IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSES OF CREMATION."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paolo Gorini, of Lodi, in the Kingdom of Italy, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PURPOSES OF
CREMATION."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paolo Gorini at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th December 1878.
PAOLO GORINI, of Lodi, in the Kingdom of Italy. “IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR THE PURPOSES OF CREMATION.'
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for the cremation of
human bodies, by means whereof the cremation is effected with far greater facility
and economy than has hitherto been practicable.
For this purpose I construct a furnace of any suitable dimensions, so as to permit
of a considerable quantity of fuel being consumed therein at one time, and I
Inake the lower part of the furnace chimney sufficiently capacious to allow of a
body being placed therein, either enclosed in a suitable coffin or otherwise.
I so shape and construct the lower portion of the chimney that it forms a hori-
zontal chamber of any convenient dimensions, terminating in an ordinary vertical
flue or shaft, in the external face whereof I make a suitable door or aperture,
through which the body is introduced into such horizontal chamber and placed on a
suitable grade or grid, and resting in a suitable concave metal basin or receptacle,
above the surface of which it is raised to any convenient height by means of suitable
feet or standards.
The operation of my Invention is as follows:-After the body has been introduced
into the horizontal chamber before mentioned the furnace is kindled, and the flames,
red hot air, and other products of combustion being attracted by the draught of the
chimney enter such chamber, and in their passage to the vertical shaft or flue of tho
chimney through which they find exit completely envelope the corpse, and thus
provided the furnace be properly fed and attended, speedily effect its cremation,
leaving only as a residuum on the before mentioned grate or grid, and in the sub-
jacent concave basin or receptacle such portions of the body as are refractory to the
action of the fire, which constitute the so called ashes of the corpse.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Paolo Gorini in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th June
1879.
PAOLO GORINI, of Lodi, in the Kingdom of Italy.
FOR THE PURPOSES OF CREMATION."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for the purposes of
cremation, and consists in its essentials of only three parts, the furnace, the crema-
torial urn, and the chimney, and to fully illustrate the principle of this Invention I
append to this Specification a Drawing shewing the crematory in its construction
(though it may be applied in a combined or collective form, as hereafter described.
Figure 1 is a plan view; Figure 2, a longitudinal section; and Figure 3, a trans-
versesection, the letters of reference applying to like parts throughout.
The crematorial urn or receiver b is a tube into which the dead body is placed, so
as to lie horizontally. The furnace a communicates by its upper part with the
receiver b, in order that the products of combustion may pass from the furnace into
the receiver, and after pervading the body diffuse themselves into the atmosphere
through the channel of the chimney c, which communicates by its lower part with
the other extremity of the receiver b.
A crematory of so simple and primitive a nature may certainly fulfil its object,
and I employed it with success in the first ten experiments that I made in my
laboratory in reducing ten bodies to ashes. It could however be recommended only
for those cases in which the question of a small cost prevails above every other
consideration.
But if it be desired that in using the crematory all just requirements of human
feelings should be scrupulously respected, it becomes necessary to introduce some
modifications and many accessories, whereby the more complicated crematory will
result, which I am now about to describe.
In the interior of the chimney, a little above the spot where the smoke enters,
must be established a furnace, to be fed with coke for the purpose of burning com-
pletely all combustible particles still remaining in the smoke. Care is thus taken
in order that the cremation may not give forth any disagreeable smell. It is as
well to build the chimney right over the furnace, inasmuch as it will thus enable
persons to be present around the crematorial urn and witness the ceremony of
cremation in greater quiet, and it becomes very easy by putting in motion a damper
d to establish a direct communication between the furnace and the chimney when-
ever it is desired that the products of combustion may not go by way of the
crematorial urn. The communication between the latter and the chimney is
established by means of a flue opening e in the floor of the receiver at the opposite
extremity to that which borders on the furnace, descending to some extent, and then
entering into the two side walls, where being divided in two branches, it rises up to
the summit of the receiver, and passes into the roof of the same, where the two
branches meeting together reform the single conduit pipe, which in the said roof
proceeds horizontally until it penetrates into the chimney somewhat underneath the
furnace which it contains. At the junction of this flue with the chimney the
damper d is applied, in order to regulate the velocity of the affluent smoke, or even
to cut off its ingress altogether whenever the smoke, instead of passing through the
receiver, has to enter directly into the chimney from the furnace.
