The morning times., 1896-10-18
Copyright, 1886.


Daniel S Lamont, Secretary of War, VIII
soon have laid before him the plans OF q
travelling crematory to inciuerate the dead
upon the field Of battle. 1t is an unpre-
'eDtious apparatus, but one of the long-felt
wants or every army that goes into the field.
In lime Of Eeace prepare for war; and the
consideration of such a novel apparatus by
uu means forebodcs Immediate thought of It's
use. If adopted it VIII form part OF Uncle
Sans reserve forces.
The b.ec,ioi.s to cremation do not apply
10 deaths upon the field of battle. Here
sentiment, sanitation and common deCency
all cry out to have the POOR delaced bodies
of tnc dead disposed OF as rapidly and thor
oughly as possible.
After battle the dead are left upon the
field. While Tile remnant of the army marches
or retreats. Or there is a Easty stop for
the dead. Pits are dug. and the Cuinrades
shuveiled in, often without burial cere-
monies of any kind and without recOgni-
tion A slight covering of earth is all
that can be done.
USED IN GERMANY.
A German inventor, Gustave Schliff,
has made this travelling crenIatory for
Use III battle. 1t can also be put into
services at other times and places. There
are towns without crematorles; health
resorts that need them for their patients
who corne in what is known as the last
stages; and there are cemeteries that would
be glad to have such contrivance when
cremation is desired. But IL is upon the
battle field that the travelling crernatory
would coine i'll best use.
The model OF this crematOry has been
submitted to the Emperor William, who
is much interested in all things OF war,
and dra wings of 1t have been laid before
the French and English heads of war de-
partments.
The design of this crematory is for dis
posing of the bodies of the dead sani-
taniy and quickly by incineration. From
the outside it looks like a great iron oven
upon wheels, with smokestack at the
back. TheIe are four wheels and a double
shect-iron door. Within are three slid
ing shelves and below is fire.
The ancient method OF cremation was
a literal burning of the body by contact
with fire. This is awful, because the ac-
ticn of the flames upon the body in the
open air is slow and painful 10 the locker
on, no matter what is done to make it less
awful. But with the recent method OF
cremation all the realistic horrors Of a ctual
burning are done away with. II is really
an incineration, reduction 10 ashes by
the action of heat. The flames do not
touch the body.
The travelling crematory is to be included
in the impedirnenta of war. 1t can be
hitched to the re ar OF the baggage wagons or
drawn by ordinary horses. Its weight is
less than an ordinary truck and its pro
jectinG parts, cranks, chimney, and ex-
terror fixtures can be taken off and laid
In side while travelling.
Ther is another provision for transport
ing the crematory. 1t can be taken en-
tirely apart, and its twelve pieces, sides,
back, top, shelves and oven slides piled
in baggage car for transportation. The
crematory is intended, however, to be left
intact and carried around, for one Of its
principal features is that it is ready for
use Immediately.
The heating of a crematory takes orcli-
narily two hours. A great fire is made in
the furnace or petroleum burner lighted
and the oven heated to a white heat.
About 200 degrees is the temperature
best liked. Higher than that the ashes are
darkencd.
The oven of the travelling crematOry can
be heated to 200 degrees in an hour; and
when the dead are gathered from the field
the machine is ready for the incineratiOn
process.
In the crematories as they are in daily
use in different parts of the world, the ut
most care is preserved as to the heat, the
conveyance of the body and the dispnsi-
tion OF the ashes afterwards. The body Is
slid in its coffin from n shelf into the retnrt
and the great door lined with fire clay is
closed. The sides are of glass, and through
them the relatives can watch the reduction
of the body to ashes. The coffin crumblcs
first and becomes charcoal Then the body
succumbs to the heat and takes the form
of pearl white ashes. II the oven is ac-
cidentaily heated too hot the body turns 10
charcoal like the coffin, md n charred heap
of dirty ruins are all that is left of it.
With the travelling crematory many Of
these difficulties are obviated. The heat
need not be so carefully regulated as
long as it reaches ], eco degrees, and it
can be allowed to go as much higher as
the engine in the oven below will allow.
Three thousand degrees have been OBJ
tained.
ON THE SLIDES.
The bodies will be gathered from the
field and brought to the crcmatory in
hand wagons. The door is opened and an