The sun., 1898-02-20
CASKETSNOw, NOT COFFINS
R1sHIoNs HAZE oHhEGED GREAT
LY IN RECENT YEARS.

ment. Tor CVcryDOQy mas 10 DC ihlu OUT sooner o
later, and when the time comes the average pei
son won't caro- whether It 10 in q comm or moi
II you've got to bo buried, however. bc burie
IN casket That's the proper thing to dc
Only very poor and unfortunate people stick b
the old .time co1in, and nine out OF ten or then
don't want TO. The fashion changes In cofln
just AZ 1t does in hats, gowns, boots, or any
thing else and the changes have been 90 whlm
r,cal, radical. and frequent Of late years tha
the sixsided wooden coffin is thing Of tn
. past In fact, the swell coffin OF to-day is verl
cheerful looking resting place. The sight OF q
doesn't mako cold chills play tag with the spine
and in certain moods the thoughtful observer II
I'D by its very luxuriousness to conclude thai
10 might DO in q worse box by long odds.
Tho coffin business has increased in the last
oEranty.hvo years amazingly. Some persons
viii probably say, .That can't be 30. because
everybody had to have coffin q quarter Of o
century back, just as everybody has TO have one
o0day.r That's 90. but there are more people
living to-day than ever before. and naturally
snore people dying. So tho coffin business ID
'soaiiy booming. Not only is this true in point
q numbers, but collins arc made far flner than
oycr before. somo of them arc made to cost
lAousands Of dollars
The manager of one 81 the largest oasket con-
Germs In the country. who has been in the busi-
ness twenty-five years in this city, says he we'll
Tsmembers when It caused quite q sensation in
Now York trade circles II an undertaken got an
-order for coffin costing as much as $3.50. Now
10 doesn't turn q hair when somebody wants n
Q2.5o0 casket-
",The building of coffins and rcaskets by the
wholesale" said he. is interesting. Most per-
sons really know very little about collins, and
tho subject Is one they shrink from. Funerals
are getting moro elaborate every day, and they
would be stin moro ostentatious II people really
know how fine they could have them. Our con-
oern has Eve large factories located at Roches-
ter Oneida, Allegheny. Hoboken and Baltimore.
and eight large stores in different cities. Some
say that we q casket trust. but that can't be,
for We have over $50 competitors in
tho United States. and tell this SIM
ply to show what big business this
coffin business is. Last year our out
put was 10000 caskets. Collins have almost
gone entirely out of style, you know. These
-oaskets are made Of wood and metal and are
built by expert cabinet makers. Most of them
are covered with cloth. and that is done by up
holsterers and drapers who are the finest artists
TO be found in their line. The coffin business Is
becoming more localized than formerly. Goods
arc not shipped SO far away as in past years.
because there are SO many more factories.
freights are higher. and goods have been re.
duced In prices and profits lowered.
EaOW uro CouuS W
Wholesale dealers get the bulk Of their orders
through travelling salesmen. or coffin drummers
II you like. We employ from forty to fifty sales
men, who cover the territory from Maine TO
California and from the border of Canada to
southern Texas. There arc very few places in
the country that these men don't get at. Most
OF them are sent away with samples OF under
takers hardware @ % and dry goods, and but few
BY undertaker's hardware mean name plates.
handles, trimmings. screws, and so on. and the
4Nvrr rto mol hRl IN rfn nj has
Coffin drummers do not make such largo
sales as drummers in other lines of business, but
from catalogues by mail or telegraph. OF course
undertakers in very out-ofthe-way places have
undertaken who is in reach OF city is called to
care for tody he asks the family what kind of
In stoo- they select from a catalogue. @ and s he
orders by telegraph. That's the way collins are
WOODS for tho manufacture OF collins and
easkets are bought in enormous Quantities. for
wood Is the favorite material. Nearly all cloth.
carved. The wood most used in making cheaper
caskets is whitewood. which is stained in imi-
tation Of oak. rosewood, or walnut. The next
grade Of caskets is made OF chestnut and covered
with the cheaper cloths and cotton plushe..
to 5000. Then come the caskets made
ss cedar and with cloth Of 4 fine q&a
Then there are the cedar caskets, covered with
silk plushes, ranging in price from $500 TO
sa:Est cost 500 Or $500 and The I money u that !
We are perfectinga design now, magnificentiy
inlAid with mother Of pearl. which will not sell
"Wouidn't you like to see the very newest
things In caskets = he asked. using tone such
when showing, spring bonnets. I'VE have only
Sne newsstand most exclusive styles; " he added.
the S sss
Just now and are getting more every
day. For many years people were hof
fer infants HSn anG sni Ri0ehsi eehilaren nna
people do not care for black caskets: Thoss
covered with pale gray cloth are perhape the
covered with silk plush, plain or brocaded. in
iI iaSsnder, pale blue pink. or even in the less
lone Of the newest designs is the couch
cSsket LeoE At this one OF pale gray broad
h nsd bo% %t6 White pSed sTrah Is there
cof5ni By this couch casket hangs tale: IT
fSSsiy grew out Of s; these sleeves that
they'd select cofhn and frequently would come
cause the dear dead one looked so cramped @ II and
crowded in 1t. The whole trouble came from
sible 70 get pair of those big sleeves into an
ordinary sasket and not have It look
the head designer ne hit on this couch casEet,
snd Il has been great success. BY means OF
uinBee tnAL Work as IT py magic the top turns
over the sides, giving plenty OF room and en-
tirely taking away the appearance of casket.
Al hrst We brought out a half f-couch casket-
that Is: the top turned down only half way,,but
from head to foot. We sold one yesterday OF
lavender silk brocaded plush, made to order in
Europe. Yes, big sleeves are really responsible
for the existence Of the couch coffin, but the do
sign 10 so much liked by people touched BY sor-
row that Il isn't likely to 90 out OF style be-
cause the big sleeves have.
There's another very fashionable Design"
% sSid the manager. known as the canopy casket.
cloth. but 1t comes in white and colors 1t is
pade OF cedar and. you see, Is lined with the
best quality OF cream satin, shocked. Ladies
arc very fond of this design, especially when
they wish TO make big display at a home
funeral 1t Is very popular for brides who are laid
OUT IN their wedding gowns or young ladies who
are dressad for burial in fine party dresses.
Some OF them have canopy only at the head.
When the canopy is up the casket looks shallow,
but when down il is OF the usual depth. great
many OF these have been sold in the last eight
or nine months Canopy caskets for infants
and children are also sold in great numbers.
Another new thing in the way OF child's
easkst." continued he, "is made OF wicker. en-.
amelled white. Bishop Potter is said 10 favor
the wicker caskct, OF course wicker alone