Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-05-07
MAUSOLEUM is NEARING
COMPLETION.
New Structure to be a Fitting Rest
ing Place For the Dead.

Very few people in Wausau, per-
haps, are aware of the fact that this
city in very short time will have a
community or public mausoleum, a
building erected and arranged for the
purpose of putting to rest the bodies
of our dead, and that Wausau is the
first city in this state, in which
mausoIeum of this nature has been
erected. Several other cities have
also adopted this plan of buryial,
but i6 will be some time before
ohe proposed buildings are fin
ished and ready for use. That the
burying of the dead in mausoleums
is not a modern idea or latter day
innovation is proven by history, the
ancient Egyptians and other like
civilized peoples did so even
better than it is possible for our
present civilization to do. Our own
present day practice of earth burial
has come down to us from the dark
or middle ages, the grave being an
eyolvement of barbariSm, that has
been the only method of burial with
in the reach of people of limited
means. Only the few very rich being
able to entomb their dead. Not
many years ago the community maui
soleum was perfected, which since
then has come to be considered the
only sanitary and humane method of
burial, and is being adopted by COM
munities all over the country. When
considering the cost of an ordinary
size lot in the cemetery, the digging
of the grave, the coping and markers,
finally the erection of suitable mon
ument and maintenance of the lot
and the monument an interment in
a community mauSoleum is easily
within the reach of any person in
moderate circumstances. These facts
were the immediate cause why Wau-
sau now has mausoleum; number
of our citizens having been consider
ate enough to advance sufficient funds
to insure the completion of the
building, and give our citizens an op-
portunity to lay to rest their deceased
relatives and friends in a mansoleum
and no longer in the open grave.
The building which is nearing its
completion is of very imposing ma
ture. 1t HAS been erected in the
northeast corner of Pine Grove Gem
etery and is not visible from Grand
avenue. The material used in its
construction is Bedford sand stone
and concrete. The interior is ar
ranged in four rows of crypts or
burial places, which face on the two
aisles that run through the length of
the building. There are three hun
dred and fifty of these crypts, there
being five family compartments. The
entire inside finish is of white mar
BILE, highly polished. The crypts are
arranged in rows four high, and each
is sealed with marble slab on which
the name and any desired inscription
can be placed. marble ledge runs
the length of the aisle, in front of
each row of crypts, wide enough and
ample enough for the depositing of
floral emblems. The aisles or corri-
dors are very spacious and will easily
hold the usual number of mourners
or attendents at a funeral, this fea-
ture being of great Importance through
the fact that funerals held in win
ter and stormy weather need not
be hurried and the services and final
ceremonies over the body be made
disagreeable and dismal. The work
of placing the marble ledges and slabs
is now nearing completion, number
of expert and highly skilled men be-
ing engaged in the sGne. Anyone
visiting Pine Grove cemetery should
not fail to take look at the mauso-
leum. A. @. Schmidt, whose Office
is in the Ritter & Deutsch block, will
be pleased to give any desired inform
alton regarding this new place of
burial, its advantages and the man.
ner in which crypts can be obtained.