The receiver at its extremity where the flue is situated is provided with a wide
aperture f, for the purpose of introducing the body and of extracting the relics of
the same after cremation. This said mouth is fitted with a sliding panel g,
resting at its base upon small wheels, on which it may run easily by pushing it
towards the aperture, so as to close it exactly, or by drawing it so as to slide into a
rabbet in the wall; forming a framework to the aperture whenever it is desired to
open the latter. The upper end of the said sliding door when moving is brought

page_text: into contact with other small wheels, which serve to keep it perpendicular. It is
however by no means necessary that this panel should move in the manner described;
it might even move vertically by the action of its own weight in descending, and by
the traction of a cord aptly fitted to pulleys in rising.
For the introduction of the body and the extraction of the residue it is necessary
to make use of an iron car h, the legs of which rest upon castors, so that it may be
easily moved in any direction. Of the flooring of this car nothing exists but the
frame, which serves as a rest for three transverse bars of iron, round which run
three pairs of cast iron wheels, disposed in two vertical planes parallel to the long
sides of the said frame. The flooring of the car in its ordinary position must be
brought to the level of the floor of the receiver, but by means of a simple contrivance
it may be made to change position by raising or lowering it at will. Two small
pulleys are situated at the extremities of the longitudinal axis of the plane of the
car, one slightly in advance of the short anterior side of the quadrangular frame-
work, the other slightly in the rear of the short posterior side, both rising above
the plane of the car, not however to the same level as the pairs of wheels already
described.
The ash plate i, namely, the shell destined to receive the ashes of the body as they
are gradually being formed, consists of a sheet of cast iron sufficiently large to cover
exactly all that part of the floor of the receiver lying between the furnace and the
mouth of the flue. From the lower surface of this sheet two guides j, j, must stand
in relief parallel to its longest sides, and placed at such a distance with respect to
cach other that on the sleet being placed on the car by means of the guides held
precisely between the wheels, the car is prevented from deviating laterally. The
sheet is provided all round with a raised border except on that part which on intro-
duction into the receiver is displayed towards the furnace. This portion of the
border is wanting, in order that the flames entering the receiver may meet with no
obstacle to pervading completely the surface of the body. The border stands on
the other sides, in order that the ashes of the body may be better kept together,
and that the flame current may not carry off the slightest particle thereof.
There is moreover an iron grating, supported on feet of from 6 to 7 centimètres
in height, and large enough to be strictly contained within the border of the ash
plate.
The ash plate is placed upon the car, the grating upon the ash plate, the body
either naked or attired, or encased in a coffin upon the grating; and then all that
with which in this manner the car is laden, is driven into the interior of the receiver.
Now this is the manner in which provision is made for carrying out the said opera-
tion with facility and certainty.-On the floor of the receiver are planted four pairs
of wheels , precisely similar to those found on the plane of the car, and disposed in
two parallel lines, which are the continuation of those displayed by the wheels on
the plane of the car, so that when the car is brought up to the aperture of the
receiver, if the ash plate is sent forward, it has not yet departed from a pair of
wheels of the car when it has already found its support on the first pair of wheels
rising on the floor of the receiver, and before leaving the car and departing from all
the wheels, it finds a support on the wheels in the receiver, and can proceed to go
forward in the interior of the receiver, still well directed and well supported until
it has reached its extremity. In order to render this still more certain in execution
care is taken that the ash plate as soon as it begins to issue from the car finds on
the ledge of the aperture of the receiver a revolving cylinder m, placed on a level
with the wheels on which in running that part of the ash plate rests, which is
comprised between the two guides.
Nothing more remains to be described save the mode in which the movements
are imparted to the ash plate as well for causing it to enter from the car into the
receiver as for extracting it from the latter while reconveying it upon the car.
