The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-06
THE CREMATION MOVEMENT
IT'S ORIGIN AND GENERAL PROGRESS.
Eminent Men and Women Who Advocate
This Means of DispOsing Of Mortal
Remsins-New CrematOries
Societies Organized.

In his paper: cit would be idle to ignore the
fact that cremation is slowly, but surely,
gaining foothold in the United States"
While no regular annual reports are as yet
made to central headquarters by the
cremation societies, statistics of incinera-
ton obtained by the writer confirm the
above statement.
1t is not very many years since crema-
ton, with ali it's apparent horrors, first
burst upon the American people. In
Europe the subject had been agitated for
nearly half a century, Italy taking the
lead. There cremation was advocated
by Moleschott in 1852, by Colletti in
1857, and at several health congress-
es between 1858 and 1869 by Duiardin,
Bertani, Castiglioni and Coletti. The first
incineration took place in 1859, when the
corpse CT the maharajah of Kohlahpore
was burned on pyre of aromatic wood at
Florence. In 1872 the Chevalier Albert
Kellar wrote to Prof Polli, inventor of a
crematory furnace, expressing desire that
his remains should be incinerated. The
ardent promoter of cremation built, at his
own expense, a crematory, and bequeathed
the same to the city. He died in 1874,
but it was not until 1876 that the Mi an
crematory society was founded. Up to
August, 1880, eighty-six cremations took
place in Milan and Lodi, over 50per cent.
of the bodies reduced to ashes in the lat
ter year being those of women. BY this
time considerable progress in the same
direction had also been made in Germany,
France, Holland, Switzerland and Bel
GUM, and some also in England.
So far as this country is concerned it is
true that as early as 1896 the body of Col.
Heary Laurens was cremated in South
Carolina. The officer was a member of
the military household OF Gen. Wash
ington. and great favorite. His was the
first instance of cremation in this country.
1t is also true that subsequently the re-
mains OF Henry Barry OF Marion, s. c.,
were reduced to ashes in like manner;
but the first case that arrested public at
tention as the beginning of a serious
movement for the general introduction of
cremation was that of Baron de Palm,
whose body was incinerated at the lie
MOyne crematory at Washington, Pa, in
December, $40. The establishment of
this crematory by DR.. F. julius lie Moyne,
an enthusiastic advocate of the new mode
OF d1sposing OF the dead lin fact, the Chew
aier Kellar of America), marked the be-
ginning of an era of controversy which
has not by any means subsidized.
The fourth cremation on record was
that of DIR. Winslow OF California, at Salt
Lake City, who had instructed his admin
istrators 10 thus dispose of his remains.
The fifth was that OF child OF Julius
kircher, in his own furnace in New York
City in the fall of 1876. fhe sixth was
that Of Mrs Jane Pitman of Cincinnati, at
the Washington crematory, where SIX
more bodies were cremated up to April,
1881. In May, 1884, the trustees of this
crematory announced that after Aug ! no
more bodies would be received for crema.
ton outside OF WASHINGTON county. eve
have" they said, admitted bodies for in
cineratiOn from all parts of the country
since the death Of DR.. lie Moyne in order
to carry out his view of misunderstanding
the subject before the public. We believe
now, from the growing interest mani
tested, that other crematories will be built
and that the public will be accommodated
elsewhere"
This was verified by the erection of
crematOries in many parts of the country,
in the following two or three years. The
largest, or at least the one that has done
the most business since for it is as purely
a matter of dollars and cents as is the un-
dertaker's tTade). is the crematory
located at Fresh Pond, L. l., and owned
by the [. ;. cremation company of New
York City. | am informed that they had
seventy-seven incinerations in 1886. In
1857 there were 81, a slight falling off. but in
1883 the number rose to eighty-three, and
In 1889 to l06, while last year made still
la ger showing the total being l60 bodies
reduced to ashes. This shows that in four
years the number had more than doubled
Take another crematory-the one located
at Buffalo. just opposite the beautiful
Forest Lawn cemetery. Here the num-
Der of crematiOns was nine in 1886, seven n
teen in 1887, sixteen in 1883, twenty-three
in 1889, and thirty in 1890, or more than
three times as many as in the first year
The crematory at Los Angeles, which was
established in 1887, had seven incinera-
tions In that year, five in 1886, twelve in
1889. and seventeen in 1890.
Then there is the st. Louis crematorv,
more recently completed establishment,
which has a still more remarkable record.
There were two lnclnerat.ons here in 1888,
four In 1889 and forty-two in 1890 Phila-
delphia Germantown mad twenty eight
in 1899 and thirty-one in 1890. Pittsburg
had nine in 1890, and the Earl crematory
at Lansingburg, y. Y, five. The crema-
tory at Detroit had three in 1887, ten in
1888, fourteen in 1889 and about twenty
two in 1890.
All the officers and managers of the So
cieties or corporations by whom the Gre
matories are conducted dwell in their let
tiers upon the progress which cremation is
making. AS far as our experience goes"
says one, tine movement is not by
any means retrograding, but many are
are being received by US from all quar-
ters." Another says: 1.-The idea of Gre
nation Is gaining IN public favor daily"
The number OF crematories, too, is in
creasing rapidly. Besides those mentioned
above, Lancaster, Pa, and Cincinnati, %,
each have one. The latter had its one
hundred and nineteenth cremation on
March II of the present year and the first
one at the new crematory at Davenport,
IA, tex plsc5 sIarch 10. At the same
time news comes from the Pacific coast
that the san Francisco crematory company,
which was organized about year ago, is
about to erect furnace.
Besides the above-named places there
are cremation societies located at Balti-
more, Louisville, Milwaukee, New Orleans,
Newark, Omaha. Sacramento, Springfield,
Ill. San Antonio, Savannah, Worcester
and Washington, ID. G. At least so am