St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-28
COST OF COFFINS.
The Last Lick at a Man Tells
Profits In the Undertakes Bus

1Ilc AtSC LICK dC d MAN IetlS-..
Profits In the Undertakes Bust
ness.
A reporter the other day met a retired
undertaken, and conve rsation turned on
his late business.
"What is the profit in coffins?" was
asked.
"Well, ought not to tell tales out of
school, but it will not take more than
one figure to count it, l will say. The
only thing that keeps every undertaken
in the United States from becoming a
millionaire is that people won't die fast
enough. Do you know that the highest
priced coffin in Georgia is metallic
and costs $50? This casket is retailed
all the way up from S125 to $500, the
sciences of the dealer being only gagged
by the pocketbook of the corpse. Very
few people like to go around town and
jew on the price of coffin for some
dead friend, and you may just bet your
last nickel that the average undertaken
is up to snuff and knows how to make
this generous trait come out right when
he goes to balance his cash. There
is fair profit too on the cheaper
grades of wooden Baskets, ranging in
price from $50 to $S0-that is, if you con-
slider from 800 to 500 per cent a fair
profit l heard the other day story
from Greensboro, Ga, that will sorter
Illustrate the profits in the coffin bnsi-
ness. do not know whether it is true
| or not, but it sounds to ME, who has
been. there myself, very plausible, to
say the least. 1t seems that for long
| time COpelan, Seals & Armour had a
sorter corner on collins in that town, un-
| til at last a rival house, Jones, Green
IL Co., opened up and announced
| through the local paper that they in
| tended to be in at the DEATH too. 1t
| wasn't very long after the new house
| fired up before an old brother and sis
| ter, living together near the Point, died
| at the same time. Their friends wanted
to put the old people away nicely, and
| so sent to Greensboro for a pair of nice
| and neat casketS, with instructions to
| get them as cheap as possible.
| land, Seals d Armour, and this
firm, knowing that they had
| competition to meet, agreed to sell the
| two collins at S32 each. Jones, Green q
| Co. at once put the price for exactly
the same goods TO s25. The old house
| saw them and fell to $40. After a few
| nice little passages, both collins were
| purchased for S32, exactly the first price
| asked for one, and it is said, too, that
| the seller then made clear profit of $l2
on the sale, as the collins only cost $40
| each. But an undertaken is entitled to
a good profit, for there is not a more
disagreeable business followed. The
| dealer is expected to attend funerals in
person, lends helping hands to dress
| and place the corpse in the coffin. Often
| the body is corrupt, and the stencil is
| sickeniDg in the extreme. 1t is dan
| gerous business, too, for, if you have a
sore on the hand, and it comes in con-
tact with the body in this stage, it is
| sure death, aud most terrible
one, too. If embalming is desired, of
| course the risk increases. Undertakes,
| too. lose great deal of money by bad
debts. 1t would surprise you to know
| the number of collins now in the Athens
| cemetery that have never been paid for
| An undertaken would be looked on as
| little better than brute if he refused
| to sell coffin OH credit without the
money; aud when his goods are once
| planted there is no way to get them
| back. There is no demand whatever
for secondhand collins. This business,
too, like all others, has its perquiSites.
The undertaken contracts with the liv-
cry stables to hire him carriages at $3.50
each, but he Stipulates that if they fail
him, that he must not let them go for
less than s.. This latter figure is the
price charged by the undertaken, and
SO besides his hearse hire of $40 and
profit on the caSket and other funeral
paraphernalia, he pockets clear profit
of $3.50 from every carriage that comes
from livery stable and accompanies
the funeral procession"