Having a crematory gives you a chance to talk to cremation families about services and memorialization, which is what funeral directors and cemeterians are really interested in.  But first thing first: Make sure you do it right.

WHAT: Whether you operate a cemetery or a funeral home, whether you've been in business for a year, 50 years or 150 years, whether the cremation rate in your area is 5 percent or 55 percent, you should be thinking about how to serve cremation families.

WHY: For years, the Cremation Association of North America has been compiling statistics and making projections showing that the cremation rates across North America will continue to climb. They still vary a lot from one area to another, but no matter where you are, you can count on serving more cremation families every year-if you want to stay in business.

The most recent Wirthlin Report found that 46 percent of Americans surveyed plan to choose cremation, and CANA predicts the cremation rate will be 43 percent by 2025.

In Ohio, the cremation rate in 2002 was 22 percent; by 2010, the Ohio rate is supposed to be 31 percent. There's no stopping this.

HOW: If you don't already have a crematorium, think about adding one. If you do, make sure you operate it with due diligence. If you're a cemeterian, you need to be constantly thinking of what to offer cremation families.

Spring Grove added a crematory in 1967, placing it in the Memorial Mausoleum, built in 1963 with plans for adding the retorts. We have two retorts. The cremation rate was still very low all across the United States—the national average was 3.5 percent in 1959, but Spring Grove was thinking ahead.

Fife wasn't here yet, but Smitty was working as a student: "I remember being called over by the operators to look at it, and I remember thinking 'This place is full service all the way around."

The sales manager for the mausoleum, Leo Mistak, who served as CANA president in the late '60s, was certainly aware of the need to plan for a rising cremation rate.

He was undoubtedly one of the people making sure Spring Grove added the planned-for retorts sooner rather than later. (Spring Grove has continued its affiliation with CANA; Spring Grove Chief Financial Officer Chris Krabbe is currently second vice president of the association.)

There was one other crematory in the area when Spring Grove added its retorts; today there are many more in Cincinnati and in nearby Dayton, as well. Most are affiliated with a funeral home or cemetery; one is affiliated with a burial vault company.

By the early '70s, we were handling 300 or more cremations a year, though only about 7 percent of our cemetery business involved cremation. Today, with all the competition out there, we're doing more like 200, but 21 percent of our cemetery business involves cremation.

We also sold thousands of cremation certificates years ago. These preneed certificates were a great deal for people, because when they're redeemed, people are getting a cremation performed for a 30- or 40-year-old price!

Even so, it's good for Spring Grove, too. Several people come in every week to redeem these certificates, or funeral directors send along an order that includes contact information.

We make sure we call people and ask if they can come to the cemetery so we can share with them the wonderful cremation memorialization opportunities we have here—a lot more than we had in 1967! (And which we'll describe in detail in the next issue.)

Training and maintenance
We keep four or five staff members trained as cremation technicians; they take turns working on Saturdays. All have gone through CANA training and been CANA certified.

All the cremation technicians spend time learning from James King, our main cremation tech, who also takes care of the building. We then send them through the training program CANA runs down in Orlando, Florida.

Because we're only doing about 200 cremations annually, our cremation technicians are doing other things most of the time. They probably only spend 20 percent of their time on processing and doing cremations. They are also responsible for handling inurnments and shipping cremated remains.

Even though we're not a high-volume operation as far as our crematory, we make sure the crematory is run according to the same high standards people expect from anything associated with Spring Grove.

Periodically a crematory operation somewhere receives a "black eye" that gets in the press. You want to make sure your facility is above reproach. If your operation is not CANA certified, you probably need to be.

Most of the training revolves around paperwork, making sure everything is documented correctly and proper signatures are gathered. Every "i" has to be dotted and every "t" has to be crossed.

In addition to that initial training, we routinely schedule training meetings for the cremation technicians, usually each quarter.

Someone different from the staff runs through the entire procedure of processing a cremation, from start to finish. We just want to make sure every technician is handling cremations the same way.

Even though we're training four people to handle about 200 cremations, because of the repercussions that would be involved if we didn't do everything exactly right, we believe proper training is very cost effective.

You simply cannot run a crematory and take the attitude that it costs too much to send people to CANA for training or to have periodic procedure review sessions.

You also have to budget for maintenance. When you're talking about something where the temperature is 1,800 degrees every time you do a cremation, there are going to be maintenance and repair costs. Periodically you have to rebuild and reline the inside of the retort, and occasionally the stack will require repair.

Of course, Spring Grove's crematory is old. If you install a new unit, you'll be getting something much more efficient. The people who sell and install your crematory should be able to give you guidance on maintenance schedules.

When you have a cemetery, one of the ways you hope to balance out the cost of running and maintaining a crematory is by providing memorialization options that are so exciting and compelling that people are choosing inurnment or interment at your property.

The fact is, when you look at the charge for simply performing a cremation, it's a wonderful service for the customer, but for the cemetery the dollars are pretty low when you consider the training and professionalism involved in providing the service.

Capturing a big percentage of your cremation customers on the memorialization side is how you generate income that makes cremation a win-win situation for families and for the cemetery.

Next month we'll talk about how cremation memorialization has evolved at the Grove and how we make sure we leave options for future generations.

Next: Cremation memorialization, past, present and future.

What is the burning question? Many years ago a certain long suffering pedagogue managed to instill into the minds of his pupils that a burning question might be one of a number of important questions, but the burning question is the question which above all others demands our close attention.

