St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-15
DROPPED THE CORPSE.
A Most Appalling Occurrence at
New York Gre.
nation.
The Fright Of Workman ResDon.
sible for a Sickening
Sight.

NEW YORK. Aug. ia morning
paper prints the following: A revolt
ing and most unusual accident occurred
yesterday afternoon during the Gre
nation of the body of Percy Rockwell, "A
wealthy baker and confectioner of
this city, at Fresh pond. 1t was some
thing that those who saw it will never
forget, and never be able to recall with
out shudder of horror. When the flu
neral party, including a few relatives
and forty-five or fifty friends, ar
rived at the crematory, the smoke
issuing from the chimney told that the
furnaces were ready. The hearse was
driven to the rear door. where the
coffin was lifted out ana carried into
the. crematory. Along with it went
"a committee of pallbearers. In a
rear room the body was lifted from the
coffin, placed in a shallow iron cradle
and wrapped in a shroud of alum
soaked white cloth. Then the cradle
was hoisted with block and tackle to
its position on high table
calculated to be just the height of the
oven floor. The door of the oven was
thrown open and the cradle pushed in.
men, afraid of the terrible sight, had
hesitated. the cradle was sloughed
sidewise, and the body was not wholly
inside the oven, the feet still resting
upon the table outside. The oven was
glowing like one huge white ember.
Long, thin, hungry flames were play
ing wildly, moving like the red
tongues Of angry serpentS Kissing about
their prey. For second the alum
soaked cloths protected the body long
enough for the door to have been closed
upon the sight had there been
no accident, and then it ignited.
There was vision then of black burial
garments as the shroud shriveled away,
folded over the breast with flames play
ing wildly about the face and body.
Women screamed and Sobbed uncon-
trolledly and strong men gazed, awe
stricken and shuddering with horror. 1t
was aspectacle hideOus beyond descrip-
ton. There was another lunge, then
the flaming body was pressed wholly
into the oven.
keep quietp' "Stand. back. men,
stand back!" shouted the men. Its
all right now" A dozen men were
about to press forward. moved by what
they had seen. They had been bewil-
dered at first and then started
toward the body. Any interference by
them, the delay of so much as the tenth
of a second would have been disastrous.
The iron door closed with clang and
the agony was over. Women were be-
ing led out hysterical, and one man
staggered out fainting, his face white
as death. 1t was several minutes be-
fore the excitement subsidized. The
superintendent in his anxiety to get the
body into the oven injured one hand
and blistered one side of his face. Said
he:
ouly regret the delay, the only one
OF the kind that ever happened here
One of the green hands was
frightened or overcome by the
heat and loosened his hold on the
rod with which they were pushing
that side. The body was very heavy
one, weighing quite 800 pounds, and
one man Oh that side could not push
near so strongly as we two on the other
side. 1t was a terrible thing, some
thing that wouldn' happen again in
lifetime"