of this city where cemeteries
could be located without ever interior
ing with the public health. Saucelito,
with its hillsides and valleys, offers with
its ferry beautiful location. To the
northward of Berkely few miles is a
beautiful undulating plat OF land, which
by means of the present ferry and rail
road, affords an opportunities; or south
of > lameda there are opportunities
While on our peninsula outside the city
and county line southwark, as far as
San Mateo, an abundance of cheap land
can probably be obtained.
In either of the above named loca-
tons, by the present routes now trav
eled there is no doubt burial trains
could be arranged at low rates, which
would afford an easy means of access.
In my mind there is no doubt that
the cessation of the burial of the indi-
gent dead should entirely cease at an