What is, then, the burning question? With one class of people the burning question is how to live; with another class of people the burning question is how to die; but with the cemetery superintendent the burning question is the proper disposition of the dead, having always in view, in addition to other conditions which have been discussed from time to time, the safety of the remains and the sanitary conditions, both as regards the present and the future.

Science has been for many years successfully combating disease. The dreadful scourges which periodically visited our forefathers have ceased to recur, or are practically under control. This is doubtless due more to sanitary measures than to medicines. The evils of unsanitary conditions have been overcome and scientists are looking for new fields to conquer.

Regarding post-mortem matters, there is a decided sentiment of reform working slowly but effectually in. the community. The time has arrived when the ability of the time-honored method of earth burial to meet the requirements may be questioned and the idea of quick dissolution of the body by fire as the only practical way of solving a difficult problem is fast finding favor.

There has been enough said and written at different times upon this subject to excuse me from giving you a sketch of the history of cremation from its inception to the present time. Of what import is it to us what were the sentiments or the customs of the ancients only inasmuch as such sentiments or the customs may be of service to us in forming our own opinion or on guiding public opinion? Consumption of the body by fire seems to have early found a place in the religious rites of man. When a man sacrifices to the deity, his sense of the fitness of things would not allow him to leave the sacrifice to putrify upon the ground, neither would it allow him to submit it to the process of corruption by burying it in the ground. The consumption of the sacrifice by fire, the ascending of the smoke into the mysterious from whence came the thunder, the lightning, the wind and rain, would appeal to him as being an appropriate manner of disposing of his tribute to the giver of all good.

It may be that the sacrificial altar gave birth to the funeral pile. The slow and horrid process of corruption was obviated; the body could not be subjected to defilement nor indignity, by friend, by foe, nor by future generations. "The duty was performed by loving hands and the end was counted an honorable one."

The advent of Christianity gave the death-blow to cremation throughout that part of the world known as Christendom. It was the belief of the early Christians that the second coming of the Lord would be in the immediate future; during some of their lives. As taught by St. Paul, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed." Therefore they buried their dead in the hope that they might live to see the resurrection of the body. Cremation need cause no anxiety upon this score, for to quote the words of a learned preacher: "It will be just as easy for the Almighty to recreate the body from a pile of ashes as it will from a pile of dust: Either case will require a miracle."

The preservation of the bodies of the departed, from corruption or from possible defilement, seems to have been an ever-present source of anxiety with the human family. It was this horror of the ill-treatment of the dead that caused Joseph to instruct the children of Israel to carry away his bones when they should leave Egypt. This, which caused the valiant sons of Israel to brave a desperate foe and recover the bodies of Saul and Jonathan and burn them with fire. This, which caused the Egyptians to embalm and entomb their dead.

In preparing our dead for burial we are today doubtless actuated by the same motive. While we do not turn the body inside out, stuff it with spices and sweet-smelling herbs, bind it with unlimited length of starched linen and pile mountains of rock over it, yet we array our dead, with extreme care, in their best clothes, encase them in coffins or caskets of pine, cedar or copper and cover them with broadcloth to the tune of from fifteen to one thousand dollars, lay them away in the earth, in vaults under the ground, or in mausoleums above the ground and to what end ? The tombs held as sacred and built at enormous cost of treasure and human life by the Egyptians are being rifled by a people who at the time of their erection were clothed in the skins of animals, if clothed at all; and their precious contents are placed in glass cases to be gazed upon by a curious public. After all our expense and care we layaway our dead with the sure and certain knowledge that in a few months, and for years after that time we would not care to look upon them nor even to contemplate their condition.

Why is it that we cling so tenaciously to earth burial with its present arid future horrors? Which is most shocking to a sensitive mind, seeing the casket gently lowered beneath the floor of the chapel or wheeled away into an adjoining room to undergo the quick process of disintegration by fire, or seeing it lowered into the earth, sometimes dry and sometimes wet, to meet the same end by the slow and repulsive process of corruption? In spite of all our care, our embalments, our coffins or our vaults, the end is the same; and the quicker it is accomplished the better it is for all concerned.

When we have overcome the prejudice of two thousand years the benefits of cremation are obvious. When we have seen the flower covered casket lowered from our sight and have been assured by the presence of one or two friends that cremation is an accomplished fact, we have performed for our dead the last office. No dreams of desecrated graves will disturb our sleep, no cutting up of cemeteries by railroad extensions or by the requirements of city growth will cause us anxiety. As we often hear the expression, "We have seen the last of them," we have prevented for every one of those scenes we occasionally witness, the undignified removal of the remains, more often prompted by caprice than by necessity, by future generations. Often when presiding over this work the words of an epitaph said to be inscribed upon a tombstone in Stratford-on-Avon came to my mind:

“Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebear
 To dig the dust enclosed here;
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones."

And yet I well remember that a number of years ago but for the strenuous opposition of a number of influential people, some antiquarian society or other would have unearthed the remains of the poet because they wanted to see if the old fellow's skull was a true copy of some models they had.

