The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-22
THE AMERICAN HEARSE.
Most Expensive Carriages Now Made
for the Dead.
A SMALL BANK IN A HEARSE,
Interesting Facts About a Gloomy Sub
iect-What Hear.es Cost-Wherc Old
ones Go-some Queer Uses for Them

Have you ever stopped to realize that
one OF these fine days you'll take a ride In
hearse, and that you won't ride with the
driver either, remarked a voluble New
York undertaken to reporter.
Anxious TO find out something about
these dismal vehicles which most people
do not think Of but with a shudder. the
reporter turned questioner and the follow
Ing facts were brought out.
The average hearse costs about 1000
and there are L. 900 OF them built In the
United States each year. This is more
than three a day. What becomes OF all
the old hearses2" is question more easily
answered than: What becomes OF all the
pins and sewing machines| hearse
lasts the first buyer about twenty years.
At the end of that time new one Is pur-
chased by the city man. the old one being
taken in part payment. There is fac
tory In Quincy, ILL.,, which buys nearly all
OF the old hearses. There they are re-
novated and sold to country undertakers
In the West and South.
There are eleven hearse building firms
In the country located In New York, New
ark, Albany, Rochester Cincinnati. New
Bedford, Mass, Sterling, ILL.,, and Raven
ma, o., and they all make money. One
New York firm, which makes 500 OF these
funerals cars, or halfo Of the annual output,
each year. is at present at work on mag
niiicent hearse TO be exhibited at the
Worlds Fair. Its actual cost will be $10.-
900, and the price will be $4,000. 1t will
be the most superb creation yet attempted
In this line.
palatlal hearse, of the cathedral"
style. was last month finished in New
York, and shipped to Caracas, Venezuela,
A m ario fofa nj
and when boxed the weight was 1890
pounds. This is the highest priced hearse
In use, probably in the world. When IL is
brought out In Caracas, ten horses, each
led by groom, will draw II, and tho
charge for its service at one funeral will
be 500. The same firm ordered sixteen
other bearses at the time tho order for
this was placed. The New York builders
who secured the order had TO compete
with representatives from Berlin Lon
don. Paris and Vienna firms. Tue South
American company required stipulation
that no duplicate OF their purchase would
ever be sent to that country by the max
ers.
The next most elaborate hearse ever
built In America was sent TO Pittsburg in
October last. It's cost being 1000 1t is a
fact, say the manufacturers, that the
further West you 60 the more money the
undertakers are willing to pay for these
ulortuary carriages. New York hearses
are expensive, but comparatively plain.
Boston and Philadelphia use "A perfectly
unornamented hs~se without glass
called Quaker" 1t has no urns or
plumes. In the latter city. for some rea-
son, the undertakers spend more money
on their wagons than on their hearses. A
white or baby" hearse costs less than n
regulation one. Up to three years ago,
these wero used only for infants. Now,
however. IL is the fashion 10 bury persons
OF both sexes. under twenty-five yeaSs
old, from white hearses, which are made
larger than formerly. White horses are
driven 10 these vehicles.
Tho cheapest hearses cost $3.50 and
weigh but 800 pounds rs against the 1880
pounds OF one OF ordinary size. They are
only used I'm country towns. The i'm monse
catalogues which were used at the funer-
ais OF Lincoln, Garfield and Grant were
built upon gun caissons and cannot be
classed "a hearses. They consisted Of
huge platforms. with a covering sup
ported by pillars, the whole being heavily
draped.
There have been many improvements
made In hearses OF late years. Until a
year ago they were ventilated, for In
staree by two sliding windows in the
frout OF iho body. In the recent makes
hinged ventilator which may be opened
or closed from the drivers seat, IL in use
WO have all heard Of the Kansas City man
who boosted that be had secured a patent
on n much-needed improvoment--that of
n speaking-tube running from tho drivers
seat to the interiori Shifting drapery Is
now used, which may be hung either on
the out or inside OF the glass sides. thus
completely changing tho looks OF the
vehicle.
~. ..nhtai.. - noo..to.ait.. -. A..