For this purpose on the mid point of the border at the posterior part of the ash
plate there is a cast iron knob n, into which two holes are pierced, and on the other
hand there is an iron pole o, which can be joined on to the ash plate as though it'
י

page_text: formed part of the same by passing into these holes the two projections that it bears
at one of its upper ends, which are fashioned so as to fill up exactly the empty
spaces of the said holes. This species of tail is fitted up with a few rings, into one
of which a metallic cord is applied by means of a hook. It will be instantly
seen that by drawing the metallic cord the ash plate will be put in motion,
and if it be desired that the ash plate be put in motion in a direction contrary
to that in which the metallic cord is drawn, it will be sufficient to return the
cord upon itself in causing it to change its direction by means of a pulley. In
order to make the cord pull, the other extremity of it is affixed by means of a hook
to a ring fitted on to a small drum established in the posterior part of the car
somewhat below the level of the flooring, which drum revolves by means of a
handle. When the drum p revolves the cord exerts a traction by being coiled
round it. The pulley with which the car is provided in its posterior part serves no
other purpose than that of carrying down to the drum the cord which was pre-
viously horizontal. On the other hand, the pulley borne by the anterior part of
the car serves to turn the cord upon itself in a parallel direction to its first journey,
which was horizontal, and still reverses the direction of the impetus. In point of
fact, when the cord goes from the tail of the ash plate introduced into the receiver
straight to the drum, not being deflected, save where the posterior pulley exists, the
traction works so as to draw the ash plate from the receiver and reconvey it upon
the car; when, on the other hand, the ash plate being in this position, the cord
retraces its steps by bending round the anterior pulley, the traction works so as to
send the ash plate from the car into the receiver.
As the aforesaid movements of the ash-plate in going and returning are obtained
by simply turning the handle of the drum q that lies hidden below the level of the
car, so it will be understood how a canopy may be placed over the car, concealing
the ash plate, the grating, and the body, and withholding the whole from the gaze
of bystanders while the aforesaid movements are being accomplished before their
very eyes.
On the sides of the receiver some perforations are made to be closed with
stoppers, which being lifted off, bystanders may behold what is taking place in the
interior of the receiver during cremation. One of such perforations closed up in-
the same way exists also in the middle of the sliding panel that is applied to the
mouth of the receiver, and through this for the whole length of the same the entire
body may be seen, the progress of cremation be followed, and the instant in which
it is accomplished be ascertained.
Small wood is best for feeding the furnace, but coal, or even coke or other fuel
may be employed. An excellent effect might be obtained if for the furnace were
substituted a conduit of illuminating gas, its heat being rendered more intense by
procuring numerous and easy points of contact between the gas and atmospheric
air. It will be seen finally that things would go on just as well if the materials of
combustion entering the urn instead of proceeding from a contiguous furnace were
drawn from afar by means of any gas generator.
SPECIFICATION OF COLLECTIVE CREMATORIES.
I call collective crematories those which serve to cremate many dead bodies at the
same time, first, for the use of large cities where the custom widely prevails of
burning dead bodies; second, for the destruction in the very yards of hospitals for
epidemics of the bodies of those who have died from any pestilential infection;
third, for the destruction of the bodies of those slain in battle.
COLLECTIVE CREMATORY FOR THE USE OF A LARGE CITY.
In this case the bodies must be cremated with the same regards as when an
ordinary crematory is used.
The crematory that I now undertake to describe is composed of various crema-
torial urns placed side by side to each other, so that the two contiguous are only

page_text: separated by a common wall. Each of the said arms is made exactly like those of
ordinary crematories, indeed the first, together with the furnace to which it is
joined, constitutes in every respect an ordinary crematory. The others, on the other
hand, bear at their extremities only a furnace much smaller, and on account of the
use to which it is destined is called an auxiliary furnace. The chimney rises by the
side of the last of these auxiliary furnaces; it has in its interior the usual furnace,
and is constructed on exactly the same principle as the chimney of ordinary
creinatories.
The sliding door of the mouths of the crematories have in their middle the usual
perforation for observing the progress of the cremation, and are moved upwards by
means of the traction of cords that being applied to suitable pulleys come to an end
at the opposite part of the crematory, and the same may be said of the dampers
applied to the mouths of communication between the furnaces and the urns.
Underneath the crematory, at the extremity where the furnaces lie, is established
a tube going into the chimney, and another similar tube is established at the same
extremity above the crematory, and this likewise runs into the chimney. The
furnace placed in the chimney lies between the one and the other of these said
tubes.
The embouchures of these tubes in the chimney are furnished with respective
dampers.
All the furnaces have in the roof an aperture which puts them in communication
with the upper tube, but the communications may be cut off ad libitum, inasmuch_
as-these-said-apertures have likewise their dampers.