According to the opinion of some superintendents with whom I have corresponded, one important feature of cremation will be a reform in the way of economy; as one superintendent says, he thinks that the cost of the incineration might well be taken off the cost of the casket. Not the least important will be the economy in the use of land, not only in regard to the expense incurred by the necessary purchase of a larger lot, but as regards the area of land required and occupied for cemetery purposes. The population of this country is increasing by leaps and bounds; but the area of ground available for cemetery purposes increases not at all. Once occupied for burial purposes it is locked up forever from future use. Those of you who preside over cemeteries with an unlimited area of available land should remember that at one time the same conditions prevailed in those cities where at the present time one grave is allotted for the use of a whole family and in some cases for the promiscuous burial of a number of people. I will leave you to draw your own pictures of what the conditions must be in the cemeteries of Southern Europe and the Azores, where people are buried without coffins and the ground is reused after a period of from one to ten years. In many Old Country cemeteries graves are opened to the depth of fifteen feet, more or less, the grave is reopened as often as required, twelve inches of earth being left between the bodies as the grave is filled. In one particular cemetery they find ooze at that depth and bury the first body in it.

But we need not go so far from home to meet with circumstances sufficiently revolting. What must be the state of the earth in the potter's field in some of our own cemeteries, where bodies are buried five or six feet deep and nearly if not quite touching one another? Seventy-five thousand bodies lie in one potter's field. What a healthy neighborhood this must be for a city of nearly four million inhabitants. In and around New York there are 84 cemeteries. Newtown, in the Borough of Queens, NY, has a cemetery area of 1,800 acres which contains two million bodies. Calvary Cemetery, New York, a cemetery of 214 acres in extent contains 600,000 bodies, 2,800 to the acre. The population of New York has increased 260 percent during the past forty years and it would not be difficult to find several cities whose population has doubled and trebled during that time. When we consider that the greater part of the present population along with a considerable portion of the increase we may reasonably expect during the next fifty years, must be provided with sepulcher within that time, it is reasonable to conclude that the time for a decided change is not far distant, as time is measured. And I think it safe to prophesy that when scientific men have vanquished the germ-carrying mosquito they will probably turn their attention to cremation.

Some years ago there was a general effort made to introduce and encourage cremation; but it seems to have been spasmodic only. In the opinion of cemetery superintendents and promoters of cremation, the idea seems to have taken a new lease of life and is surely gaining in strength; especially among the medical fraternity.

From the time of the erection of the first crematory in the United States in 1876, there have been over 24,000 incinerations and in the leading countries of Europe, during that same time, there have been 18,000. Of 25 crematories in the United States of which we have reports, 19 report a steady increase in the number of incinerations; 2 just hold their own; and 4 appear to be progressing backwards. The total yearly number of incinerations in the United States has gradually increased from 813 in 1894 to 3,020 in 1904.

The fees for incineration are generally twenty-five and thirty dollars, and this charge, I am informed, pays. The Massachusetts Cremation Society reports a profit of nearly four percent on its capital stock.

It is the opinion of some managers of crematories that as cremation gains favor municipal authorities will take up the matter, that cremation will shortly become more general and that these prices will be reduced.

The cost of crematories varies according to taste and resources. Generally the retorts have been built in connection with a chapel or other building already in existence and cost so far as I have been able to learn from $1,250 to $3,600. The crematory buildings of Massachusetts Crematory Company, which we were privileged to inspect three years ago, cost in the neighborhood of $30,000 and the two retorts $5,000.

The office of incineration is performed as it should be, in a private manner. The last rites concern the family and the immediate friends only. The unseemly conduct of curious crowds sometimes witnessed at funerals is avoided. The family and friends accompany the body to the chapel and one or two are permitted to see the casket placed in the retort. The casket after being divested of its metallic handles is raised or lowered to the level of the floor of the retort, a heavy soapstone door is raised and the casket is pushed into a chamber made of fire clay, the door dosed and the flames turned on. There are neither flames, smoke nor odor to cause sensation; anything at all gruesome about the process exists only in the imagination.

To the progressive superintendent I would say: do not be afraid that the adoption of cremation will lessen the value of your profession or immediately upset the present order of things and mar the beauty of your creations; cremation will not come into exclusive force in a day, any more than did the lawn plan and the banishment of fences and curbing. Do not think that you will live to see the family lot erased from your plans, or the monuments disappear from the landscape. The work of the rider of the pale horse will not be retarded and the spades of the sexton will not be allowed to grow rusty as "One by one he gathers them in." The columbarium will doubtless cause a change in the size of lots sold and in the construction of monuments, but many generations will have passed after cremation has become general and compulsory before people will have abandoned the idea of a family lot in which to bury their ashes.

I do not read this paper with a view to make converts, but rather with a view to submitting for your consideration the necessity of the situation. The duties of Superintendents and Trustees are obvious. Take time by the forelock. Give this matter your serious consideration; read up on the matter so that when this reform reaches you, you may be prepared to meet the requirements and not have to stand by and see stock companies organize and cheat you out of your birthright.

 
From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 19th Annual Convention
Held at Washington, DC
September 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1905

When your chairman, Bill Boyd, asked me to accept a topic at this Convention, I readily agreed to do so because I knew he was going to ask me to talk on cremation, he knowing full well that this was the subject that I was best qualified to speak on and give to you gentlemen some basic information based on my past training. You can imagine my surprise when my topic arrived - "Increasing Cemetery Revenue." Well, gentlemen, we are still going to handle that subject through cremation and those profitable items which arise due to cremation or the operation of a crematory, so let's change this subject to read - "INCREASING CEMETERY REVENUE THROUGH CREMATION".

