Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-13
Marble Burial Caskets.

THE LATEST FASHION IN CoFFINs-A
CHICAGO SUBSTITUTE FOR Gaia COMBS.
An enterprising Chicago man has in
vented s'marble burial casket," which
has had considerable sale in the West and
in New York.
cit is made,7' said the agent to a Sun
reporter, ''of Portland and Keene cement,
and is. imperishable and indestructible.
Surviving friends Of the dead have nat
ural and commemorate desire to preserve
the bodies of their loved ones from decay
as long as possible. Wooden collins decay
very speedily, and those made of iron rust
and crumble away in a very short time
when subjected to the chemicals of the
earth. In the earlier ages stone graves
hewn out of solid rock were the favorite
receptacles for the dead, not only because
they resisted the agencies mentioned, but
also because they preserved the dead from
the hands of resurrectionists. Such
thing as solid marble or stone grave is
out of the question, however, except
among mill1onaires, but the new burial
casket meets all of the ends served by the
old stone grave. 1t is in striking contrast
with the dilapidatei cloth, wooden, and
iron caskets, and will supersede the nee
essity Of vaults. Each one of our caskets
They are lighter than iron and the strong
est caskets ever made. The interior is of
perforated zinc set on a wrought-iron
skeleton frame. Both the frame and the
zinc are embedded in the walls of the
casket. The cement grows harder with
age.
zone point, and very strong one, in
favor of the casket is that when it is closed
1t becomes perfect whole. The cover is
joined to the casket with the same cement
with which the casket is made, and hence
it is Theoretically sealed without joint or
crack. 1t is complete, solid marble case.
Another great advantage of our caskets
over those of wood or iron is the fact that
burial ceremonies can be held with perfect
safety over the bodies of persons who have
died of contagious diseases. There is not
the slightest danger of contagion.''
"Have you sold many in New York ?'
$50 far there has been an encouraging
sale, and they have given unvarying Salts
faction.''
"How do the prices range ?"
GA first-class marble casket does not
cost any more than the best make of iron
or wood. The uphoIstering and the out
side trimmings are all of the best qualify,
and, IN fact, precisely the same as those
used in ordinary coffins."
The agent exhibited some of the caskets,
Many of them are very handsome. One
OF which he said was for young ladies''
was pure white, with rough, unpublished
surface, having frosted appearance,
which glistened in the light as though
covered with diamond dust. The inside
was pleated satin of a pale blue shade, and
there we're two blue satin panels, on the
covers On which lilies surrounded by sprays
of forget-me-nots were painted. The
handles we're also set in blue satin of the
same shade, and decorated with immor-
telles. Another one, called the Egyptian
STYLE" resembles Egyptian marble, al
though there is a trj1e too much gold and
orange in it. The jet black background,
however, is very brilliant. The handles
and plates are like those of ordinary cas-
kets. There is another casket which is
combination of Egyptian and onyx, made
in small sizes for children. There was one
that resembled italian marble. 1t was
more expensive than the others, as the
veining and rose tint are difficult to rep
resent on the cement.
How Beauty Was Dressed at Ascot.