The smoke conduit pipe opens as usual in the flooring of the crematorial urn,
runs into the lower tube, but the smoke of the first furnace is not always compelled
to enter it immediately; it may be made to take a longer path, by being compelled
to pass across the second furnace and run through the second receiver; it may be
made to enter the tube after having pursued the said path, and its path may be
lengthened again by compelling it to pass across the third furnace and run through
the third crematorial urn, and so on again as much as may be required, or rather,
until it has run through all the receivers that are in the crematory. It will be seen
that this takes place, because the smoke conduit issuing from the crematorial urn is
divided into two branches, whose mouths are provided with dampers, and according
as one or the other of these is open the smoke diffuses itself into the channel or
enters a new receiver.
This being settled the following is the method of cremating, for instance, four
bodies in a collective crematory having six receivers.
The four bodies already placed upon their respective gratings borne by the cars
with the intermediary of the ash plate are brought close up to the first four
crematorial urns.
First of all the coke is lighted in the furnace chimney. The mouth of the lower
tube is kept closed.and that of the upper one open, the mouths of communication
between the furnaces and the upper channel open. The first four furnaces are
lighted. The smoke in the upper channel is diffused into the chamber, and the
flames do not enter the receiver to warm them.
The mouths putting the first three receivers in communication with the upper
channel are kept closed, and those putting the first four in communication with each
other are kept open. The communication between the fourth receiver and the lower
channel is kept open and that between the fourth and fifth closed.
This preparation being made the bodies are introduced into the four receivers.
The communications between the first four furnaces and the four receivers are
opened, the month of the lower channel is opened and that of the upper channel
shut, and finally the communications are intercepted between the furnaces and the
upper channel.
This being done, cremation takes place simultaneously with all the four
bodies.
The first body is in the same circumstances as if it were in an ordinary crematory

page_text: and does not require a longer time for burning or greater expense. The smoke
issuing from the first receiver impregnated with heat and materials in a high degree
combustible evolved from the first body, instead of wasting itself uselessly in the
chimney, is conducted across the second furace, where the fuel is ignited, and enters
the second receiver, in order to destroy with the help of the heat emitted from the
auxiliary furnace the body lying in this receiver. The smoke issuing from the
second receiver ignited by the second auxiliary furace, and accompanied by
the products of the combustion going on therein, enters the third receiver, pervades
the third body and destroys it, and then passing through the third auxiliary furnace
enters the fourth receiver and destroys the fourth body lying therein; but on issuing
thence does not enter the fifth receiver, which is empty, but running into the lower
channel is carried to the chimney, consumes all the combustible matter that it
carries by the heat of the furnance therein, and being purified, transparent, and
inodorous, comes out to blend with the atmospheric air.
It is to be observed that if the four bodies had been burnt in four ordinary
crematories there would have been a loss of heat and of combustible material passing
through the furnace chimney four times greater than what took place in the collec-
tive crematory whence a considerable saving of fuel may be inferred, besides which
there is also a great saving in the expense of service and also in that of construction
by necessity a less quantity of material, a less number of working days, and one
chimney instead of many.
The cremation of the various bodies must proceed pari passu, and be accomplished
simultaneously. In the case of the cremation of one body proceeding more slowly
than that of the others, which may be ascertained by looking into the interior of the
receiver through the perforation expressly provided in the middle of the sliding door
of the mouth, the strength of the fire may be properly increased by adding fuel to
the auxiliary furnace and causing to pour in all the air necessary for a proper com-
bustion.
The cremation of all the bodies being over, the dampers are regulated in such a
way that the products of combustion can no longer enter the receivers but go directly
and diffuse themselves in the chimney through the intermediary of the upper
channel.
Then the mouths are opened, the ash plates are extracted, and from them and the
gratings the residues of the cremated bodies are collected and are put into vases
destined to preserve them.
COLLECTIVE CREMATORY FOR THE DEAD FROM CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
The collective crematory for hospitals in times of pestilence does not differ from
the one just described, save in the circumstance that it must have the crematorial
urns larger and less numerous. As in this case it is not necessary that the ashes of
one body should be kept separate from those of the others it will be expedient to
put more bodies into a single receiver, for instance, six; and then a crematory with
only two receivers will do for all ordinary cases in which it is not requisite to burn
more than one hundred bodies in a day.
To ward off the danger that in the commencement of cremation, the swelling of
so many abdomina may obstruct the crematorial urn and impede the free play of the
flames, it will be well to apply to this group of bodies a pair of compressors of iron
wirework.
COLLECTIVE CREMATORY FOR THE SLAIN IN BATTLE.