During the past 10 years I have attended at least one Convention and sometimes two each year, all dealing either with cremation or the operation of a cemetery, such as the CAA, ACA or the NCA I have heard various talks on how to do this and that and have tried to absorb those points that I thought would apply to my place of business, but if you want to get the real lowdown on the operation of a crematory or a cemetery, get in a car with another cemetery man, preferably a man that knows considerably more than you do or a man that is or has been an officer of this organization and has entree into any place, spend six weeks living together, visiting different burial properties each day and talking to the men who operate them; then if you don't come away from that trip a better operator you are in the wrong profession. It has always been my idea that the cemetery business was primarily the burial of the dead and the sale of lots, but it was on this trip that I learned that everything in the cemetery business could be simmered down to one word features or a feature. We all seek features with which to enrich our cemetery; we know that the day of a burial ground no longer exists in the American civilization. It is with this in mind that we seek to create in the form of memorials an atmosphere of beauty for the memory of those we serve. When I came home I decided to look at my own properties and take inventory of what we had. We truthfully thought that we had a most acceptable entrance with a beautiful rock garden just as you enter, no burials within 600 feet of the front entrance, well laid roads, rolling grounds, many magnificent monuments, a well located chapel, a crematory, a large mausoleum and several columbariums, and finally I decided - "No" - these are not what we have, but we do have features and features within features, and that is what they are today "Features of Valhalla," so I now must talk features to you. Of all the features that I saw they were all erected with one thought in mind, namely, to enhance that particular section of ground so that it would make that section a more desirable one in which to own a lot, or to assist in the sale of lots. I checked various locations on our property and noted one place where there was a stately old oak tree, well developed with long spreading branches, and realized that there had been many desirable lots sold and expensive monuments erected surrounding this tree. The lots were so arranged that they circled around the tree and the monuments placed so that the tree formed the background, this is no longer a mere tree, it now is a feature. It cost me nothing; Nature had been good to me, it had protected and grown this tree for many, many years. It certainly enhanced the value of this particular section in which it stood, but the lots have now all been sold, the tree has served my purpose as a producing feature, and I wonder what it is today, a tree or a feature. As a tree it has no value other than. the wood, cord wood, so maybe we had better look at another type of feature, a feature that will produce revenue from within itself in addition to having all the advantages that any other feature might have, You may need an administration building or a chapel in your grounds, you might feel that your cemetery should have a mausoleum unit or you might like to have a crematory and columbarium with a chapel in or near your cemetery. All of these revenue producing features are self liquidating and any of these features can be started first and provision made for the others to be added as conditions or needs arise.

I am particularly interested in that portion of these features that deals with the chapel and the crematory. I realize that I am talking to a group of men that represent many different size towns and various communities, and the possibilities or results will naturally vary according to the size and needs of your community, but I would like to say that these thoughts do not necessarily apply to only larger populated centers, because your buildings will be sized according to the needs of your community.

The erection of a chapel and crematory muchly broadens your trade territory because you will receive cremations from adjoining towns, and the many people coming to your chapel and crematory is always a desired position for your other properties. I know that the building of a chapel in our cemetery has done much for the cemetery. Our own lot owners take considerable pride in bringing their friends to visit the chapel. In very inclement weather, such as icy days and heavy snows in the winter, we use our chapel for ground interments, provided the chapel is not reserved for a cremation or mausoleum service. Our visitors at the chapel are many times more than the visitors to the cemetery. On those memorial days such as Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day and Christmas, many visitors have learned to come with their friends just to see the mass flower displays, and of course, our chapel is used for memorial services. It is a feature that they take pride in showing.

Cremation is not a new innovation; it dates back to early history, and today a great many people are cremationists or cremation minded. There are enough favorable points to cremation and indoor burial for cremation to stand on its own feet. By that I mean you do not have to degrade ground burial or mausoleum entombments in order to sell cremation. The opening of a crematory is going to bring many people to your property; people who have a dislike for ground burial those that are curious and they all will want to know more about cremation.

In opening a chapel and crematory it will naturally take some time before cremations begin to come to you, but remember the first crematory placed in operation generally controls the cremation business in that community, and unless you furnish that service someone else will do so. It is very apt to be one of the local funeral directors who realize the need of a crematory and can see the possibilities of operating one. Let the control of a crematory be vested in one local funeral director and immediately cremation will begin to be retarded in that community. The local funeral director will very probably plan on building his crematory in the basement of his funeral home where else can he build it? All he wants to be able to say is: "I can handle cremations for you." He will figure that by building a crematory he will secure practically all the cremation business in that locality, and without question it will be a profitable venture for him. This crematory would serve without the facilities which you are able to provide through your cemetery and chapel. With this would come the hesitance of other funeral directors to patronize a competitor, and could easily retard the acceptance of cremation in your locality. It is thus recognized that the crematory should be a part of the cemetery, and in so doing we have created another feature.

Cremation is a form of the burying of the dead and should be handled entirely by a local burying organization. It can be in a cemetery or adjacent to a cemetery, and at a location where everyone can visit and pay their respects to their loved ones. Cremation is not a method of disposal of the dead, but rather a method of preparation for permanent preservation.

This now brings me to another revenue producing feature the columbarium.

A columbarium is any place where cremated remains are permanently placed or inurned. This may be a building of its own, it may be a room off the chapel, or it may occupy a small chamber in a portion of your chapel. The manner in which cremations are first handled in any community is generally the manner in which cremations and columbariums are handled in that locality. There are two schools of thought in the cremation field, commonly referred to as the Eastern and Western ideas. In the Eastern part of the United States they formerly used cremation as a method of reduction in size so that burial could be made in an already overcrowded burial ground, while the Western or California idea is to use cremation as an entrance to indoor burial or entrance into a beautiful columbarium. It is the Western trend of thought that I am talking about. There are just as many people who believe in cremation and want to erect a fine memorial as there are families who purchase fine monuments in the cemetery grounds, in the ratio of cremationists to those who prefer ground burial; in other words, people do not believe in cremation because they want something cheap, it is because they do not want ground burial. We have many memorials in our columbariums that cost as much as $3,500.00 to $5,000.00, and in some of the larger, columbariums I know that they have sold many memorials at an even higher figure; but like any other business, your sales are not always those of the higher priced locations. You will have many in the lower price brackets, and this is the volume business.

