Improvements in or connected with Coffins.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Coffins.
"I CHARLES GOODING of 190 New Cross Road in the County of Kent Leather
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My present invention relates to improvements upon an invention in respect of
which Provisional Protection was granted to me dated the 9th day of March 1892
No. 4707, and in pursuance of which application I filed a Complete Specification on
the 3rd day of December 1892.
:
The invention described in my said Specification consisted in lining a coffin with
a padding or lining stuffed with a preparation of lime such as quicklime the object
being to ensure the speedy dissolution of the body, and at the same time remove any
risk of infection therefrom.
My experiments have shown me that in some cases, and more especially where
the idea of actually destroying the body is considered too violent a measure it may
be an advantage to substitute for the quicklime a stuffing of any suitable dis-
infecting composition or material, which will take little or no active part in the
dissolution of the body but will act as a powerful disinfectant during the process of
decomposition.
A disinfecting material suitable for this purpose might usefully consist wholly or
partly of charcoal or of saw-dust saturated with a solution of permanganate of
potash or with carbolic acid or other suitable disinfectant.
In cases where quicklime is desired to be employed but its colour or its being
devoid of colour is considered objectionable I add thereto about ten per cent. of
powdered charcoal, which, whilst removing the objection above pointed out will
materially assist the action of the lime.
In my said former Specification I described and illustrated the lining or padding
as consisting of a single. length covering each of the four walls of the coffin and
undivided with the exception that it was drawn down at intervals in the ordinary
manner of upholstery.
Now I have found that when a coffin upholstered or lined in this manner is
roughly handled there is a tendency for the lime stuffing to shift and work down
towards one end of the coffin and this in addition to destroying the symmetry or
even character of the lining is dangerous inasmuch as the sudden shifting of such a
body of lime is liable to break the casing or covering thereof.
According to one part of my present invention I propose to obviate this defect
by a simple arrangement of the constructive details of the coffin and upholstering
as shown in the accompanying drawings which represent respectively a vertical
longitudinal section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2 and a horizontal section
taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 of a coffin constructed according to my present
invention.
a represents the side walls and bottom of the coffin and 6 represents the inner lid
all of which parts are entirely covered upon the inside thereof with a lining or
padding c of apparently the ordinary character and of about the usual thickness
but which is stuffed with a preparation of lime as described in my said former
Specification or with any other suitable preparation such as either of those herein-
before described whilst c¹ represents a pillow similarly stuffed so that when the
coffin lid a' is screwed down the body is fully encased in the said preparation..
In order to hold the lime or other stuffing in place notwithstanding that the
coffin may be roughly handled I draw down the cover with buttons or headed nails

page_text: like ordinary upholstering whilst as a further security I divide the lining or
padding transversely into several sections and I provide the coffin upon the
interior thereof with transverse beads or ribs a³ which separate adjacent sections of
the padding c and form as it were recesses for the reception thereof.
By the means lastly hereinbefore described the shifting of the disinfecting
preparation to any appreciable extent however roughly the coffin may be handled
.is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A lining or padding for a coffin consisting of a suitable fabric_stuffed with a
disinfecting or deodorizing composition substantially as herein described.
2. A coffin upholstered or lined with a padding consisting of a suitable fabric
stuffed with a disinfecting or deodorizing preparation substantially as herein shown
and described.
3. In a coffin the combination of a number of transverse beads, ribs, or partitions
and a lining or padding constructed in several sections separated by such beads
and consisting of a suitable fabric stuffed with a disinfecting or deodorizing pre-
paration substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 9th day of February 1893.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.