Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-10-16
CREMATION OF DR.. GROSS.
The First Authoritative Account Of TIE Incin.
Grafton Published.

The First Authoritative Account Of TIE Incin.
Grafton Published
Among the papers read at the ses-
sion of the state sanitary council at
tho Blue Mountain house this week
was one by DR.. St. George w. Teaclr,
entitled What Shall We Do With Our
DcadP" In course of the lecture he
he read letter from Benjamin F.
Horwitz, giving detailed account
Of the cremation of the body
of his father-in-law, Prof. Gross, Of
Philadelphia. Extracts from the let
ter follows:
81 had often promised DR.. Gross that
If | outlived him, as, considering the
disparity of our ages, it was likely |
sh Juld, that would accompany his re-
mains to the Lomoync crcmatory. 1t
was simply perfect spring day; the
sun shonc brightly, the air was balmy,
the birds were twitcring in the trees,
and the lowing herds were grazing
peacefully on the hillside. The build
ing was divided into two apartments,
one reception, or, rather, r,preparation
room, and the other containing the
furnace and lctort. The coffin was
taken from the hearsc by Mr. Gross,
Dr. HorwitA, my son and myself acting
as pall-bcarcs, and placed on table
arranged for its reception in the
cparatiOn-roOm. Everyone then
Withdrew except the undertaken and
the body servant. The coffin was
opened and the body taken out, disrob-
ed and placed in Il sheet and saturat-
ed with q preparation of alum, intend
ed to prevent the singcing or sCorch-
ing of the body us it was placed in the
oven. The body was then placed on
what is called an iron crib, that is, an
iron frame, with small bars about four
inches apart running along its entire
length, which is about seven feet, and
it stands on feet about six inches high.
The oven door was opened, the crib,
with the body on it, was run in, the
door closed, and the process ofincincra-
ton at once began. The Lcmoync
crcmatory, which is Of rather primi-
tive character, costing for the building,
rctOrt, furnace and everything com
Il'A' 'sl''N's l'NIhllNN tN'llN -lblll
hours heating before it is in condi-
ton for the incincraton to properly be-
gin; this, in DR.. Cross ease, had been
attended to before our arrival, CON
scqucntly there was no delay.
"Thc incincratiOn began as soon MS
the door of the oven closed. About
two hours and Il half after the body
had been placed in the oven Mr. Dyer,
the superintendent, informed us that
the incincration WAS complete. We
looked through small hole, placed
in the door of the oven fol the pur,
pose of enabling the supcrintcnd.
cnt to watch the progress
of the reduction to ashes, and
found his report to he correct There
was not a vcStigc of tho body to be
seen. Mr. Dyer then informed us that
it would require twelve hours for the
furnace to become sufficiently cool TO
permit the removal of the crib and the
gathering of the ashes. We were
present, either in the building
or on the grounds surrounding
it, during the entire time oc.
cupicd by the incincration, and there
was not the least unpleasant odor of
anything calculated to shock in the
slightest degree the tcndcrest sen.
sibllitics of the most refined human
being. On the contrary, everything
passed of in such a way that death
and burial seemed to be robbed of
more than half their horrors. We left
for Washington about O'Clock in the
afternoon, after seeing the crematory
locked and giving instructions to the
superintendent to permit no one to
enter until our return the next (Fri-
day. morning at 10 o'clock.
1--WE returned at the appointed time
and found the furnace sufficiently cool
The crib was removed and then the
ashes, which had fallen through it to
the bottom (Which is made of fire
brckS) of the oven, Il distance of about
six feet, were carefully gathered, plac.
ed in metal receiver, which was then
covered and carefully and firmly SOL
dcrcd. The ashes, which in fact were
nothing but carbonate of lime, were,
of course, rs clean and nice as pebbles
freshly gathered from the seaside,
all impurity and everything cal
culatcd to make n dead body
horrible and disgusting hav-
ing being resolved into their original
clements. DR.. Gross was n man six
feet two inches high and well proper
toned, consequently his ashes weighed
about seven pounds, the average
weight being five pounds. We drove
away with the precious ashes in charge,
all thoroughly convinced that DR..
Gross had added another laurel to the
chaplct which surrounded his brow by
his advocacy in life and example in
death of the revival of cremation. ~
Baltimore Day.