The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-10-29

making history, and, having acquired
the habit they cannot br~4k II.
4he ancient Greeks, who jii things
because they were reasonable and
logical, burned their dead. They
u-eI science IN quickeniay the gro
cesses Of nature.
Bat when the power OF Greece
waned men slipped back into their
Oil habit OF 5uryiny deal DO lies, for
cettins all the pro Eress which the
Greeks had made
Hhtt a century ago some men benin
to reason again and decided that those
who died should be burned. Butwheu
thew advocated the idea people
laughed at them the people had the
weight OF opinion on their siIe, AMI.
besides, lt was 80 much easier 20 fol
low lOng-Prescribed custom. But
the men who believed In cremation
kept on ayItatin- anil 1t last they be.
gau 10 make converts.
Since that time ccematories have
sprung up all over Europe and there
are about twenty n the United States.
Thousands Of human bodies are IN
cInerIteI every year and the popular
lty OF the method Is growing slowly
but surely.
The Chicago crematory IL located in
Gcaceland Cemetery. It was founded
II December, 1898, and since that
time seventy persons have been incin-
Grated, and the average at present Is a
little more than one 4 week.
Inc crematory Il owned and con
troIled by the cemetery company, and
1t will receive bodies from anv part of
the country, During the last few
months Milwaukee has been so we'll
represented that a crematory society
has been organized in that city and
soon 1t viii have all the facilities for
Inclnerating the dead.
\ man who wishes TO have his BODY
dispO sed Of according to this method
may leave testamentary order read
ing A follows:
TO remove all doubt as to the final
disposition Of ny body, I hereby ex-
press To my survivors my earnest de-
sire that on my decease nv BODY shall
be cremated Mt the Graceland OF anv
other convenient cremntorv.
Or his nearest friends NAV have his
body crematei by signing q proper
permit.
The cremltory Is located in the
deep basement under the cemetery
chapel, which has been beautifully
finished II tile. There are two large
furnaces, the outside OF which are
made OF iron aud the insides of fire
brick. The interior IL an arched re-
ceptacle large enough to receive a cot
lin Of any size Beneath there are two
faucets, one To admit crude oil and
the other % admit steam. When the
cru lie oil Is lighted the steam sweeps
1t under the bed Of fire clay where the
colin stands, upward through a H1s
and back over the coffin. In this wav
the dame does not actually touch the
body, but i'm parts heat great enough
To char and crumble N.
When mineral party arrives short
exercise L. usually held in the chapel
and then tue body Is removed down
stairs and placed on a long truck lust
ut the mouth oi the furnace. Occa-
slOnallY brief service Is held here.
Then all but i've Of the funeral party
are excluded aud the furnace door i
opened. The fire mas been uoinz for
some time, AMI when the coffin il
pushed IN and the ire-clav door droDs
the inclneratlOn begins almost imme-
diateiy. som times q representative
Of the family remains until the crsma-
ton Is complete, but the final duties
are ordinarily LETT to the cemetery
people.
In about three hours the inciuera-
ton X finished and By the next morn.
ing the furnace Is cool enough To be
opened On the smooth, firs-cnv
toor OF the receptacle there are little
winirOws OF white ashes with pieces OF
charre | wood from the coffin around
them The CHAIRS fz0oI is removed
snI the ashes are carefully gathered
MP and placed IN tin box about SIX
inches high anI i've inches square.
They rarely weigh more tlau four or
FIVE pounds. The box j. sealed u1
ready for delivery, aui DO may be sent
anywhere by express.
Ashes are disposed of iu COOL
many different ways. Some people
have them buried iu the family 1t.
with plain henlstons gverthsm. aui
sometimes they are kept in the homes
OF the relatives. One man rscen+fv
crematei ordered his aches 90 be buried
under one OF the great tlm- uetr the
chapel. he thought the eims w1ulf
be- his monument. There have also
been cases where the. ashes were sown
on the greeuswari Of the family lot.
Not long ago the ashes ot man
were placed by bis widow in The varI
not flr from her home. and "a rosebush
was planted over them As is grew
she bad perpetual and beautiful re.
minder OF her dead husband.
Cremation goes far toward relieving
Che heavy burden Of expense Attendant
GA funeral A cemetery lot is not
necessary. nor Is monument. And
the coffin used-it Is soon 20 be burned
UPS usually pretty cheap. Almost
invariably, too, the ceremonies at
teudant on n cremation ars much
simpler than those % an ordinary
5urial. In New York and philadelphia
tne cost OF cremation ~ s5J, While g.
Chicago is Is only So. including ths
use ~ the chapel for the closiag ser
vices