The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-11-22
BosroNIANs AS MuMMIEs
a New Process of Disposing Of the Dead
to Be introduced.

a New Process of Disposing of the Dead
to Be Introduced.
A company is now being organized
in this city which proposes to intro
duce and carry into practice a new
system for disposing of the dead. It
has already become recognized that,
in this generation at least, cremation
will never be adopted to any extent as
substitute for interment. Popular
prejudice, backed by the Christian
church, is too strong against it. Burn
ing is thought to be as barbarous in
these days as burial underground was
considered by the highly-civilized
peoples Of ancient Greece and Rome.
A method superior to either, as it is
claimed, and entirely doing away with
the Objectionable feature of both, will
soon be offered here for the acceptance
of cultivated Bostoniaus who may be
anxious to have their post-mortem re-
mains cared for in a scientific manner.
The process to be employed makes
use of the cleansing and purifying
properties of fire, without permitting
that element to attack the body. Dry
air is the only other agent called into
service. Already plans are being drawn
Tor an enormous mausoleum-like struct-
ure OF massive materials to be erected
as quickly as possible after incorpora-
ton papers have been secured by the
company aforesaid. One portion of
the building will be designed some
what on the principle of honeycomb,
containing from two to three hundred
small compartments adapted for the
accommodation of a single corpse each.
These compartments will be so ar
ranged as to be continually swept by
powerful currents of dry air from big
steam fans. Bodies subjected to the
treatment will be wrapped simply in
winding sheets and laid upon marble
slabs In the compartments. They will
not be embalmed, nor will they be
placed in collins to retard and prolong
decomposition. On the contrary, this
operation of Nature will be allowed to
take its course, the gases aud liquids
developed by it being absorbed by the
dry-air currents and swept upward to
chamber above, where the noxious
vapors are passed through fire and de-
stroyed. In this way, after time,
the corpse itself is reduced to the con-
dition of mummy, retaining an ap-
pearance natural, though not lifelike,
and susceptible of preservation for
centuries. 1t is then ready for stor-
ing away, if the relatives so desire, in
one of 100000 vaults, which will take
up the major part of the mausoleum.
These vaults can be rented or pur-
chased outright for family use, as in
cemetery, metal door-plates render
ing confusion impossible, so that the
surviving patron will enjoy the privi-
lege OF ready access to his dear de-
parted at all hours. Each of the mum
mifylng compartments previously re-
ferred to will probably communicate
by wire with an electric annunciatOr
in an office on the first floor, where a
gentlemanly clerk will always be in
readiness to respond to any call from
guest who may chance to have been |
registered prematurely. If this new
system is found successful here it will |
be introduced by the same company in
ether large cities by the building of |
similar mausoleums on an even bigger
scale.-Boston Cor. Chicago Tribune.