The advocate., 1897-11-10
The Tomb of George M. Pullman.

the sleeping car man, were lald, was
given out by the Associated Press:
None Of the Egyptian mOnarchs, sup
posedly resting under the ponderous
weight of the pyramids, sleeps more
secure from the encrOachments Of the
living world than does the sleeping car
magnate in his grave at Graceland.
On Friday morning the contractors
having the making Of the grave in
charge moved their furnaces, their &C.
ment and asphaltum into the seclusion
of the bushes at some distance from the
Pullman lot which overlOoks the pretty
little lake. A great rectangular pit was
dug thirteen feet long, nine feet wide
and eight feet deep. A flooring of con-
crete was laid, strengthened and made
solid by bands of expanded metal. The
work was done with the utmost care,
and when completed there was a mass OF
concrete eighteen inches thick at the bot
tom Of the excavation.
The foreman of the work says that
nothing short Of dynamite could shatter
the base, and it would take many tons
of the explosive to do that.
After the services at the grave and
| the heavy lead-lined mahogany box had
been let below the surface, the work.
men descended into the sepulchre and
moved the lowered burden until 1t was
equidistant to the fraction Of an inch
from the four sustaining walls. Then
they wrapped the polished mahogany
box in tar paper and laid on, about and
under it an inch coating OF asphaltum,
which hardened quickly. This coating
will prevent the ingress of air, and, ex-
cept in the case of some extraordinary
disturbing event, will preserve the body
and inclosing casl1et for ages to come.
This work of asphalting the inclos-
ing wood being completed, the labor OF
! filling in the great spaces at the head
and sides with concrete was begun. The
surface Of the concrete floor was re-
heated, and the fresher substance was
laid onto 1t, the two masses coalescing
and forming one homogeneous bulk.
This process incased the asphalted box
| in a stOne-lilbe mass to level with its
upper lid.
The men worked until the inclosing
walls were half an inch above the as
phaltum coating. Then eight heavy
steel "T" rails were brought and laid
transVersely across the top Of the box,
their ends resting on the concrete walls
at either side, and their lower surfaces
clearing the asphaltum covering by just
one-half an inch, the distance TO which
the side walls Of concrete had been built
above the asphaltum. This space was
left to make an allowance for possible
settling, and to prevent the steel bars
with the weight Of concrete above them
from crushing in the top Of the envel-
oping mahogany case.
AS soon as the rails were In place
they were bOlted together with two long
iron rods which passed through an ORR
fee in each rail and ran parallel to the
side of the lid OF the coffin. More tar
paper was then called into use to pre-
vent the flow of the concrete into the
half-space between the rails and the
asDhaltunl, and the work Of walling in
begun again.
Soon the ends of the rails were firmly
imbedded in concrete and the same ma
! terial rapidly rose under the quick work
of the men until the steel bars with
their rod connections were hidden from
view, and the remains Of the palace car
magnate had interposed between them
and an attack from above wall Of
stone and steel.
Earth will be thrown on top OF the
stony mass, and the sods placed and the
myrtle planted, when the grave OF
George M. Pullman will differ in no
outward respect from the thousands OF
others under the shadows Of the trees
Of Graceland.