New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-24
THEBURNING OF THE DEAD.
STEADY PROGRESS OF CREMATION.


TEN MONTHS.
TIL. ...,.,orr at Fresh Pond is no longer
roveltv Three or four bodies are no" ouinou
tbara almost every week and the fact attracts no
mara attention than the burial OF Numerous IA "
Olivet the Evergreens aud the other ceine.eii'' -
che neiobborhood Indeed it may be fairly saiu
that cremation as a means of disposing Of the DEAD
has already passed beyond the experimental stago'
AT least in this part of the country. ana become ."
established institution. 1t is not yet ten mouths
since the crematory was opened. but already sixty
eight incinerations have taken place. anu TUE clo
nation company is upon a firm if not paying OASIS
The first body. that of Eugene Lievre, was burned
on December t. and since then nearly every month
has witnessed an increased number of ncineratons
Naturally there Is a gooi deal OF curiosity lelV
as to who are the people that prefer TINS hetnou'
which met with such a storm o. Indignation WHO"
il was first proposed here a few years ago. Al ga
animation of the list shows that hfteen out VI -,
si1ty-eirtt crematei were women. whose oou0'
were burned at their own request One ia"y "".
the aauphter and granddau ghter OF frotestan'
clerQymen and her brother also clergy nin' wa
nrssent at the incinerstion Only two of the list
were Catholics cremation being condemned by the
Holy See but number were ProtestanIs, ana ene
rest reureseuted every shade of religious nehel'
The Oldest person cremated was eignty-elgn1 years.
| the Youngest nine weeks. Among the professions
| the medical, civil engineering Journalism .no
military and the dramatic were represented. Ike
wise banking and mercantile pursuits, besides
| number of the trades.
| ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH GERMANS.
Although the advoca es of cremation are not con-
fined to any particular class in this country yet IL
i more ,oouIar with Germans than with any other
nationality as out of the sixtyeiGht thlrtV-Vnree
were Germans Of the others twenty two were
! horn in the United States five in France two IN
| England while Scotland, Ireland India. Austria
| Hungary and Switzerland produced one each
Among the prominent names the list are those OF
| DR. Dio-Lewi. George P. Beschor. ex-consul OF the
| HanseatIc LeaCne at Guatemala; Edward NJ
| Roberts the theatrical manager; Charles Conn., OF
| the Staats-Zeitunq; Colonel Joseph Meredith
| Harry Dodge. of Clark DO lge IL Co.. brokers !:
Leopold Van Schenck. OF Puck, and Carr l. H.
Bretthauser. a German nohleman
| CHANGES ~ THE COMPANY.
Several chang, have taken place in the company
since the building formally opened. Dr'
Benrless resigned the presidency some time ago.
having been ordered to resume his duties as chap
lain on the Brooklyn. and Augustus G. Cobb OF
Tarrvtpwn. q retired lawyer and an enthusiast on
the subject of cremation, took his place. meeting
of the stockholders was held last spring 10 reduce
the captal stock from $50, 900 to $4,000 but there
was mol a sufficient number Of shsre represented
TO make the vote taken legal. Since then OIL
has passed and become law allowing limited
liability companies. like the cremation organza-
t,on six months more than formerly within winch
TO DISPOSE of their stock. The company still ha'
nn.old about $4,000 Of its stock, divided into
shares Of sos each and subscriptions are now helne
received for these at it's Office No 40 Nassau-st
With the money obtained for this stock the com
many intends completing its building and beantlty-
| ing the surrounding grounds The expenses OF tn
company are confined IT, the cost OF condutt ng ID
crematory office rents and the pay OF employees
rhe officers of the company give their service
gratuitously finding sufficient recompense 10
their labors in the success that has attended th'
introdnctinn of what they believe to be a grea
reform Most of them wealthy or In comfort
THE COMPANY AND THE SOCIETY.
| great many people still confound the cremation
! company with the New-York Cremation society
+ desnite the fact that they are two separa
orranizat,ons The society. which vas organized
ann ncorporatel in Ss1 had for its object tue dis
O semipafion of r, nation knowledge aud literature
e II was the outgrowth of the popular discussion
$ the subject. which began about dozen years ag
J. | and enlisted the co-oOerltoa OF such men
Il Conrtlandt Palmer Felix Adler, james B. Brow
k and Chaplain John D. Beugless, of the Unite
y States Navy. The cOmnany vas torme1 thre
YEARS Later for the purpose of builling crematory
|
b labor and difficulty. But while the two al
" s.narate the society gives the crsnatCrv 6nancia
a sunrort and has done mncn To insure its welfa
The members pay regular dues. some OF whicn Al Al
nsed for cnrreut expenses, the rest passing INTO u
incarceration fnnd. Any member dying with n
dnes pa Is entitled the benefit OF this tund an
the society paws the expenses OF h' nclneratior
~ Several incneratons nave been palu lOr III vi
way.
ID THE COST OF CREMATION.
.e The charge for cremating a body at Fresh Por
T. is still the same az at first S25. At Lancaster 1t
IL S35. and At Washington, Penn, $40. When u
A custom becomes more general it " Ill be possible
VS. rein q these prices for fnonerate TWO bodies
surcession reoures ooiy about One-third more e
penss than TO dispose of one The expenses OF co..
ductng the cIematory here are heavy Jar create
Mt IN fact tn incurred by the estanll-nfnents
lie Buffalo Lancaster or Washington. Nearly all I
~ bodies brought to these three crematories con
'' from a distance aud the preliminary arrahgenen
ne are made by letter telegraph This sllo VS. anr
ed time 10 ire the furnaces AMI engage &c en- 10
"a porarilv. rendering unnecessary tue retention
=. regular salariei attendants, as mas TO ne dons
ty the managers of the Fresh Pond institution. IL
III. situated ive miles from the city IL has TO
at watched and cared for all the time, apl lts nece
90 sary supplies such fuel, are brought from
distance. ,-.. -.
he from within a radius of ten miles. aud more IN
lin twenty four hours notice PRIOR to the time OF inc
LA: Grafton is seldom gwen. SsFiral days NAV pi
90 without an applics an tnen several may co
OF together. All this requires The maintenance o
ty regular force be READY for all emergencies re
an bo,he, can easily be burned IN one day and ey
six in of necessity.
GROWTH OF THE CREMATION IDEA
m The growth of the cremation movement continu
hs despite the opposition shown toward It, When
sx. society was started here i've years ago there VI
len only four crer ator,es in existence the one at
her ington. Penn. and three in Europe. and the to
led number of incnerations at the four did not ti
I'd exceed 200 In Europe Today there are ovel
, of dozen crematories. London. Paris Rome. Bruss
md Dresden, Florence. Copenhagen and other sma
nu cities having societies whc5 have put the the
ade into practice In this country there are active
Ian nation societies in nearly all the large CIT
Pm. Four crenatorcs have ben built and others
~ about to be erected in PHILADELPHIA San Fran tis
the n.,roit Cincinnati and Louisville
TO The health authorities aud the medical profess
Lam. rain.K nlArA