Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-04-30
GROWTH Oh CREMATION.
EFFORTS MADE TO RENDER THE
PROCESS EASY AND PRACTICAL.
ihe overcrowded Cemeteries os past.
o''ect'on--Attempted Solution of an
ee'sa Problem Where the CUES
tion Rests.

unexpected Probien--Where 81
tion Rests
cremation in France is attended ,v,.t
aiincaities Technical ouestious ta.a
arisen ana the laws regulating Freedom ~
S.l have caused unpleasant deIavs
o'n'' the crowded condition Of tho par;,
cemeteries. where the dead are r,a,,,,,ad
mto iiarro" mausolea aud piled in an IN
tserihliiate way ON top Of one ano,hor
ieiaeFs solution Of some kind itnre,.a
I'VE When the cemeteries ~ pr i.
chaise and Montmartre were egtaf,lish q
.ney were on hiilsides that were AZ sorre
Instance In the country. Now. tbongb
'1ey are not In the heart of the citv thsv
are iar within the city limits and have :
uehse population on all sides Of the+o
70 Guy III the world feels more iroDera
.iseiy the need Of regulating the IMPORT
AiL 9ueStioh o. bHrials in manner that
WINE u snail respect the prciudices in
iasof OF the dead, shall at the same time
s,u.lciehlly protect the interes,. Of the
u"ing The establishment Of l. aew ceroe,
sefy On grander scale at Msry sur Disc.
lew miles from Paris. has been In con
temptation since 1873, and as the project
approaches solution the question of ere
nation Is again being earnestly discuzssd
In 1873 aud again 1880 cremation was
Dy city ordinance made optional for the
friends OF the deceased, but the keener ~
the seals found legal objections in the vii
ana penal code. Pending the settlement
OF the doubtful points involved a society
TO promote the cremation was formed Il
which Gambetta was a profoundly cor
WINGED and exceedingly active rpeubar
a new law regulating freedom Of br,r;al
was passed, and crensatory. or creroafoyz
chapel. was erected in the least used rart
OF Pere la Chaise. which is a consnic,,ons
object in the scenery If nothing else. The
Jaw has not accomplished all that its pro-
leetors desired. and various unexpected
dllncuities have arisen, which have
strengthened the hands of the enemies of
cremation.
At Milan, Lodi. Crenona and other
cities In the north Of Italy, at Zurich and
m Germany. cremation is effected in two
hours This is Of itself considered a suf
tcient objection in Paris, since the long
waiting. even in room set apart for the
purpose. would be too painful for rela-
tlves and their friends. To make it prac-
ical in poptllous city, where, if creraa-
lion teeame fashionable. time would be
precious, the process should be accom-.
plished in half an hour. It is this short
.ning of the time that the experts are
studying at present. After having made
personal examination of the crematories
At Zurich and Milan they concluded that
the desired result could only be obtained
by raising the temperatures, and that
wood should be replaced by illuminating
gas mingled with current of air Wood
only gives temperature ranging from
500 to LOGO degs. centigrade, while gas
gives from 1850 to 2.000 dogs
Experiments have been made on the
carcasses of sheep at one Of the gas man.
ufactories of Paris which, though they
have not been entirely satisfactory, have
shown that they were tending in the
right direction. For instance, it was re-
marked that when the high temperatures
effected incarceration in the desired time,
it rendered the pulyerization of bones
more difficult. 4 curious chemical pro
cess takes place. The bones. composed
principally Of carbonate of lime, acquire
almost the hardness of porcelain when
brought to 4 temperature of !, 500 to e.O00
legs centigrade.
What was to be done in a case like this?
The cFenator could not evidently give to
the weeping relatives a petriiied skeleton
maintaining approximately the original
proportions Of the defunct, and incapable
of being put into any cinerary urn, in
stead of the handful of ashes which they
wished to be put into china vase on the
parlor mantelpiece. So lie set himself to
solve this unexpected problem and dis
covered that if at given moment, that is
after the tissues were perfectly reduce
to ashes, the remains were suddenly
plunged into water. by mechanical de-
vice easy of fabrication, the petrifed
bones would at once resolve themselves
into fragments OF the desired uliuuteness.
The process can lie taken with glass
which, when heated to high tenpera
ture and plunged suddenly into water, is
reduced to condition of impalpab.c
powder.
This is where the question rests The
experiments have been made under the
direction of the Paris municipal authori
ties, who expect in any arrangements for
cremation they may hereafter effect TO re
spect implicitly religious prejudices. They
desire that the time OF the ceremonial
shall be as brief as possible The body
brought to them for incarceration viii not
be removed from the coffin. bat reduced
to dust with the wood, clothing. orna
plents and Jewels. all of which will be re-
turned in 4 condition of fine powder. This
will be done when, rs expected, the ere
ratcry at Pere Ia Chaise is i'll working
order. There are four owens, as they
are technically called by the French. and
I as the demands fur cremation are nunler
Gus. it is expected that they will all b
kept busy when physical and legal dItn
cuIties are removed, which it Is hopes
/ will be soon Il is net only the soot
+ French who will be crenlated, but foreign
( ers who may wish to give their buria
4 ceremonial sort Of eolat. A Belgian sornt
t time ago sent money to pay Tor his ere
nation st Pere Ii Chaise- In due TINS
/ he died. and the crematory not being Il
( working order lie was buried at brussels
I with the understanding that his remain;
will be taken to Paris for cremation u
/ soon as everything is ready.
The eifqrts Of the French to render
cremation easy and practical naturally IN
terest those Americans who have sough
to introduce this method of burial. Nher'
not a dozen persons are cremated III
year il. a population OF 6o,t0o.Q ou, IN
/ fine occupied is Of comparatively htt
consequence. But should cremation be
ron,e fashionable art and science will hav'
IN he called on to render the process no
only iuofenSive to the finest sensieility
Int even asthetic.-San Francisco Enron
icle.
Letters from the Queen.