Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-15
FUNERALS BY TROLLEY CAR.
Innovation Proves n Paying Venture
m

Trolley car funerals, a recent innovation
by two south side electric lines in Chicago,
are fast threatening to supplant corteges
drawn by horses. saving of expenses in
electric car funerals is one of the chief ar
guments in favor of their popularity, re-
ports the Chicago News.
The Calumet Street Railway company and
the Chicago Electric Traction company both
have funeral cars.
On the Calumet electric line, which covers
a wide stretch of territory south OF Sixty
third street the number of trolley funerals
sometimes reaches as high as four or five
day. During the months of January,
February and March of this year the Calu-
met company filled the largest number OF
funeral engagements since 1t instituted the
custom in Chicago.
Arrangements with the undertakers OF
the different suburbs along the line are
made by the company. The undertakers
dislike to give up the liberal commissions
from livery establishments that they once
enjoyed, but to no avail. The trolley fu-
neral is cheaper, and it has come to stay.
1t costs but $11 for a motor and a trailer,
with an extra charge of SO for every ad-
ditional car needed.
The Calumet company has no special
funeral car. The back is removed from one
of the seats of an ordinary motor car and
on this seat the casket is placed On either
side Of the casket the pallbearers take their
places and the mourners fill the remain
ing seats. Only a placard in the front
part of the car, bearing the word Special"
in heavy, black letters. indicates its mis-
sion.
Oakwoods cemetery comes in for a large
share of trolley funerals, but Mount Green
wood, Mount Olivet and Mount Hope are
ep6 arn cd n hn
line Of the Chicago Electric Traction COM
pany, and to reach them it is necessary for
the Calumet line to transfer its funeral
train to the motor car of the neighboring
line, which is done quite frequently.
On the line of the Chicago Electric Trac-
tion company a special funeral car, the
Virginia, is provided. 1t is dark green in
color. At each end there is vestibule hav-
ing a door in it's front for the admission of
the casket. In one or the other Of these
vestibules the casket remains during the
journey to the cemetery, screened from the
rest Of the car by heavy curtains. The car
proper is richly furnished and accommo-
dates twenty persons.
E. r. Gilbert, general manager OF the Chi
cago Electric Traction company, in speak
ing of trolley car funerals, said: Trolley
funerals are common in many cities where
electric cars are used and saw no reason
why Chicago should not adopt the same sys-
tenn. or course, it might be impracticabfe
to attempt to introduce the plan in the
crowded districts and even If it were prac-
ticabe the opposition of the undertakers
probably could not be overcome.
But out here where the electric cars con-
meet the southern portion of the city with
numerous outlying towns, and lead TO four
large cemeteries, the trolley funeral works
exceedingly we'll. / have never regretted the
construction of the Virginia. There was an
urgent demand for we'll equipped funeral
car, as the Calumet company never had Of
fered suitable accommodations, and the Vir-
ginia has supplied the need
The towns along the electric lines whose
residents follow the trolley funeral custom
are: South Chicago, Colehour, Pullman,
West Pullman, Roseland, Kensington, Fern
wood Washington Heights and Burnside.