The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-29
From IL Plttsburs D.spateh.


Washington. June 20.-The coffin tor
pedo" is the latest patented device in
the line OF burial appliances. IL is in
troduced into the casket before the latter
IS closed. the arrangements being such
that any attempt 10 force the receptacle
open VIII release a spring. strike percus-
sion cap and set of the bomb. This
means almost sure deofh TO the unsus-
pecdng grave robber. whose industry the
invention in question is designed 20 dis
courage.
Live people Go great deal OF thinking
about death. if one is 10 judge from the
immense number of patents that have
been granted for inventions having rela-
ton to the tomb. They run up into the
thousands. and not a few of them are
weird and grisly enough to make tho
flesh creep. Among the most interesting
are the so-called life signals" These are
contrivances intended to secure the re-
lease Of persons permanently inferred.
There can be no doubt that 10 many hui
man beings the fear of being buried alive
some day is a haunting dread through
life.
All Of the patented devices for life sig
mails have one feature Ia common-namely,
a wire OF cord attached to the hand of the
supposed corpse. In each case IL is in
tended that any movement shall set of
an alarm OF some kind. one contrivance
employs a small red nag, which shoots up
from the grave and displays itself above
ground. Another is called a grave an
nunciator' A disturbance IN the coffin
closes an electric circuit and springs an
alarm In the watch house of the cemetery.
The superintendent takes notes of the
number of the grave indicated by the
alarm, and proceeds without delay to dig
up the victim.
Yet another species Of apparatus IS OPP
Grated by % spring catch which throws
open the lid OF a tube extending from the
comm TO above the ground, thus admitting
air. At the same time : bell Is set ring
ing. on a somewhat different principle
is an Indicator in "A glass case. TO be placed
on top Of the grave and communicating
by wires with the defunct below. IL the
latter moves at all. a needle shows II.
Most elaborate OF all such devices Is one
i'm which a wire is attached to a ring on
the thumb Of the corpse. The slightest
movement of the hand pulls a trigger
which starts a clock-work mechanism.
This sets Off an alarm and at the same
time puts In operation a fan which forces
air down tube into the coffin. There is
a second tube provided with a lamp and
reflector, so arranged that one may look
down and see the face of the deceased.
After reasonable period has elapsed. the
tunes are TO be Withdrawn
The practical value of cOntrivances of
this kind IS impaired because the bodies
Of people really dead do frequently move
Ina their collins by reasons Of causes who'll
ly normal. To this circumstance is largely
due the widespread belief in the frequency
of premature interments. During the late
civil war many soldiers We're said 10
have been buried alive, being merely in
stupor arising from loss of blood or
exhaustion. Corpscs have often been
found turned over, and IL they had walked
up and tried to get out. In other cases
the tongue had been discovered prOtrud-
ing from the mouth as If from suflioca-
ton, and there have been stains from
bleeding on the clothing. 1T is now known
that such phenomena are occasioned by
the expansion of the gases OF putrefac-
ton. Bleeding often occurs after death.
CHANGING over the record OF patents one
finds mention of an astonishing variety of
materials for collins. One inventor pro-
poses to bake burial caskets out OF blown
glass, the mortuary receptacle being In
two halves. united by a strip Of rubber
so as TO be air tight. There are collins
moulded out OF paper pulp. cofiins OF arti-
fetal marble, collins Of wire coated with
asphaultum collins lined with artificial
stone, collins of potter's clay, collins of
cellulOid, collins of hard rubber and ce-
ment collins filled in with excelsior and
glycertne for preservatiVe. one Of tho
queerest collins is manufactured out Of
a mixture of plaster Of paris, cork dust,
animal hair, deXtrine, Indian red and
water. II Is warranted light and durable.
Ordinarily the main thing sought In
collins seems TO be that they shall pre-
serve the body as long as possible-in
other words, extend the processes of de-
cay. The idea does not seem very good
sense, and it is interesting to find that
some inventions look the opposite way.
one patented perishable burial casket IS
composed of glue, resin, linseed oil and
whiting. The moisture Of the earth quick
" disintegrates its substance, leaving tho
90 ~ -
ton. Another style Of coffin is a mere
skeleton frame, with a covering OF plaster
of paris dextrine, carbonate OF silver,
and other materials properly mixed. This
soon dissolves when exposed TO moisture
underground.
Equally worthy of note is an innamma-
BILE coffin, made of highly combustibie ma
terials 1t Is designed for use in the Gre
matory, helping instead of resisting the
process Of combustion. A CONN Of open
wicker work has the same purpose as
those of other perishablG construction.
Another style of burial case is made in
the shape OF the human form, being cast
out OF metal in two parts, which 1T to-
gether. One inventor proposes to fll his
air-tight casket with a preservatiVe gas.
A portable vault" intended TO hold
coffin, is of iron, with catches inside so
arranged that the receptacle cannot be
opened. II grave robbers should succeed
in carrying 1t away on truck, they would
have great difficulty in forcing IL open.
The preparation and conining Of a
mummy in nrst-class style cost a silver
talent, or somewhat over $1,000 Cofns of
baked clay are found in the ruins OF an
cient cities Of Mesopotamia The Etho-
plans OF old used for collins followed
blocks of quartz crystal, which material is
very plentiful In that country Thus the
enclosed body was kept visible. The only
coffin mentioned in the Bible is that OF
Joseph whose remains were "embalmed
and cofflned"
The bodies Of persons buried in the
frozen soil Of Northern Siberia have been
found perfectly preserved after a lapse of
nearly century. Corpses Inferred in hot
sand do not decay, but become mummfled
There Is no other way in which a body
can be preserved so long-leaving freez-
ing and naturalization out of the question
AS burial in a lead coffin. II the recep-
tacle be air-tight, lack of oxygen brings
putrefaction almost, If not quite to a
pause and the face Of the defunct person
may be recognizable after a long period Of
time. The attempts frequently made to
destroy bodies by covering them with lime
are very apt to have the opposite effect,
preserving them by keeping out air
When inferred in wet soil, corpses are
sometimes transformed into true ammo