Now, how do we go about securing this revenue producing feature? I am assuming that you have an office on the grounds, and if not you can include it in our feature, but you would like to have a chapel. This is quite a feature to any cemetery, but we want a revenue producing feature, so let us add a room on the rear of the chapel be sure that everything is kept on the same Boor level, because we do not want our crematory placed in the basement. You are going to show cremation to the public and it should be in a showable location, attractively designed and kept spotlessly clean at all times.

The story "Light Like the Sun," which was undoubtedly one of the finest articles ever written about cremation, appeared in the Reader's Digest in March, 1938, and was reprinted by public request ten years later in January, 1948. The main statement in that story was: "Tell me about it, it is what I don't know that I fear," according to Francis Newton, the author; and that is the public's request - tell us about cremation. They want to be able to see a crematory chamber where cremations are held, so have your crematory chamber built so that you can show them to anyone as you are explaining cremation.

Now when you build your chapel you will have to have some type of heating plant, which will necessitate a chimney, so let us enlarge this chimney and place two 18”x18” additional flues so that a crematory chamber or two can be added when needed. Do not raise your stack any higher than normally needed for your heating system because the present day crematory does not require a high stack. I know that one of your main questions right now is - How much will a crematory chamber cost me? I cannot give you that figure because it is going to vary according to how your building is arranged in preparation for a crematory chamber, but we do have men attending this Convention who can give you more definite information regarding your particular needs than I can in a general way. This will probably be a topic in our round table discussion, at which time I hope that their representative or any other one will be present.

The average price of cremation will vary from $40.00 to $60.00 in different parts of the country. The price of cremation will generally be about 33⅓ percent above your local grave opening and interment fees. A crematory with any number of cremations will prove a very profitable addition to your chapel. One desirable point about a crematory chamber is that there is practically no upkeep or maintenance unless you are running a large number of cremations, and under those conditions you can afford the maintenance cost.

Now that we have our chapel and crematory in operation we will need another revenue producing feature, a small columbarium. This can be located in any desirable place: it may be an additional room added to your chapel or you may have made provisions in building your chapel to have alcoves that can be used for columbariums. Remember that after your crematory the columbarium will be your next largest revenue producing feature, and is entitled to an appropriate location. In selecting the place for your columbarium choose one that is attractive and well lighted; in this room we will build niches -not many at first but a diversified group of sizes and types of niches. In some sections of the country people prefer a closed front niche, while in others they use a glass front niche in which cast bronze urns are placed. Personally I prefer this type of niche because my bronze urn business will amount to approximately sixty (60) percent of my niche sales and is a profitable item.

In the erection of our columbarium or group of niches I use a 12"x12" niche as my basic unit because from this many other size units can be made. A 12"x12" niche can be divided in half, either horizontally or vertically, making desirable companion niches, or they may be divided into quarters, forming single niches. For the larger niches partitions may be removed, forming various size niches. In every columbarium unit that I have built I have always had at least one memorial niche that is a feature of that room. I generally have an art glass window in this niche, and it is often sold first, because there are enough people who believe in cremation and desire a fine memorial to justify this type of a niche. May I caution you gentlemen, that you establish a policy concerning the type of memorials placed in your columbarium in the beginning; for example, that only cast bronze urns be permitted in glass front niches. If you do not have rather strict regulations regarding your urns you are apt to have quite a conglomeration of containers varying from jelly glasses to Woolworth's deluxe china. In your closed front niches make available permanent but less expensive type containers. It is the pattern that you set at the beginning that will regulate the beauty of the columbarium that you will have in years to come and the revenue which this feature will return to you.

I have brought several general designs of portions of different columbariums that we have, and I believe that I can show you that there is more money per square inch in columbarium sales than there is per square foot in cemetery lot sales.

Now if you are giving serious thought to the erection of a chapel and crematory in your cemetery take a trip and visit the various chapels, crematories and columbariums throughout the country, and I believe you will realize that the addition of these types of revenue producing features will mean an increase of revenue for your property.

From the publication:
1948-1949 NCA Yearbook

It seems to me the subject of cremation and modern crematory construction can best be covered by beginning with cremation as it has been practiced since its revival in modern days. We all know that the ancient Romans cremated their dead and that some of the most beautifully designed urns recovered in buried cities were for cremated ashes. In fact, the skill of the finest artists was lavished on these cinerary urns. It is said that the well known Roman and Grecian urn shaped vessels were originally designed for this purpose and that the inverted torch long known as an ancient emblem of mourning was in reality an emblem of cremation in those far-off days. However, with the Dark Ages when the history of so much of that ancient civilization was lost to sight and all the sophisticated arts perished, cremation ceased to exist. For a long time, of course, the Catholic Church ruled the civilized world and its opposition to cremation would have effectually stopped the practice even had there been equipment to handle it, but there was not and it was not until as late as 1866 that papers began to appear on the subject and discussion of method became prevalent.

