The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-03
At Mt. OIivet.

AT Mt. OIiVet.
Mount Olivet lies southeast of the
heart of the city, also at quarter Of
an hours ride by electric car from the
heart of the city. 1t is a part of the
military reservation and was granted
for burial purposes by an act Of Con-
gress May 16, 1874 The first inter-
rnent recorded is that of Robert Rich
mond, a native of the Isle of Man,
which was made April 4, 1877 1t COM
prises twenty acres, only one-third of
which is plated There have been 200
interments to date and there may be a
total of 10000 burials before all avail
able space is used.
The cost of a lot varies from $125 to
S175 and single grave from S. to $50,
which charge includes all care of the
plats There is no pauper section,
though the graves are cheaper in the
southwestern corner.
The sexton, Robert Wright, is a stur-
dy Englishman whose siXty-four years
sit very lightly upon him. He was a
Landscape gardener in ''Merrie Eng
land and after coming to America
was employed by a florist near Phila-
delphia. Later he came to Utah and
took charge of a vineyard owned by
D. o. Calder. For nearly twelve years
he has been sexton Of Mount Olivet
and has showed much zeal and energy
in his labor He employs four men
constantly, and in spite of his years he
] is probably the most industrious one
Of the number.
Since 1877 there has been a water
supply from Emigration creek, and the
well kept condition of the grounds
shows this to advantage.
Rambling among these silent abodes,
one occasionally finds a queer device
of ornamentation or a peculiar cpl
taph One of the strangest of these is
found on an old tombstone near the
north fence:
Z leave nothing here for my friends
TO keep,
But name to hide and a memory to
weep"
! The tombstone was set and the in
/ scription carved by the direction of the
sleeper, while yet alive.
! There is a tombstone at the base of
which is the carved image of horse,
and it was learned that the youth
and his parents chose to in a sense
! perpetuate this love for the noble ami
mails.
There. is also a tombstone erected by
! a New Orleans lady, in which the Gus
/ tom of her city is followed, that OF
/ placing the remains within the hollow
cut in the marble for that purpose, so
doing away with the necessity of low
ering the body into the ground
The sexton spoke feelingly of the in
! consolable grief of the mourners and
their frequent visits to the graves OF
the loved ones who had passed away.
| He spoke of the period of resignation
mercifully sent to follow those terrible
l af trio 0f
not forgetfulness, that really never
| comes-but the patience that is the
| last stage in the malady of sorrow and
that the poet thus describes:
| I remember the gradual patience,
That fell from those clouds like snow
Flake by flake healing and hiding,
The scars OF our buried Woe"
The directors of Mount Olivet, un-
der the regulations made by the Secre-
tary of War. render their services with
out charge. They are eleven in number
and consist of one pastor and one lay
member from each of the evangelical
churches then established in this city
viz St Marks, First Presbyterian
First Congrega tionalist, First Method
ist Episcopal, and First Baptist. These
ten members, with the commanding of
ficer at Fort Douglas, constitute the
board of directors The officers at pres
B. Sowles, treasurer, Major Z. Wilkes
secretary, and Z. F. Cotton, chairman
Of the executive committee.
A permanent fund arising from par
of the proceeds of the sale of lots ha!
been created. It is loaned on real es
tate and is applied to current expenses
among which is the salary of the sex.
ton, $500 per year. That tireless worke,
also is entitled to the little home anG
garden in the north west corner of tbs
cemetery, and to a slight additional re
Enumeration, dependent upon the mum
Der of lots. It has been necessary ais
to employ an assistant secretary
Several efforts have been made to Sc
cure an act Of Congress setting asid,
sixty acres more on the southwest cor
ner of the military reservation for the
extension of the cemetery, but these eff
forts were finally abandoned. as The
concensus of opinion among the board
was that it would interfere with Ger
tain sanitary requirements, wisely con
| Guiding that the health of the Twins
was of paramount Importance.
Both cemeteries are under excellen
management at present, and both are
| in need Of further Improvements. How
to reclaim arid land is question tina
| is not confined to the lawmakers al
| Washington. It should concern those
who are interested-and who are not p
! in our cemeteries