Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-10-04
BURYING PEOPLE ABOVE
GROUND IN NEW
ORLEANS.
FOR THE MONITOR |

leaHS EXpOSltlOn, the IOllOWlng SEN
tences occurred: ''Make an excava-
tion anywhere, leave it a few hours,
and it will fill with water. For this
reason, there are no cellars under
meath the houses, no sewers under
ground, no cisterns where the people
of the North put cisterns, and people
who die are buried above ground"
Having been asked by several,
"How can people be buried above
ground?" it occurs to me that there
may be others who would like to
know more about the manner of dis
posing of the dead in the quaint old
citysof New Orleans.
Only in New Orleans can one real
ize the full significance of the term,
''THE CITY OF THE DEAD" The old
cemeteries, like the old French quar-
ter of the city, have narrow streets
with nc space for plats of grass, and
no room for the fir trees which have
been reaching their arms skyward
since long before the dead we're bro't
to slumber beneath their shade.
Close up to the walks stand the
tombs the houses of the dead. There
are tombs for a single family, and
there are tenement houses. The fam
lily tomb varies from five or six to
ten feet high, and is of succeed
brick or marble, according to the taste
and the means of the owner. The
tenement houses are unadorned, fiat
rooted structures, the rows of ''ov-
ens'' rising tier upon tier, often eight
or ten "stories" high. An "oven" is
a receptacle for a single coffin, and
each row of ''ovens" constitutes a
s'story" in the houses of these strange
cities, which have no counterpart in the
known world save in Constantinople.
In some of the tenement houses
there are ovens constructed to hold as
many as three coflins at one time.
These are for families able to pay for
that much room, but not able to
erect tomb for themselves. Many
families are glad to secure one of the
smallest s'ovens", and in the event of
second death in the family the rem
nant of the previous occupant is de-
posted in receptacle beneath the
tomb. With only thin iron slab and
thin brick wall separating the coffin
from the air, decay speedily follows
entombment. and seldom is there
found more than few boards and a
pitiful heap of bleached bones if
there is occasion to reopen an oven
after the expiration of few years.
The oven door is tablet for the in
scription of the name and virtues of
the occupant. All about these doors
the mourning friends hang curious
emblems of sorrow; queer wreaths
and bouquets made of black and
white wire {; crosses and anchors ;and
pictures, sometimes of the Saviour or
the cross, but oftener of the mother
of the Infant Jesus. The Germans
bring to the tombs the toys they low
ed to play with. Often little shelf
will be suspended beneath the oven
door, on which are placed the tin
horse, the mug, the favorite ball or
doll of the child which has "crossed
over to rest beneath the shade OF the
trees on the other side"
In other cities societies have their
''lots" Here they have their "tomb"
with "ovens'' enough for all-paid
lOI OuI VI tu6 luuuo VI euC CO1pauJ'
These and the tenement houses are
built of brick, succeed and kept
glaring white with whitewash.
Every home In these settles of the
dead" is kept as white as we shall all
some day wish we had kept our souls.
New Orleans has many cemeteries.
Canal street is the great business
thoroughfare and fashionable prom
enade. Within ten minutes walk of
it are four large blocks covered with
houses for the dead. A railroad di-
vides them in two, but the tombs
have no windows for the ghosts to
peer through.
In the midst of the "Garden Dis
trict," where are located the most ell
egant houses, is Washington Gene
terry. 1t was there that they carried
Gen. Hood with his wife and daugh-
ter, when death, with ruthless hand,
seized all the bread winners from
that home, leaving eight little chill
dren to the tender mercies of a world
which has proven itself most charita-
able to them.
Washington Cemetery is old, but
has always been the favorite of a
large, wealthy class, which has Sc
cured to it many elegant and expen-
sive marble tombs.
Half way out to West End, fash
ionable resort, there are many acres
of tombs the Masonic. the Odd Eel
lows, the Hebrew, one or two Catho-
lie, one of the German, and the
| Protestant Cemeteries. In this latter
is an odd-looking, queerly-shaped af-
fair, built of strange looking gray
stones, which came all the way from
Sweden, the birthplace of the owner.
This, like all the large family tombs.
has shelves for the coffins to rest
upon. The large door is nearly COW
cred with gracious, loving words, con-
corning the wife and the brother who
sleep within. Then follows: "And