It was Italy which revived this lost custom. After several years of experiment, Professor Brunetti of Padua in 1873 exhibited at an exposition in Vienna a model of his furnace, as it was then termed, and the ashes of a human body to show the public the procedure and the results of cremation. It was an open furnace operating out of doors.

In 1874 there were two cremations in Dresden, Germany, in which gas was used for fuel. This was the first crematory to employ, a closed retort with the object of carrying off gasses and vapors. In the same year the Cremation Society of Milan, Italy was organized and two retorts were constructed. Cremation became comparatively popular at once in spite of the Catholic Church opposition, so that in the first ten years of existence they cremated 463 bodies. This was regarded as remarkable evidence of public approval, since there had been the weight of adverse sentiment to overcome even in the families of those who favored it. In the same ten years Germany had 473 cremations.

Perhaps the most vigorous effort and certainly the most discouraging one made by cremation adherents anywhere is contained in the history of Cremation Society of England. It was formed in 1874 with the express purpose of disseminating information on the subject of cremation. Great difficulty was encountered in securing a site upon which to erect a crematory. A prominent Bishop condemned the project so harshly that failure confronted it for some time. In 1878, four years after its inception, the Cremation Society finally succeeded in purchasing one acre of ground at Woking and the following year erected a crematory designed by Professor Gorini, of Italy. They cremated the body of a horse to determine the success of their equipment. It worked perfectly and they announced themselves ready for business. But the end of their troubles was still far in the future.

The British Government refused to permit cremation to take place on the grounds that murder might thus be concealed. A long correspondence ensued and the Government could not be induced to reconsider. At last an appeal was made to the British Medical Association who became interested because of the unsanitary conditions of many graveyards. Doctors wrote eloquently of the appalling state of affairs but to no avail. In 1882 a wealthy man who had been awaiting the outcome of the controversy for several years applied for permission to cremate the bodies of two members of his family who had left instructions to this effect. Their bodies had been in a private mausoleum on the estate since death. Permission was refused, whereupon the man built a private crematory and used it for the two cremations. Later he died and by his request his body was also cremated there. The British Government paid no attention to this act of defiance and a year after his death another citizen defied the Government and had the body of a child cremated. Legal proceedings were begun against him which in a decision that cremation was legal providing it was done without nuisance to others, and so the Cremation Society of England at last began to use their equipment eleven years after the founding of the Society.

Even then, the Government regulations were unbelievably severe.  They required for example the signature of two physicians before cremation could take place, and if two physicians could not be obtained an autopsy was required to be performed to make sure that no poison could be found in the body. Other equally stringent rules designed to discourage cremation were also adopted.

The Cremation Society of England, feeling it must show the public its desire to cooperate with the Government in every way then began some propaganda of its own. An announcement was made that it would require a written application for cremation signed by the executor, or written instructions left by the deceased. It also insisted that a physician's certificate must accompany the application.

While this struggle was taking place in England, cremations had gained a foothold in France where the French soon evolved a set of forms designed to overcome objections on the ground that cremation might aid in concealing crime. An elaborate chart of diseases was prepared and everyone which might have contributed to the cause of death was required to be noted by at least two physicians. The English Society adopted this system which helped their cause materially. The price of cremation was at that time six sterling (about $30.00) payable in advance. It must be remembered of course, that all this was in the days before every town had its health office with its official scrutiny of death records.

In 1887 this Society became slightly more aggressive and prepared what is now called an advertising campaign in which they invited people to arrange for cremation in advance by deposit of 10 guineas (about $50.00) which they said would take care of all arrangements and spare all anxiety to relatives. The quaintly worded forms set forth a schedule of details, one of which was that the body would be sent for if the distance was not greater than twenty miles from the Crematory. This advertising angle is interesting to crematories of today, for some of them even yet, look a little askance at the idea of openly advertising such arrangements before they are necessary by reason of death. Needless to say, all the aggressive organizations now believe in such advertising in an effort to spare the bereaved relatives the distress of concluding arrangements when death has occurred in the family.

The first Crematory Chapel in England was built in 1887 from funds solicited from the public. It was mentioned in their literature that those who attended services did not see nor hear the retorts in operation. The building of this chapel was a long step forward, for previously services had been held at churches or residences or even sometimes in the open beside the heated retort.

Even after all this missionary wonk had been done and it seemed the hardest part was over, the public remained rather uninterested. The Cremation Society was then reduced to beseeching the public to adopt cremation on sanitary grounds. They wrote horrifying treatises on burial, contagion, etc. Finally the argument was put forth that if cremation was done, the purified remains could be stored in the churches where the corruptible bodies could not. This was the first modern mention of the Columbarium for in one place they wrote "In ancient crypts or in cloisters newly erected for the purpose the ashes might be deposited each in its cell in countless numbers."

The first crematory built in the United States was at Washington, Pennsylvania in 1876 by Dr. Francis Julian LeMoyne. It was heated by burning coke, preheating the retort 48 hours before the cremation. The first commercial crematory was erected at Buffalo, New York, endowed by a family of doctors, being operated by gases distilled from wood. For years thereafter the principal crematories were operated on the Schneider system, which was used in Germany. The fire was built in a retort of combustion chamber located on the side of the crematory retort. The white hot gases then passed upward under an arch and thus down over the body and casket, and up a flue. This system was used in several crematories in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles.

In 1892 a book was published by Augustus E. Cobb, President of the U. S. Crematory Company. In this book he stated that at that time there were 17 crematories in the United States and that 2300 bodies had already been cremated. He mentioned the indirect firing system, especially one in use at Fresh Pond, L. I., which was supposed to be an unusually successful retort in which they said a man weighing 275 lbs. had been cremated and reduced to ashes weighing 5 1bs. at a cost of less than $1.00 for fuel.

