The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-04-07

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hine economy Of time and money. The
gradual progress made in this direction
may be shown by . description Of the
principal furnaces invented within the
present century.
In America. cremation has made but
sIight progress. About eight tn ten
cremato"iea only. have been erected
since Col. Henry Lawrens bnilt the u
Hest known IN south America in 1896.
Among these is the, one at Washington.
Pa.> 1t is built of brick, 30 feet in
length by 40 feet in width, and is one
story IN height. 1t is divided into two
rooms. the reception and Tho furnace
rooms. A fie .cls9 retort such IA il
used in the manufacture of jtlu .n;natinx
gas is heated for twenty-foar hours or
until it reaches q red heat. The body,
dressed in the ordinary cerements of
the dead is covered with u cloth saturat
ed with sulphate of alu n;n,l:n O; COM
mon alum which wben bui ned
trtaios it's shape and prevents any part
Of The corpse from being ssea until the
bong skeleton begins to crrmble down,
The body thus arranged il placed on
an iron framework, with legs 3 or 4
'ches in length which preserve the
corpse from contact with the retOrt.
These legs are bol:ed t" strips Of iron
which allow Tue f ame to slide easily in
AID out of the retort. The Washing.
ton furnace is a self consumer of smoke
aud during .he entire process which
usually takes about two hours, no nox.
ious fumes or smoky vapors issue from
the retolt where the body - in process
OF incarceration, the residue after the
process is concluded consists Of a few
ashes and from four to five pounds of
ca'cined bones /; these u easily be
placed in a one gallon d. lggjst's bottle
for preservation. The cost Ut this build
ing was only 81, 10000 and the whole
cost OF cre.nating u single body is $40. 90
as against $4,000 the price Of q very
ordinary funeral.
|. In Italy which may be styled the
home Of modern cremation. the first fur
mace OF rece0t times was cree. ed in F or
ence, and tested Dec. 1st, 1870. This
furnace can not he called q Success as
the process required seven hou.s tor
completion.
In 1877, Bet;i and Fer:,zzi, erected
at Milan, a cIematoiy consisting mainly
OF a cylinder of o.'st ZION enclosed in u
large furnace hea. ed ~ cule. In the
lower part o. this cyii der, two loag
tutes conveyed the prouuc.s o, dis.illa
tlol from the body to tie dame beneath
h furnace, increasing t'e Intensity of
The heat and avceleraiiay ire process.
After three ho0:s Ofd;stillation al. was nd
mit.eu, which coDD!e.ed he process in
Two no.rs more; Uai.:ngfive no. is requir
I'd for its consom mation. ihis length
Of time was colside ed 100 \. eat, and
as the cost reached $500 per body, the
process was practically abandoned.
There ere Al present "a Milan two
temples of cremation erected respective
y ~ Mess;ecrs Gori0i and Veoini.
The furnace OF Corfu is si.lated in Tho
Cemetery of Milan. 1t is in the Greaco
Doric style surrounded by columns and
pilasters and So! mOrnted by a cupOla
forming a chimney through which the
PRODUCES of combustion escape, The
furnace is 10 the basement and nearly
n the center Of the Guiding (; the int
rlor is divided into four lcrge h::lls : in
the first. the mOu,ncrs assemble ; in
the hall next adjoining. the cofined
bodies await creOa.iOn ; the thAd
apartment is q storage room for coal
etc., and beyond a,e the ir.nacas. In
an adjoining hall the &C. emation
Society sof Milan" has is sole o1ice.
Tue operation IF this fnraace is easily |
through a small ocular win
dow in the side of the "a. The
bot;y to be c emated is placed on a
CRATE, beneath which is q b:sin design.
TO receive what liquids AID asi;es
may lesaIt from tho process. The
me Is ca.'jed eve. the body, therce
down a fue u2der the base upon which
the body rests ; thence up the chin.
ney. The body Is converted in;o ashes
IN from one to q and a half hours.
elfher wood or coal being used. The
ac.ual cost of Gre ration by this furnace
- oniy Sl:U. The apparatus Of Venini
is somewhat more complicated. but
gives better results.
The furnaces described rive ma q
,oode idea of the work accomplished
70 far by the creWstioaists toward fnr
The ing sanitary and other ends. That
: ema;ion IS moe healthy than burial
Proven from the facs that the process
II cremation destroys or renders ham
ess whatever poisonous gases arise
rom the body after death. It d~estrovs
n the short space of two hours or less.
III that might prove injurious during
year or 50 required for decomposi
ion alter ordinary burial. It prese.
'e6 to ps the ~rona;re cf ~. t
q compact shape, and gives us assn
ance that after death we will not be-
ONE prey for the creeping worm or the