Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-08-22

FRESH POND q. - CREMAToRY
than so years the body secreted beneatl,
the sod will decompose into its elements
as surely as the corpse exposed on the
funeral pyre. But the custom of 1.5OO
years is not easily overcome and the
medieval prejudice against cremation
still remains.
Ii was not until the latter half of the
present century that the agitation in ia
vor of consigning the corpse to the
flames began. Jacob Moleschott, the
Dutch-Italian scientist, was the apostle
of the movement. Progressive men in
Italy took up his cause and in 1876 the
first crematory of modern times, /. e., in
Christian coun tries, was put into opera
ton at Milan. Later in the same year
a crematory was built at Washington,
Pa, and a third at Gotha, Germany, in
1878.
Since then the movement has grown
rapidly. The United States is the fore
most champion, with Italy close Sec
ond. Cremation societies have been
founded in nearly every country of the
globe. In the United States there are
over 20 such societies, and class paper
published in Chicago, Park and Gene
terry, devotes portion of each issue to
the subject.
A cremation is no such hideous spec
tacle as one might imagine; in fact, it's
associations are not near as gloomy as
those of the earth burial. When the fu-
neral procession arrives at the crema-
tory, the coffin is first taken into the
chapel and placed upon bier. If so
desired, final ceremony to correspond
to that at the grave is performed. and
he Hao he
lowered by a hydraulic system to the
floor below.
Sometimes the corpse is taken out of
the coffin and wrapped in asbestos, but
usually coffin and all are burned to-
gether. Only the chief mourners are al
lowed at the scene of cremation. The
coffin with it's contents is placed upon
n sliding frame and showed up to the
doors of the retort, which are then
opened. No fire is visible. But the air
is SO intensely heated, from 1000 to
{, ZOO degrees Fahrenheit, that beauti-
full rosy light bathes the interior of the
furnace. The retort has average di-
mensions of ten by five by five feet. 1t
is lined with fire clay and has an outer
wall of fire brick.
It takes about two hours to complete
the cremation. The process may be
witnessed through a window of mica.
In many furnaces no fire touches the
the work. There are two fires, one be-
low and one behind and above the
corpse. Coal oil is the usual fuel. The
rear fire is fed by mir obtained through
loopholes in the rear OF the furnace
II shoots it's flames to the front and
carries the gases from the body with
il. These are driven down into the Open
ing in front, which leads through the
under fire back to the chimney in the
rear of the retort- So perfect and so
powerful is the ventilation that not a
particle of gas can escape without pass
ing through both fires and being entire
ly neutralized by oxidation.
When all the combustible material
has been driven off, the furnace is
cooled off and the ashes are gathered
The ashes of the corpse are white, those
of the clothes and coffin black. The
white ashes weight form five to eight
pounds They are picked out with
metal tongues and returned to the rel
lEves in metal receptacles.
The remains are variously disposed
u. They may be buried in a grave with
another member of the family or in a
space set apart for this purpose by
cemetery companies. The ancient Gus
tom of preserving the ashes in urns has,
however, the greatest favor The price |
IF urns ranges from one dollar to fabu- |
Gus sums. They are to the crema- |
.ory what marble monuments are to |
he cemetery. and as many people can
;ot be content without q sacrifice of |
wealth for the deceased ingenious de- |
ices have been found to make the urns |
not more beautiful, at least more |
Some are made of the most 1
exquisite serDentine stone. covered with |
elaborate decorations in precious met
lis China and bronze are common ma
erial, and silver is frequently used.
In New York q coIumbarium has been |