The first recorded use of oil for cremation was made at a crematory in San Francisco by means of a burner firing crude oil directly upon the body. A high pressure oil and air mixture was used in this burner causing a remarkably hot fire, deafening noise and huge clouds or smoke. The cremation was completed in about 45 minutes. The next development was the substitution of oil for coke in coke burning retorts and about 1910 a direct fire gas burner was devised which fired directly upon the body and which had an auxiliary burner in another combustion chamber for consuming the smoke and dissipating the odor.

Forced by public opinion, crematory engineers are constantly trying to make cremation less offensive; to reduce the noise, control the smoke and fire indirectly upon the body. Experiments are constantly being made with every grade of tile, brick and cement, with every sort of fuel and all mechanical details of cremation. At Forest Lawn Memorial Park, ordinary fire brick has always been used in the construction of our retorts, but recently the floor's have been changed to carborundum brick, which is considerably more expensive, but so far has been most satisfactory.

The present trend of crematory furnaces is towards simplification and at the present time there are three types of retorts. There is the indirect system which has the separate combustion chamber; the semi-indirect in which the flame enters the retort through a slotted floor, and the direct, in which the floor is smooth and the retort and combustion chamber are one and the flame is applied directly on the casket.

There are several advantages of the smooth floor over the slotted type as it permits the easy removal of the ashes, presents a more pleasing appearance to the public and is much easier to keep clean.

At the present time there are two kinds of fuel used by the modern crematory, gas and oil. It is also suggested by crematory engineers that a separate stack should be provided for each retort in place of having one stack for several retorts. In this way a better draft is created, reducing the smoke and heat waves. The appearance of the workroom is another important feature. It should be kept in a tidy condition so that in allowing visitors to pass through it may be without fear of their criticism. Several of the most modern crematories have provided white tiled walls in their workrooms, which is very satisfactory, easy to keep clean and always presents a neat appearance.

Many of the older style retorts it is necessary to preheat from thirty minutes to one hour before the cremation. In the newer and more modern type it is not necessary to preheat and the flame is not started until after the body is placed in the retort. Experiments are being made with the electrical retorts but at present they have not proved satisfactory and are still in the experimental stage.

The ideal cremation is one which cremates noiselessly, smokelessly and gives the appearance to the family of absolute ease or operation with no distressing details. Following this thought to its conclusion means maintaining that the perfect cremation is followed by placing the ashes, uncrushed, in a suitable bronze urn and depositing them in an appropriate final resting place. The ashes of a human body should not be desecrated by crushing them for placement in an urn any more than an un-cremated body would be crushed to place it in a casket, and the modern crematory follows this practice—placing the ashes in the urn in the same condition as when removed from the retort.

On the Pacific coast the percentage of cremations is approximately 15% to 18% of deaths. I have no official records, but I am of the opinion that percentage is much less in the Eastern cities.

By some people cremation has long been considered an inexpensive method of disposing of the remains of one who has passed on. By this I do not mean that there is a lack of respect, but a great many feel that a body may be cremated and no further disposition made. In fact many people are under the impression that the arrangements are complete after the cremation. This is a condition which we must overcome by every means in our power, this tendency destructive to the memorial idea, which is as old as the human race. It is for us to keep before the public the thought that cremation perpetuates the memorial idea just as earth or mausoleum interment perpetuates it. The idea of creating a memorial spot in honor of the family is a noble one. It provides a place upon which to center the thoughts and memories of those who have gone before, and it allows friends to visit the spot and place a tribute of flowers whenever they desire to pay this honor.

The memorial idea is responsible for some of the world's famous structures. The pyramids of Egypt, and such buildings as the Taj Mahal and Westminster Abbey would never have existed if it were not that man had always possessed a strong desire to perpetuate the memory, deeds and identity of his beloved dead and of himself when his span of life is over.

The fact that more and more cremation is looked upon as ideal in no way weakens this instinct of the human race. It has often been said that cremation accomplished in an hour what burial takes months and even years to accomplish. This does not mean however, that so called ashes should be scattered or stored in some closet in the home.

There is the same obligation to the family to provide a fitting memorial resting place when cremation has occurred as when the body itself is to be laid to rest. After the incineration has taken place, the cremation, or urn interment, as it should be called, is only one-third complete, and a family should be urged to select an urn and niche which are representative of and in keeping with that person's station in life.

I recall a case that came to my attention not long ago in which a friend of mine lost a member of his family. He telephoned me stating that he had lost this member and the body was now at the undertaker's. He said it was his intention to cremate the body at our institution and consequently it would not be necessary for him to purchase a good casket. My answer was that a casket and final resting place were selected in accordance with one's station in life, and were indicative of love and respect for one who had passed on; and it made no difference whether the casket was interred in the ground or mausoleum or placed in a crematory retort—it was not seen by anyone thereafter and decomposition of the casket would set in, in either event. I also told him that after he had selected his casket it was his duty to perpetuate the memory of this loved one and select a representative urn and niche which would be in keeping with the surroundings this person had in life. As a result this friend selected a good casket, and after the cremation, purchased a beautiful urn and niche in our Columbarium.

