The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-27
PATENTS FOR DEATH.
Queer Yankee Inventions That Have
Relation to the Tomb.
COFFIN TORPEDOES TO BLOW UP
GRAVE ROBBERS.

Devices for Securing the Escape of Persons
Buried Alive-Inflammable Burial
Gases and Caskets of Glass and Paper
Washington, June 19.-The "coffin
torpedo" is the latest patented device in
the line of burial appliances. 1t is intro
duced into the casket before the latter
is closed, the arrangement being such
that any attempt to force the receptacle
open will release spring, strike per-
oussion cap, and set off the bomb. This
means almost sure death to the unsus-
peoting grave robber, whose industry
the invention in question is designed to
discourage.
| Live people do great deal Of thinking
about death, if one is to judge from the
immense number of patents that have
| been granted for inventions having rela-
| tion to the tomb. They run up into the
| thousands, and not few of them are
| weird and grisly enough to make the
flesh creep. Among the most interesting
are the so-oalled life signals. - These
are contrivances intended to secure the
release OF persons prematurely inferred.
There can be no doubt that to many hu-
man beings the fear of being buried alive
some day is haunting dread through
life.
A II of the patented devices for life sig
nails have one feature in common. name
". wire or cord attached to the hand Of
the supposed corpse In each case 1t is
intended that any movement shall set
| off an alarm of some kind. One contri-
vance employs small red flag, which
shoots up from the grave, and displays
itself above ground if required. Another
is called a grave annunciator. A dis
turbauoe in the coffin closes an electric
circuit and springs an alarm in the
watchhouse Of the Gem etery. The super
intendent takes note Of the mum Der of
grave indicated by the alarm, and pro-
ceeds without delay to dig up the vic
| tim.
| Yet another species of apparatus is
operated by spring catch. which throws
open the lid of the tube extending from
the coffin to above the ground, thus
admitting air. At the same time bell
ia set ringing. On somewhat different
principle is an indicator in glass case,
to be placed on top of the grave and
communicating by wires with the al
legged defunct below. If the latter moves
at all, needle shows 1t. Most elaborate
of all such devices is one in which a
| wire is attached to ring on the thumb
of the corpse. The slightest movement
of the hand pulls trigger which startz
a clock work mechanism. This sets off
an alarm, and at the same time puts in
operation a fan, which forces air down q
tube into the coffin. There is q second
| tube provided with lamp and reflector,
SO arranged that one may look down and
soc the face of the deceased. After a
reasonable period has elapsed the tubes
are to be Withdrawn.
| The practical value of contrivances of
this kind is impaired by the fact that the
bodies of people really dead do frequent
ly move in their collins by reason of
causes wholly normal. To this circum-
stance is largely due the widespread be-
lief in the frequency of premature inter-
soldiers were said to have been buried
alive, being merely in stupor arlx-
ing from the loss of blood or exhaustion
! Corpses have often boen found turned
over. as if they had walked up and tried
to get out. In other cases the tongue has
been discovered protruding from the
mouth, as If from suffocaton, and there
have been stains from bleeding on the
clothing. 1t is now known that such
phenomena are ocoasioned by tho expan-
sion of the gases OF putrefaction. Bleed.
ing often occurs after death. CHANGING
over the record of patents, one finds
mention of an astonishing variety of ma
poses to make burial caskets out of
blown glass, the mortuary receptacle
being in halves, united by strip of rub
Der so as to be air tight There are
collins moulded out Of paper pulp, collins
OF artificial MARBLE collins of wire
coated with asphaltun, collins lined with
artificial stone, collins, of potters' clay,
collins of celluloid, coffins of hard rub
1 Der, and cement collins filled in with ex-
celsior and glycerine for preventative
One of thet queersst ooffins is manu-
featured out of a mixture of plaster of
Paris cork dust, animal hair. dextrine,
In dian red and water. 1t is warranted
light and durable. Ordinarily the main
thing sought in collins seems to be that
they shall preserve the body Hs long as
possible; in other words, extend the pro-
oesses of decay over as great a length
Of time as practicable. The idea does not
seem very good sense. and it Is interest,"
ing to find that some inventions look the
opposite way. One patented perishable
burial casket is composed of glue, resi- q,
hnseed oil and whiting. The moisture
of the ealth quickly disintegrates it's
substance. leaving the corpse exposed to
NATURES resolvent action. Another style
of coffin is mere skeleton frame with q
covering of plaster-of- paris, dextrine,
carbonate of silver and other materials
properly mixed. This coating is very
hard in the air, but ia soon dissolved