Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-07-04
The crematorium at Milan.

The crematorium stands at the far
end of the grounds, q building not
large nor high, but, with its crescent
shaped open atrium of white marble,
sufficiently handsome and imposing.
On the frieze is this inscription: "Tem-
pio Grematorio per Uolonta del Alberto
Keller ere:to donate ala cina di MI
tano. On the wall facing the entrance
Is handsome medallion of Albert Kel-
Ter, who was duly cremated in the tom.
pie of his own providing. Many por-
tions of the wall are marked off in
small tablets inscribed with the names
of the persons whose bodies have un-
dergone cremation, and whose ashes,
in many cases. repose in an urn or
small vessel in a niche behind the tab
let. Ashes they are not, properly
speaking. l was shown about couple
of handfuls of white bleached bone, in
bits not larger than ones finger
all that remained, as 1 learned, after
the cremation of the body of a man
some ten stone in weight. Other
spaces have been appropriated by in
tending cremators, and have the word
"Assegnato" inscribed on them.
Through small door you pass from
the atrium into what may describe as
the operating room, in the middle of
which stands the enclosed furnace,
looking much like an enlarged edition
of the family laundry copper. The fire
is kindled at the back of the furnace.
and when at the proper moment releas-
ed by the uplifting of iron shutters,
comes roaring through two large critic
es. and quickly fills the whole of the
space where lies its prey. The body,
IL cadarer0. as the attendant called it.
seemed to take great delight in repeat
ing the words,-dressed in a light lin
en- or woolen shroud, or other costume,
is taken from the shelf in which it has
been brought, and laid on marble
slab, then transferred to large iron
tray, which is borne to the mouth of
the furnace and laid on a frame,
which, by the action of a winch, is
wound into the interior with its burden.
The iron door is then closed, the shut
ters, Us described above, are raised,
and the furnace, to use an American
expression, is literally in full blast. At
the end of two hours the operation is
complete, and all that there remain of
what was once man, full of '.blood,
bones, marrow, passion, feeling" are
"Two handfuls of white dust shut
in an urn of BRASS"
The system at present in use is that
of Paolo Gorini; it takes. as l have
said, two hours and the consumption
of 300 kilogrammes of wood and 25
kilogrammes of charcoal The cost
of everything, including the mural
tablet, is "a francs. A new method.
known as the Systemc Venini, under
which the incineration will be effected
by gas. was then Immediately to be
tried,-I saw the furnace just COM
pleted, and is no doubt now in oper-
alton. Under this system the whole
affair will be completed in fifty min
utes.
In this place, which was perfectly
sweet, clean, and wholesome, without
the faintest trace of anything calcu-
lated to offend the sense of sight or
smell, there are about eighteen or
twenty cases of cremation every month.
They are, the attendant told me, de-
cidedly on the increase, and were the
cholera scare again to appear, he had
no doubt from what he had heard, that
the practice would have large numbers
of adherents. Already bodies for Gre
nation are sent from distant parts of
Italy, and on the next day one was ex-
pected from Paris. And, indeed, when
/ thought of all the horrors of our or
dinary ''buryings,"I 1 could not won
der at the desire to be quit of them, no
matter of what amount of trouble or
expense. World.