In the crematory destined to destroy in a short time all the multitude of dead
bodies remaining on the field where a battle has been fought, the usual distinction
between the crematorial urn and the furnace cannot be kept up, but the two parts
are interpenetrated together. This crematory is made with fire brick, and consists

page_text: of only two parts, the receiver and the chimney. Both are of a square shape, and
rise vertically side by side, and are in communication one with the other. I will
describe a crematory which may serve for destroying a thousand bodies in three
days:―
Both the receiver and the chimney have a grate in their lower part. The receiver
must be in its interior 1 mètre in length and two mètres above the level of the
grate. The chimney must be 75 centimètres in breadth, and rise to a height of
10 mètres above its communication with the receiver.
The vault covering the receiver and going into the chimney, bringing the parts
into communication, works itself into the chimney below the grate, in which there
must always be found a considerable quantity of coke in combustion. The said
vault stretching over all, the receiver. must not however cover it entirely, but leave
on each side of it two large apertures, destined to give a passage not only to the
fuel but also to the bodies that must in fact enter the receiver in this way.
The furnace established in the chimney must have three doors provided with
dampers, one on a level with the grate for extracting the residues of the coke when
the cremation is over, the other above for feeding the furnace with coke; the third
below, for giving air to the furnace and extracting the coke cinders.
The chimney must be planted on the ground, but the receiver must have its base
2 mètres below, so that the two apertures by means of which it is supplied may be
on a level with the ground, or not much higher. This considerably facilitates the
introduction of the material composed of fuel and dead bodies that are to be thrown-
therein. For this purpose if the ground presents some favourable declivity, as, for
instance, a hill side, advantage must be taken thereof; in the contrary case a spacious
excavation must be made in order to bring out at our disposal a level that may be
about 2 mètres below that of the ground.
I have said that the receiver must have a grate at its lower part. The anterior
wall, namely, that of the side opposed to the chimney, must be wanting up to the
height of the grate, and thus is obtained the mouth always open of the receiver.
The lateral walls below the grate, and for a short distance above, have as many
vertical slits as there are horizontal slits in the grate, and correspond with the latter
as though they were a continuation of them; thus we have an easy way by using
proper rakes of continually clearing out the grate from cinders accumulating there
and tending to obstruct it. Other vertical slits must be made at different heights
in the walls in order to give easy and abundant admission to air.
In order to use this crematory we begin by lighting the coke in the chimney
furnace, then we set fire to the fuel heaped on the grate of the receiver; over this a
few bodies are thrown mixed with fragments of coal and coke, so that the whole
may form a stratum, upon which as much coal and coke is laid as may be necessary
to cover this first stratum of bodies with a layer of fuel; then are thrown in, as
before, other bodies, then fresh fuel, and thus the strata are alternative until all the
empty space of the receiver is filled up and more than thirty bodies have been
thrown in. All this mass takes fire; the first bodies to be destroyed are those lying
lowest. Gradually as these are consumed means are used with the rakes, above
described, of causing their relics to pass underneath the grate and thence of with-
drawing them by using a proper scoop. In this way all the mass of bodies descends,
a void is created in the upper part of the receiver, and this void is continually refilled
with fresh bodies and fresh fuel and the thing goes on in this way untill all the
bodies are consumed that were sought to be. As it may be calculated that the heap
of dead bodies is renewed every two hours it will be seen that about 360 bodies can
be destroyed in one day, and consequently more than 1000 in three days.
The products of combustion in passing through the heated furnace of the chimney.
become completely purified, and come out into the open perfectly inodourous and
nnocuous to mix themselves with the atmospheric air.
For the construction of a crematory, such as is just described, little more than
1000 bricks are necessary, and that may be easily carried together with the neces-
ary cement in a dozen of ordinary trucks.

page_text: For a crematory capable of destroying 10,000 bodies in three days when it is
not desired to increase the height of the receiver it will be necessary to greatly
increase its width, carrying it to four mètres, or even widening the chimney to two
mètres.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the particular details before described, as they may
be modified without departing from the principle of my Invention, but what I
claim is,-
First. As regards the ordinary crematory to have afforded the means of con-
veniently placing the dead body in a current of flames or of highly heated gases,
which pervading it on all sides proceed rapidly and properly to destroy it.
Second. As regards the collective crematories to have afforded the means of utili-
zing all the overplus heat from the cremation of one dead body for carrying into
effect the cremation of the other dead bodies which takes place simultaneously.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paolo Gorini, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
PAOLO GORINI. (L.S.)