The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
MUSIC WITH CREMATION.
IHE SEH-SITLE FUNERALS IMPROVE
As IJHE GOES BIZ.

days and she can make the eliminating seen
in q crematory as grand and beautiful as che
likes without oversteDping the law Of proha-
bility. over at Fresh Pond in these days the
simple little brick furnace Of old has grown
into q temple-a two-story temple. with the
wall all decorated with Roman inches for the
ashes OF the dead and with q grand organ
ready to we'll out Rossini's Stdbdt Md'er. or Der
Gesdng der Getst U5er dds Wdsser. by Wagner. II
the mourners wish It, Every sunday after
noon there is an organ recital in the building.
and several hundreds Of nice people gather
and listen to It. tringina flowers, sometimes.
to heap on the little urns full OF ashes that
stand about In the inches
sometimes there will be a funeral during the
afternoon. and then the organ recital changes
I into part OF the last rites over the body that
is soon to be Moderated in large clesnly
furnace room hack OF the beautiful hall. where
the visitors may peep through the holes in the
door Of the retort and admire the perfection
I that has been reached In the art OF sending
dust and ashes into srace There are $50
| inches in the two great rooms OF the stone
assembly hall. and already people are buying
! them as the others purchase lots In GEM
eteries. purchasing them six and twelve at a
time In advance OF any demand for them.
| Each family decorates its inches uniformly. so
as to distinguish them from those Of their
l
chased by q man or woman whose views upon
| the subject OF cremation are not shared By his
| or her relatives. and sometimes out OF large
| family only two or three will provide them
| selves with inches. the others preferring the
| old-iashioned mode oil intsrment In the earth.
The management OF a modern crematory
| ceremony is now as much matter OF routine
ss the old-styls burial When death occurs
In New York the body Is given in charge Of an
| N,wN a.IV-
mated. The undertaken robes 1t as he would
for the grave. and takes It to the crematory in
| a hearse in the same old fashion. The family
may hold the services at the house before the
body leaves there. or at = church. or at the
crematory before the final rite OF incineration.
In only one case has the church ceremony
| been celebrated over the ashes after the cre-
nation. That happened a year ago. In the
case OF Q young woman Of q noted the strical
family. Her body was burned and the ashes
were then carried I'm a casket. IL the reporters
memory is correct-to one OF the largest Of
the Episcopal churches in town. where the
rector ofilciated in q service that was pre-
cisely the same as II the body. instead OF the
ashes. had been before him. Very often the
funeral ceremony takes place In the new
building INJECTED with the cremAtory. There
is q large semicircular recess In one wall OF
the lower hail. and there the casket rests
while the celebrant stands behind It and the
mourners gather before II. With the strange
wall for a background. all cut with rows OF
inches and decked with scores Of urns and
vases OF m etal and marble. and with the organ
pealing. the scene Is as impressive as that at
any funeral Of any sort that We know.
IL the last religious or other ceremony has
been observed in the city. the hearse Is driven
to the crematory and there the body Is taken
out OF the casket. Emphasis is laid upon the
i'm portancs oithe fact that By this means alast
examination Of the corpse adds still another
safeguard against burial before death. A
cradle OF Swedish horseshoe iron. capable OF
withstanding intense heat. is laid beside the
cofiin before the body is taken ont Sheets OF
linen saturated with solution OF alum are
laid on the cradle. and when the body is nut
upon these sheets they are brought over 1t SO
as to envelop and swadile it almost as II It
were in a mummy's castings. and mummy is
what 1t looks like after that. Even the head Is
wrapped I'D. SO that no part OF the corpse Is
exposed.
This cradle is then lifted upon a cataialque.
burden. is wheeled into the furnace room.
The top Of the cat sfalque is on line with the
doors Of the retorts. aud 1t is run ID to one Of
these doors. Then the body on the cradle Is
int shs sS which d s
{el"w. to a temperature OF 200 or LOO
fahr of A who are present are a, liberty
door while the IMMIGRATION goes on. But 1t is
little they see; The first part Of the tody to
Spect ators see the middle OF the mummy sink
10 that is all After time nothing remains
white ashes OF thar which SO short time be-
fore was human being.
Hidden among the tsnements in East Hous-
ton street. between the Bowery and Braadway
Is the window OF cremation companys office
1t attracts the attention OF great many pass
OF any other window in town. Among then
area number OF cremation urns for the ashes
OF the dead Some are OF marble some Of stone
and others are OF copper and brass. They are
nearly all conventional in form. being mainly
fat. round vases. either with handle at each
side or a carved symbol OF fame rising from
me top one Is SQUARE and. being OF brass.
tern. Not nearly SO pleasant are some pictures
Of bodies that have been exhumed after old
theTs becaSse 81 ther I. to ceSs
trsst with the neat urns or vases OF the mod
err treatment OF the dead:
company should be in so unimportant side
street out OF the way Of the crowd. q reporter
IN charge OF the place. He proved to bs an in
telligent, man OF German birth. apparently,
not regard the place as out Of the way. The |
once had formally been in Nassau street, high |
sands who pass up ard down the street would |
never see or hear OF 1t, The new President OF |
stfsst so a. 70 be- near the once Of Vi he BSs8a
Of Health in Mulberry street. All undertakers |
t BS 90 % Health Of SS os q
y 10 the cremation company's office SO that |
the undsrtskers who are going to bury bodies |
In any OF the great cemeteries OF that suburb |
must go 10 the cremation oiire to get their |
Permits to take the bodies into Newtown; |
Those are the reasons that the new-fashi9ned /
company has it, office where II il.
And now about cremation - The reporter /
asked. How does il pTogTessY'
. IL progresses faster In New orE city. said |
the official % the company than in all the |
states aud Territories OF the Union, Here The /
rich and the influential Citiyauk haEa dael4rAH
for It, and the poor are adopting Informing
societies for the cremation OF their members
Since 1885 We have moderated nearly .. 900
bodies. and last year We incinsratsd 232
What do you mean b. societies taking it
" The oldest society is the New York Crema-
tion Society, which has 40 members who pay
= year, Thsy include all sorts u persons.
high and humble. rich and poor. Then there I
Is the Manhattan society. which charges ~ a ;
year and II Initiation. aud which, though
very young has already 100 memierE. 1hs !
thiTd Is the NoIkingmen's cremation .iety.
WHICH has over 300 memDs and has "a . .anch
In Union nm, \. J. The members Of all these
societies have resolved to have their bodies