Year: 1874

The Virginia City New Enterprise
says: Ed Chaplin, Superintendent Of the
Petaluma Mill. Gold Hill, and Rube HO-
bart, of the hardware firm of Doake, HO-
bart & Co.. of this city, desire us TO say
that they are now prepared to reduce to
asheS-at short notice and reasonable rates
any cadaver that may be furnished them.
They have purchased the gasOmeter for
merly in use at the Petaluma Mill for the
manufacture of chlorine gas, and will now
use il as a cremation furnace. 1t is made
of heavy bOiler-irOn, and is simply drum
within drum. The body to be operated
upon will be placed in the inner drum,
when the space between the two will be
filled with charcoal, other fuel, and a
strong blast introduced. The gasOmeter
originally cost $500, but Hobart & Chaplin,
the new cremation firm, managed to get it
for $3.50. In turning out work, the bar
gain at which they obtained their appara-
tus will be borne in mind, and the Gus
toner will have his full share of the bene-
fit of the same.


They desire to say that with them ere
nation is no experiment. Last week they
purchased two old and decrepit Piutes, a
male and female, at six bits each-Sl. 90
for the pair, agreeing to return the ashes
shot them. hauled them into town, ere
mated them separately, and in three hours
from the time of making the purchase re-
turned the ashes of the old couple to their
sOrrowing relatives in two yeast-pOwder
boxes. The weeping children, grand
children and great-grandchildren of the
old folks mixed their mortal remains with
a little pitch, and now atfectionately wear
them about on their cheek-bOnes, their
foreheadS, and the ends of their noses.


We may here state that the firm will do
no more work after this plan, as no further
experiment is necessary. Had they de-
sired to continue the work among the
Piutes they might have been at it yet, as
when the price for the old couple was
nOised about among the tribe a great num-
Der of the aged and decrepit were brough.
IN and offered at what was supposed to be
the established rate One lusty buck came
all the way from Walker Lake, driving
before him four mOthers-in-law. He
was much disgusted when he found
there was no sale for them. Before
leaving he offered them for two bits each,
and agreed TO shoot them into the bargain.
Finally, after peeping about and eXamin-


ing the furnace for some time, the old fel-
low offered to shoot the oldest and donate
her. Just for the fun of seeing the machine
work. This was an offer the firm could
not accept.


The apparatus has been placed on
wheels, and in case it is a mans dying re-
quest his remains will be cremated in pri-
vate-in his own back yard and with fuel
from his own woOd-pile, if it should be
desired on the score of economy. The
charge for cremating an ordinary cadaver
will be but SIS. For mOtherS-in law
and here is where the profit comes in
they charge twenty-five dollars, a price
that any average sOn-in-law will
cheerfully pay. They are enabled to offer
reduced rates in the case of cadavers of
such men as have worked long in mills
and reduction works, as connected with
their furnace is retorting apparatus, and
from such subjects they will be able to Oh
tain from four to nine pounds of quick
silver. And as this quicksilver always
contains more or less of the precious met
ais, they will frequently be able not only
to make no charge for the cremating and
retOrting, but may even be able to declare
snug little dividends, to be distribu-
ted among the relatives.


just what they may be able to do in
cases of this kind they are unable to say at
present The mill owners may step in
and claim the quicksilver and bullion pro-
duct, therefore the firm do not, as yet, feel
safe in making any positive arrangements.
As soon as possible, however, they will
try to obtain a test case, and have the
rights of property decided by proper
court. In case there shall be no trouble
with mill-Owners, they are confident that
from this class of subjects they will fire.
qNently be able to make handsome returns.
Ia their pamphlet, now in press, they in
stance the case (page l73) of the horses
used in treading the pulp in the patios at
the old Gould & Curry mill, some years
since, all of whom died of salvation.
They show that in almost every instance
the Mexican owners of these horses OBJ.
tanned from their stOmachs. after death
amalgam exceeding in value the price OF
the animals when living. We might say
much more in regard to the advantages
of cremation and the inducements which
the new firm are prepared TO offer, but as
their pamphlet will be out in few days
when all may read for themselves, we re.
]