The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1900-11-10
CREMATION GAINING.
Prejudice Against Reducing Bodies
to Ashes Diminishes.
EstabIishment. at Cemeteries I'm the
Country Increase In Num-
ber RapidIy-some Par
tIculars.


Popular prejudice against cremation
is gradually decreasing in Chicago. Ev-
idence of this Is not lacking. The peo-
pie are becoming more liberal on the
subject and are getting over the idea of
horror that used generally TO attach to
incineration. Less than IS years ago
there were three erematories in the
United States and they were scarcely
used. At present there are nearly 80
scattered throughout the country, and
the number is increasing every year.
They are in the larger centers of pop
ulation, where the demand is greater
and the facilities for successful opera
tion are better, says the Chicago Even
ing News.
The crematory nt one of the ceme-
teries in this city exemplifies in great
measure how fast the prejudice is fall
ing away. Since the erection of the
plant in December, 1898, the records
show that GIG bodies have been incin
Grated. Taking the number burned for
the various years, the increase is more
! noticeable. For instance in 1894 the
bodies numbered 40, in 1895 they ran to
&C. The year following the plant was
erected at Milwaukee and the figure
fell to 81. In 1897 there were 70. The
next year took the record with 100.
Last year showed decrease of three.
the number being 1877 Up to August
21 of this year there have been 1l5
bodies recirded, an average of one
every two days. By the first of the year
the figure is expected to reach $50 or
more. The same ratio of increase is
shown by the records of crematories in
all of the larger cities.
The plant at Graceland was built
under the chapel at cost of nearly $780,
600, including the chapel. 1t was one
of the first to be erected in the west.
Two bodies can be incinerated at the
same time, one in each of two furnaces.
The cost is $25 for each body. Less
than three hours are required TO re-
ouce corpse to ashes, the amount of
which varies according to the size of
| the body. Ordinarily about six pounds
are left in the furnace after incinera
ton. Its color is a dark gray. The fur
naces are constructed with fire brick
! and each contains two chambers, one
| above the other. In dimension they
are about six by ten feet. The lower
chamber is the receptacle for the fuel
--coke and coal. The upper chamber is
arranged similar to bakers oven and
in this the coffined body is placed for
incineration, the casket having been
stripped of all metal ornaments.
The furnace is but partly heated
when it receives the booy. However,
assoon as the corpse is properly placed,
the two front doors of the receptacle
are hermetically sealed and the tenn
perature is gradually increased until it
reaches anywhere from 1900 to 1000
degrees Fahrenheit. The heat gen.
Grated from the coke and coal fuel in
the lower chamber rises to the upper
chamber from the rear and is intensi-
fed and regulated by oil conducted
from storage tank to the burner in
the furnace and sprayed with a jet of
steam. An hour is required to raise the
heat to the maximum. Another hour
more is necessary to burn the corpse
to ashes. Not trace of the wood
ashes from a casket remains They
are light and are blown through the
lower chamber, where they are entire
ly consumed together with any body
gases that might not have been
burned in the upper receptacle. Dur
ing the incineration all odors and
smoke are entirely consumed within
the furnace. Four bodies can be cre-
mated per day in two furnsces,
though the capacity has never been
taxed since the erection of the plant.
Milwaukee, before a crematory was
erected there, furnished a percentage
of the incinerations in Chicago. Not
long since body was shipped thitber
from New Orleans and burned. Only
five persons in addition to the regu-
lar attendants are admitted to the
crematory during incineration. The
chapel is used generally for funeral
services over the body just before il is
lowered into the furnace through a
trap door.
A special form of order must be
filed out before cremation. This is
either done by the person before his
death, or by his relatives or friends
after death. The application also con
tains request as to the disposition
of the ashes, which are either buried
in an urn, placed in receiving tomb,
shipped away 10 some point or are
strewn under trees at the cemetery.
Sometimes the ashes are held for 30
days and then scattered. Remains of
persons that have died from conta-
gious diseases viii not be received for
cremation. More than one-half of the
bodies that have been incinerated at
Graceland have been those of Ameri-
cans. The Germans follow as second
in number, then the Norwegians.
Quiefed the Superstition.
The ruler of small German state
\