The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-25
-FOUR BODIES OF Stone,
They Are Disinterred From
the Sheriff. Israel
Cemetery.
ONE OF WAxLIKE APPEARANCE
Wonderful Preservation of a Mother
and Her Newly Born
Infant.

Nature played strange freak with nj
less than four of the bodies that years age
were inferred in the Nineteenth-stre
cemetery of the Congregation Sheriff.
Israel. In the progress of removing thu
bodies to the new cemetery at San MATED
four collins were unearthed, the contents
of which had undergone the mysterious
process of petrifaction. Three of thes'
contained the remains of men, and ont
held those of mother and newly borr
babe As there yet remain a considerable
number of bodies to be disinterred, 1t l:
believed additional petrifactions will b'
discovered.
Two of the petrifed male corpses were
found near one another about the middle
OF the cemetery on the line of Cumberland
street The first indications OF there being
anything unusual about them was theil
extraordinary weight. Ordinarily two mer
are ample to lift a casket and its contents
from the depths of the grave to the surface
of the ground, but in these cases it took
the combined efforts of ten men, and then
the task was accomplished with difficulty
In both cases the caskets had filled with
water. the seeDage, apparently, from the
at first thought that this caused the I'M.
usual weight, but when the water had
been drained off it was discovered that
although the interment of the bodies had
taken place about twelve years ago, de-
composition was not complete. A closer
inspection showed that the metamorphosis
due to petrlfaction had occurred and that
The spectators were gazing on bodies OF
stone. Both had turned to very dark
I, IL oe+ h1ool- ht,f tho
was so perfect that the features OF the dead
were recognizable.
The soil from which they were disin-
tered is of reddish cast, but whether it
or the water which was found in the coz
fins contained the mysterious agents OF
transmutation it was impossible to deter
mine.
The third male corpse was found near
the northeast corner of the cemetery,
where Nineteenth and Dolores streets in
tersect each other. This required the aid
of twelve men to remove. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that it had been inferred for
twenty years it had not been completely
petrihed. The lower portion of the trunk
and the neither limbs, instead of being
turned to marble, appeared more like clay,
being evidently in the last stages OF the
transition from flesh to undecaying stone.
BY far the strangest and most interesting
of these marvels was the contents of q
casket exhumed near the line of Nine
tenth street, between Dolores and Church.
1t was of metal and, like the others, was
full of water. The first surprise came
when the water was drained. Instead OF
being of the muddy, brackish character
that characterized the liquid taken from
the other receptacles that contained petri-
fed bodies, this was Of a crystalline clear
ness.
From the weight of the casket and in
the light of former experience, it was con
fidently surmised that it enveloped petri-
faction. Such was, indeed, the case, but
further establishment was created by the
UNEXPECTED sight that greeted the view OF
those who witnessed the opening of the
casket. Therein lay the figure of a mother
clasping to her breast what had evidently
been her newly born babe. Every feature
had been perfectly preserved. Nor was
the life.lke appearance marred by the dis
coloration that had attended the transfer
nation in the other cases.
AS described by Michael Goldwater, the
chairman of the cemetery committee, who
was witness to the elimination of all
these petrifactions, 1.-The hue of life had
simply given place to a beautiful waxlike
appearance, showing that petrifaction
must have occurred shortly after inter-
ment. So perfectly was the work of
natures preservation done that it showed
on one of the fingers the mark made by
the wearing of a ring. This was SO dis
tinct that thought the finger still bore
the ring, when l first perceived the hand,
and only discovered my mistake when
attempted TO examine what l thought was
the ornament"
Mr.. Goldwater declined to give the names
of any of those whose remains had under
gone petrifaction, eXcusing his refusal by
stating that if they were made public a
temptation would undoubtedly be offered
to some enterprising and inscriptions
Snowman to secure them by dishonest
means. He added that at the time they
were disinterred they were guarded all
night, and a special watch set over them
until reinterred.
In fulfilling his duties as chairman of the
cemetery committee, Mr.. Goldwater de-
votes every day of the week except Saturday
to looking after the interests of his dead.
II e is retired merchant and is 73 years OF
age.
Some idea of his devotion to "his people, u
as he terms those who have passed to an
other sphere can be gained when it is
stated that he is at the Nineteenth-street
cemetary every Monday, Tuesday, Wednes-
day and Thursday at o'clock in the
morning and remains there during the en-
tire day except for an hour or so for lunch.
And on Friday and Sunday the day is sim
ilarly spent at the San Mateo Cemetery OF
his congregation.
He has keen sense of the humorous and
during the past ten months while superin-
tending the removal Of the remains of the
dead from the old to the new cemetery,
this characteristic has frequently stood
him in good need in concillating and salts
flying the numerous individuals who have
come to him with unreasonable requests
and unjust complaints.