The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-03-09
Funeral monies fr Paris.

In oil countries death and the cere
monies of burial are sad and repul
sive. In France, perhaps decency is
observed as well as in any county.
thanks to the excellent organization
of the Compagnie DIES Pompes Fune'
hres, which forms, SO to speak, the
administration Of the churches in
Paris, exercising on their behalf the
monopoly of funeral ceremonies.
This company, whose monopoly is
regulated by law, is a vast enterprise.
possessed OF exceptional resources an
immense number of horses and car.
riages, a numerous and we'll disciplin.
ed personnel. Every year it takes
charge of about $4,000 funerals.
about half of which are those OF the
poor. Thanks to this enterprise,
even the poorest citizens are buried
with some show of decency and in
conformity with strict rules. The adj
ministration of the Pompes Funebres
is situated in Paris in the Quaie d Au'
bervilliers. 1t is a big, heavy, white
stone building, built round a vast
grass-roofed court yard. To the
right and left of the entrace doors
are the offices of the director and the
bookkeeping department.. In the
court yards are the store
rooms, the stables, the coach
houses and the harness-rooms
Everything is black, sombre ant
silent; everything is vigorously mum
bered and ticketed, classified anC
arranged for immediate use. Tho
porteurs, or bearers, commonly call
ed croquemorts, have a big room
furnished with oak benches, wher
they assemble every morning 400 il
number, to await orders, gloomy
serious, clad in various styles, som,
with blouses, but most of them IL
Jackets. Over this room are othe
rooms, with cupboards running
down the middle in double rows
Each cupboard is numbered and tit
ted with lock, the key of which tn
correspondingly numbered croque
mort keeps. In these cupboards ar
kept the uniforms of the bearers
who dress before going out on ser
vice and undress when their servic
is over, only wearing theirregulatiol
costume while on duty.
The masters of ceremonies haU
each private room to dress in
Their uniform consists of q cockes
hat, coat, knee-breeches, silk stock
ings, buckled shoes, a court swort
and wand. This parsonage is pait
by the day, so much for each funeral
His duty is to arrange the procession
in proper order, to fix the order o
the precedence among the mourners
and to start the funeral. Beneath tn,
vast building of the Pompes Funebre'
are cellars dimly lighted with gas Jets
and full of rows and rows ofcotfinso
all sizes and quantities. This cellar
contains a stock of $4,000 coftini
ready for use, varying in length from
six feet ~ inches down to 27hinches
which are the regulation ipaximun
and minimum sizes of dead French
humanity. For persons taller thai
.lA ICCO ~ u SoilIi ittp w Nv
built on purpose and to order. Or
one side OF the cellar are the lead cot
fins, and in one corner n stock O
square boxes in which collins ar
packed for travelling by rail or steam
er without attracting attention
Near the door of the cellar are some
hugh collins, with n circumference o
six or nine feet, destined for the &c
commodation of very obese corpses
Likewise near the door are thirty
hand-carts of peculiar form, on two
wheels, painted green and lined with
black; these carts are used only wheI
some terrible epidemic is decimating
the population. The price of the cof
fins, of the inner lining and Of the
covering pail, are all regulated byan
imlnutable tariff. In 1878, during
the siege, the little hand-carts, paint
ed green and lined with black, hal tC
serve universally as hearses, for all
the horses had been killed for food
New York Mail and Express.