The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-13
LIFE In MONTEVIDEO
Amusements of the Uruguayan
Arist0cracy.
A MOST FAMOUS CAMPO SANTO
The Richest Hospitei in the World, and it lis
Supported by a Lottery
Scheme.

MoNTEvIDEo, Uruguay, Feb. %, 1892
Especial correspondence of THE SUNDAY
HERALD. One of the sights of Montevi-
Geo which the traveller must not miss is
the 'cemetario central" or principal ceme-
tary, situated a long way from the city's
busy centre, near its south beach, within
sound of the murmuring sea. Though its
natural beauties are not so great as those
of Greenwood, Mount Auburn, Spring
Grove and many other cities of the dead in
the United States, and though few tombs
IN each of the latter may equal any of these
in point of excellence, yet taken as a
whole, there is nowhere in North America
such an aggregate display of wealth III any
one burial ground-such luxurious inter
ment of dust to dust-as here This is by
allodds the finest in South America. its
nearest rival being the splendid cemetery
at Santiago de Chili-both in striking con-
trast to the horrors of many bone-strewn
campos santos we have shuddered at on
this southern continent.
Montevideo's "t'ield of Saints" (the lit
eral rendering of the common name Campo
Santo) has monumental entrance and
very costly and elaborate chapel, which
alone represents the expenditure of a mil
lion dollars. The chapel has an ornamen
tai dome, floors and inner walls of purest
marble, beautiful alabaster altar, candle
labra and ornaments of gold and silver, and
basement of equal elegance wherein some
of the more illustrious dead-such as
bishops and presidents-are inferred. The
1o+lo 10 n thr1p
surrounded by walls 25 feet high, being a
continuous series of vaults, one above
another, each vault having an opening just
large enough to let in casket Each of
the innumerable little inches Is fronted by
marble tablet bearing in letters of black
or gold, the names OF those whose mortal
remains were deposited inside. So pre-
cisely alike are all of them, save the slight
difference in lettering, that if it be true
spooks walk abroad at 1.-The witching
hour when graveyards yawn,' 1t must be
as perplexing for each to find his
especial niche again, as for the
occupants of those endless rows Of red
brick houses with marble steps. alike as so
many peas in pod, that characterize GER
tain streets in Philadelphia and New Y ork,
TO distinguish their own doors when COM
ing late from club or caucus in the befud-
died condition that sometimes confuses
hoe-buttoners with latch-keys. To reach
the upper cells, collins are wound up by
means of portable step-ladder and eleva-
tor combined creaking apparatus that
swings and jolts and bumps the cadaver
about in q shocking manner, while the pail
bearers skip up the ladder to receive 1t and
shove it into the narrow receptacle. The
whole surface of the walls is garlanded
with fresh flowers and hung with wreaths
of immortelles and decorations made of
black and white beads and long streamers
oF ,.il of n a oSt
advantage against the white marble facing.
But alas as everywhere else in Spanish
America, the vaults are not owned abso-
lutely by families, but are rented for
a long term of years, or for as long a
time as the friends continue to pay stipu-
lated amount per annum, so that the help
less dead are not sure Of "long home, u
however much display Of wealth may be
made at the time of interment. In case the
family moves away, or die without having
left provision in their wills concerning the
grave for all time to come, or from failure
TO pay the rent from any cause, the re-
mains are evicted and dropped into the
common pit and the vault is Eted to other
corners. The ground floor, so to speak, OF
the vast cemetery, is fully occupied with
private or family vaults, owned
not rented) all of the very
costly and elaborate crowded close
together, with narrow, well-paveC
streets between. Such an array of splendid
monuments and exquisite works of art
done by the sculptors of Rome aud Milan
may perhaps be equalled in some European
cemeteries, but certainly nowhere else ii
the western world. The vaults are al
built up from the ground,
OF MARBLE OR ALABAsTER,
bake-oven shape or in the form of temples
and most of them have plateglass door!
back of the gilded gates of open rough
iron, plainly showing the interior. Tit
inner walls are covered with pictures anC
other adornments, profusely decorated
with flowers in costly vaces, and every
where are crucltixes ana burning candles
/ noticed several tombs furnished lik
parlors, with carpeted floors and uphos
stored furniture, and in one was q start
ling oil painting of the blessed virgin
seated on a raft which fioated in sea o
fame, engaged in the philanthropic WORT
of pulling souls out of purgatory
The agony depicted on the face
of the poor things in torment VIII
are pleading for succor with uplifted arms
is warranted to haunt the most hardenet
for many day; and forcible argument il
favor of Hasser for the dead is Sc
forth in the virgins attitude who i
portrayed as watching the prayer
on earth and effecting rescue
accordingly. l do rot imagine that Uru
guayans mourn their dear departed NOR
deeply than the people of other parts o
South America where cemeteries are neg
lected. 1t IS merely a matter of fashion
IN Montevideo the style has gone to sucl
extremes that not unfreQuently familie
impoverish themselves in making the ir
responsible dead keep up a gruesom
rivalry, vieing with one another in piou
luxury and magnifcence of surroundings
Considering the crowded space the vegeta
nj ic 1orlyo Do
aides the usual yews and willows ant
cypress trees, there are blossomin.
shrubs of many kinds, while tn,
multitude OF garlands and boquets of Gu
flowers, continually renewed, burden
the air with their fragrance, and the dis
tant voice Of the sea sounds like requiem
According to the ways of life-"fron
grave to gay; from lively to severe''-mos
strangers on the route to town after a Wis;
TO The cemetery, are driven around by III
great opera house, Teatre Solis-the prid
of Montevideo. 1t is an enormous BUILDING
with pillared portico in front and q pai
of huge oval wings, the whole covering q,
entire square. One Of the wings serves a
splendid wine and billiard saloon tn
ether contains the national museum. O.
the second floor of the main building is
foyer of truly magnificent distances y fin,
nished with tables and chairs for thos
who wish to smoke and drink The oval
SNAPPED auditorium IS very handsome. can
able of seating 1000 people, with five tier
of boxes decorated in red, white, green an
gold. The fourth circle is the cazuela (gal
lery), reserved for ladies alone, after tn
peculiar fashion of all Spanish America
countries, as well as old Spain. Not eve
an archbishop or director could gain ac
mission TO the sacred precincts of the ca;
uela; and night after night it is flied wit
the beauties Of Montevideo, escorted thithe
by their husbands, fathers or brothers. VIII
leave them at the door, aud go away /
spend the evening as they like elsewhere
or take seats in the gentlemen,s CALLER