St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-28

looks TO De UlOiuLl6Utdl ulSI6Sdlu VI
hygienic laws, and yet in this respect
New York is'neither better nor worse
than the hundreds of other cities and
towns in this country.
Heretofore the only substitute that
has been proposed for the cemetery is
the crematory. But there is senti-
mental objection to the use of the Gre
matory too strong to be overcome by the
pleadingS of the sanitarians. Although
our dead have gone from US their MEM
DRY is too dear to tolerate method of
disposing of their remains which has the
least semblance of Darbarism. There is
no question but that the cremation of
the human body after death completely
does away with the objections that have
been made against earth burial. 1t is
rapid, certain, clearly, effeeting in
few minutes the volatiliZation of the soft
parts of the body, and leaving nothing
behind to faint the air, pollute the soil
or contaminate the water. But 10 the
average mind the idea of consuming
our dead with fire is so abhorrent that it
can never be made popular. But indie
pendent of the purely sentimental OBJ
jections to the crematory process, there
is real, rational objection, which from
the medico-legal standpoint makes Gre
nation unadvisable. The opportunity
it affords for eoncealing crime is too
great. The crematory furnace stands to
the murderer in the relation of accessory
after the fact. The complete deStruc-
ton of the body would destroy the evil
dence of such crimes as secret poison
ing, criminal assault and malpractice,
and if the crematory were brought into
general use it would doubtless be a
strong temptation to the commission of
many of the most dangerous crimes.
But recently there has been another
suggestion of a new and rational
method of disposing of the dead which
shall render them harmless to the liv-
ing and yet preserve the sanctity which
should surround the act of putting them
from our sight. The new scheme is so
thoroughly in accord with our ideas of
the proprieties of civilized life, and ap-
pealS so strongly to that sentiment
which will not tolerate any burial
the sorrows of the bereaved. we would
not be surprised to see it adopted. The
new procedure is process of deSicca-
ton, carried out with all the aids of
modern scientific methods, by which the
putrefaction of the body, with all its
attendant revolving changes. is effect
ually arrested by the abstraction of its
form nd r
ures indefinitely. The new method in
wolves the placing of a corpse in sep
ulcher. which is then Theoretically
sealed, and forcing continuous current
of dry air over aud around it until COM
plete desiccation is effected.
The deSiccation scheme has been in
vestigated by a commission of experts
including such celebrities as DR..
CHARLES INSLEE PARDEE, DR.. GAR
NETT, Prof. WITTHAUs, DR.. EGBERT
GUERNSEY, and DR.. A. n. BELL, editor
of the Sanitarian, who report that it is
both feasible and desirable. They say
that such current Of air stays corrup-
ton, and that it will carry away in va
porized form all the gases and fluids of
the body, and desiecates the solid parts
until they become innocuOus and in
offensive to sight and smell; that this
is accomplished without material dis
coloration of the skin or shrinkage of
the face: that the features will be read
lily recognizable, and may be expected
to remain so for an indefinite length of
time.
So favorably has the new method been
received that companies have been
formed and plans have been prepared
for building mauSoleumS in New York,
Washington, New Orleans and some
other cities. A late number of the
Manufacturer and Builder gives a
description of the plans for the New
York mausoleum, which will give the
GLOBE readers some idea of the adyan-
tageS of the new method. In place of
tomb to contain single body, or the
bodies of a single family, massive
building of splendid proportions and
architecture is contemplated. The
plans of the New York building show
a frontage of $50 feet, an average depth
of 100 feet, and hight of five stories
above ground and two below. The
building is to afford room for 10000
caskets. to be placed in separate scpul-
cheers arranged in tiers of six on each
floor, or in family compartments; and
every one of these to be as accessible,
| as convenient, and as capable of or
namentation as like space in private
| mausoleum. As soon as caSket is
placed i'm one of these sepulehers. an
| inner door of glass is closed and sealed.
| Conduits to the subcellar. where
| furnace is located, are opened, and
| current of dry air is forced through
the casket space, and the current there
from is conducted to the furnace, where
| it is purified before it is discharged into
| the atmosphere. The building is to be
monolithic structure without seams or
Joints, concrete being used in the con-
struction of every part of the building.
| For ornamentation the walls within and
without this artificial rock will be faced
with marble, granite, and other durable
| stone. The purpose is to make it
splendid and beautiful home for the
dead. There will be warmth, good light,
good ventilation, without odor of decay
or suggestion of death. No grave robber
will enter there, and those who sleep in
this Affections memorial will not be ex-
posed to the pitiless storms that beat
upon the resting places Of the dead who
now lie in unprotected cemeteries. Pre-
! mature interment Is to be made i'm