Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-31
OMAHA HONORS ITS DEAD
No Place Has Better Facilities for
Caring for the Departed.
CENTER OF MONUMENT INDUSTRY
WoOdmen of the World Give Order,
for 1900 Monuments Last YeaE
Mine Concerns In
Omaha.

| Fourteen undertakers, nine monument
builders, twenty florisLs and one casket
company are taking care OF Omaha's dead.
The grim cavalcade OF departing souls In
ushered to the various resting places In
the cemeteries with the ceremony and
| skill that attends an advancing and i'm
proving business.
Despite the fact that the buryinK bust
ness is fairly prosperous for those directly
engaged in it and those who have en- at
tendsnt share in its phases. condition are
reported marked by notable Increases in
the cost Of supplies and labor. For in
stance II now costs generally more to en-
balm body than tho undertaken IL paid
for that task. Yet by reason OF the fact
that the public has become educated into
luxury even relating TO burial and more
of those accessory services and fixtures Of
the death room are required, undertakers
find life eminently satisfactory from
business standpoint
Several local undertakers have not hest
tated to say that the single phase of en-
balming is non-lucratlva 1t is explained
that the state law fixes the price for en-
balming q body at SIS. whereas az the un-
| 49, N@AoA ~ bSh1cLAhllch put 70 an expense
Of $50 for the work. He makes up for his
loss through supplying the accessories to
the funeral and the services.
AS a matter Of fact, the embalminK In
oident of the undertaking business is but
small one. Local members OF the trade
say that Omaha patrons now use more
SILK canopies and gorgeous furnishings for
their dead than ever before has been the
case. Twenty years ago canopies were
used rrevalently. but they were discarded
to great extent in the succeeding years
until recently Now nothing is too good
for patrons Of the undertakers
II 1t were matter which could be taste
fully mentioned in the category Of Omaha 9
development, 1t might be said that this
city ranks among the foremost In the coun-
try for the sumptuousness OF its burials
and the expertnesS OF its funeral directors.
Omaha, on the other hand ranks as
having the smallest percentage of deaths
annually of any city In the country OF it,
population. The rate IL eight deaths Ia
: every LOCO Of population every year.
Monuments come in for large and
| growing portion of funeral expense. Nova.
r days nearly everyone who dies gets a
memorial In the form of monument
; country for monuments. The Woodmen O,
! the World organization makes this city
the abiding place OF its main offices ant
through that channel about 1000 monu
n ! ments are ordered every year. 1t is a Law
: OF the order that a monument costing no
: less than 800 shall be erected to tn
mtmory of every deceased member. Al
l. such deaths in the ranks of the Woodmer
l. all over the world, cause orders for tn
r prescribed memorials TO go through tn
e local office.
. r. q. McKelvy, who has direct charg
OF all the Woodmen monuments, has re
ported q number of the shafts erected q
= foreign lands during the last year.
y While no monuments are purchased b,
tho fraternal organization from firms 81
y this city outside OF WI at Is directly re
;. CURED for local deaths, the influence o
= the organisation is great by reason Of tn
: large demand 1t makes for shafts from al
dealers in general
= From the zine monument produoinI
a establishments in the city it is learned tina
/. an aggregate business reaching the volum
OF u75,OOO annually Is done in Omaha. Tn
prices Of the monuments range from 81
!. UP to 10000 and tie tendency has steadil,
= been toward the more elaborate and cost!
kind The individual firms turn out al
average of 400 orders q year. The tim
required on individual orders ranges iron
twelve hours to twelve months
Omaha, like all other cities of the middle
west, Is compelled to send hundreds o
miles for its monument material. Their,
is absolutely no stone produced in the stat
and material for the most part must b,
gotten from Vermont, Minnesota or tn,
> extreme southern states Barre granite
, from Vermont, is In use most prevalently
Foreign labor IL en- ployed almost ex
cusively in the department of monument
carving OF the local establishments. It II
: declared the workmen from Germany
I. France and Italy are by far the mos
: skilled as stonecutters. There are a mum
Der Of the most expert stonecutters in tn,
country employed in the Omaha concerns.
: Though there are sixty monument es
Establishments throughout the state Of Ne
braska, Omaha fills by far the most con
tracts. This city is looked upon as the mos
satisfactory producing point in the state
i by reason OF its large volume Of business
and the better facilities enjoyed by con
Germs here than those In other cities. TIT
: local establishments keep in stock q larg'
supply of shafts OF every description anC
are in readiness to deliver one completely
finished In half the time required by thu
smaller concerns Of the state.
Prices have gone up in this industry IL
the same proportion as increases have Wis
!. tied the other Industries during the pas
= five years, but because OF the fact that
reduction in freight rates probably will b.
!. brought about in the near future, thu
: monument dealers are hopeful OF being abb,
: TO reduce their schedules. Skilled labor 4
n considerable expense 10 the dealers also
!. but increasing system In the direction o
their work is now giving increased value L
the employers,
Omaha monument builders are prepared
on any occasion 70 deliver a monumen
d, carved completely by the chisel Of on
e man. No matter how rushed the concerI
may be, 1t has become a rule never TO lie
two men work on one monument, al eacl
carver has his own style of carving aRT