The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-03-12
CREMATION POPULAR.
Incineration Is Being Looked Upon
with More Favor.
The New Method of Disposing of the
Dead Is Commonly Employed
In New Hork-COst of
the Process.

Cremation, as means of disposing of
the bodies of the dead, when first tried
in New York state, on December 1, 1885,
attracted a great deal of attention, and
there was also considerable discussion
as to the relative merits of the new
method as compared to the usual Gus
tom of underground burial. Many peo-
Pile were superstitious regarding incin-
Grafton. People were at first loath tC
give consent to this disposition of the
bodies of their friends and relatives
Those who favored the new method
urged its adoption, giving as their rea-
son for the change that it was cleaner.
cheaper, and did away with the neccssi-
ty for elaborate funerals. 1t was also
urged that the incarceration of bodies
of persons who had died from conta
gious diseases would Lessen the dangers
of contagion and would be the safest
way in which to dispose of such bodies.
On the other hand. the fear of burial
alive caused some strongly to advocate
incineration.
AS an aid to the adoption of the new
method, indorsementsw were secured from
ministers and from others, in which
they said there was nothing unscrip-
tural in disposing Of the dead by means
of fire, and advocating the method as
more clearly than burial.
The first incarceration in this state
was at the New York Fresh Pond crema-
tory. on Long Island, facing the Luther
an cemetery, just north of Fresh Pond
station and the Long Island railroad.
This was on December 4, 1885. Since
that time, despite assertions by some to
the contrary, incarceration has grown in
popularity, and it is said that there is
an increase of so incinerations year.
The number of cremations at Fresh
Pond up to the beginning of the present
year is given as 1881. OF this number
1918 bodies were those of men, 90 of boys,
496 of women, and 73 were the bodies of
girls. Thirty-five dollars is charged for
the incarceration of body. This charge
is only for the mere consuming of the
body by means of heat, the body being
placed in an alright compartment of
an immense furnace. Enough ashes
are left to fill a small-sized urn. It
takes several hours to dispose of body,
after which the ashes are collected and
placed in an urn which has previously
been purchased. Often the ashes are
taken away by friends, and at other
times they are deposited in aleoves in
the walls of the columbarium where
the body has been incinerated. BY the
request of friends endeayoring to carry
out the peculiar wishes of the departed,
the ashes are often taken and thrown
to the four winds.
There is a charge for the door which
Is placed in front of the niche. The urns
may be bought for from $3.50 up to $45,
while the niche in the wall costs from
SIS to $25, according to its location in
the wall. To the cost of the incinera-
ton, which is $35, must be added the
cost of the urn for the ashes and the
niche for the reception of the urn. When
the body is borne to the colum barium
In carriages there is extra charge, ac-
cording to the number of carriages
brought into service. With this method
there is no necessity for the purchase
of burial lot, although many people
bury the ashes. The maximum cost for
incarceration, including the purchase Of
IN urn, the leasing of a niche to receive
the urn, the door of the niche. and all
expenses, not including the hire of car
riages, need not exceed $125, or $3.50
Mt most.-N. Y. Tribune.