Cremation should not be allowed to stand alone, as it were, without the complete rite or urn interment. A crematory should recognize this and should provide representative urns and proper niches for the permanent disposition of incinerated remains. Attention of families arranging for cremation should be drawn to these things. It need not be done in an offensive manner, but the family should be made to understand that any other idea than urn interment in an appropriate niche is unthinkable. The question that confronts us is how this can best be done. All of us can help to educate the public on the subject if we but give the matter a little thought.

In the first place, when the nearest relative, or the family of the deceased come to make arrangements for cremation, a signed order for the cremation should be required. The signing of this order should take place in a room where urns of different styles and sizes are on display in plain sight. In many cases when the family see such a display they will inquire about final disposition of the ashes. If they do not, it should be mentioned by the sales person handling the arrangements. We must constantly remember that most people are absolutely uninformed about these details, which to us are our every day business. They are usually willing to be guided by the word of those experienced in these matters if they are tactfully and sympathetically handled.

We must gain the confidence of those whom we are serving. The purchase of a suitable urn and niche should be made at the time arrangements are made for the cremation, or within two or three days after the cremation has taken place.

Within the last 60 days the Interment Association of Southern California, which is composed of all cemeteries, crematory and mausoleum companies, took a step which I anticipated and of which I spoke at the convention of the Cremation Association of America last year. In order to educate the public that urn interment includes cremation, niche and urn, and the three are inseparable, it has been decided to quote a price for cremation, which includes the cremation, niche and urn. This price has been set at a minimum of $100.00. When inquiries are received as to the price of cremation this price is given, with the explanation that it includes cremation, niche and urn. In instances of course where people insist upon cremation alone, the price is $50.00, as before, but it is not quoted except on definite request. This, it is believed, will gradually educate the public to the custom of interring the ashes as naturally as they now think of interring the body.

The urns are constructed of sufficient size to accommodate the ashes of one adult person. These niches are small and when people have made up their minds to purchase the urn and niche, they readily see the desirability of buying a better one which represents their family and is suited to their station in life. Their resistance to the interment idea has already been broken down by the preliminary discussion.

The sales people who deal with the public in this way should learn for themselves some of the preeminent facts concerning the memorial idea, its interesting history through all recorded time. If they do familiarize themselves with such facts they will have no difficulty in selling to people who say they do not care what happens to the ashes, or that they do not wish to erect a memorial to the physical remains or a loved one. We must recognize that this work demands people of a high order. The day of the uncouth shirt-sleeved man making cremation arrangements with the family is over. We must have men and women of prepossessing appearance who can handle the distressing details of these arrangements quietly and sympathetically and who can, without offense, convey to the family that the memorial idea is a sacred obligation which they have no right to disregard, that in the years to come the family memorial will be to them a shrine, reminding them always of precious memories and the sacred ties of family affection.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Convention
Indianapolis, IN
September 10, 11, 12 and 13, 1928

Beginning as early as 1825 Dr. Jacob Bigelow started the movement for the removal of human bodies from church cellars and other sepulture in the city of Boston to the better method of laying out a garden cemetery which should be located a few miles from the cities with the primary object in view of protecting the general health of the public and as stated in his own words "To desire the institution of a suburban cemetery in which the beauties of nature should as far as possible relieve from their repulsive features the tenements of the deceased; and in which at the same time some consolation to survivors might be sought in gratifying, as far as possible, the last social and kindred instincts of our nature.”  It was indeed a far sighted idea on the part of Dr. Bigelow and one which spread rapidly in succeeding years to all parts of the United States. The Modern Cemetery with its engineering and landscape features of today is a logical outcome of this initial movement.

It is now over one hundred years since this important step for a better disposition of human remains started and in this period of time there have been many changes and additions to the original conception of what a cemetery should be so that the larger cemeteries of the present time represent the collective human experience of many minds and probably the largest single influence in this period has been the American Association of Cemetery Superintendents. In such a gathering as this, which is the fortieth that has assembled, it is inevitable that ideas and ideals start for or realized by its present members, and it is with this thought in mind that I am going to review particularly the engineering characteristics which we may find in a cemetery and which are naturally the outcome of many years of experience in this special line of work.

LANDSCAPE: I have divided the particular engineering features under the headings with the sub-division illustrating the details as applied to this work. The outstanding feature of course is landscape work. This necessitates a study of topography of the land, a study of roads and paths, trees, shrubs and equipment which will reveal to the best advantage the natural landscape which may be available. Constructions have been made so that vistas thru the trees and shrubs will show ponds and lakes, monuments and slightly beds and observation towers which are existent. Embankments and special ground are planted to shrubs, vines and trees not only for effective landscape but also to lessen the maintenance of certain grounds.

PLANT AND MAINTENANCE: In order to carry out the construction work and maintenance of a cemetery it is of course essential to have a plant with proper buildings thereon which shall necessitate the least amount of steps and in the larger cemetery adjacent to these buildings a railroad side track is very convenient, not only for unloading cement, sand and necessary material but also for the purpose of taking in monuments and mausoleum granite. In addition to side track facilities we have the following buildings: Garage for trucks, Blacksmith Shop, Carpenter Shop, Mechanics Shed for tools and derricks, Laborers Shed and tools, Grass-cutters Shed, Perpetual Care Shed, Housing for Power Sprayer, Steam Roller, Gas Engine and pump, Men’s Lounging room and Yard Office. One engineer says "Our structures begin to wear out even before they are completed, hence the necessity for maintenance." Depreciation and the need of repairs for buildings and equipment are self evident to anyone and the condition of the plant is dependent upon constant inspection followed by decision and action to hold every part of it to as near as possible 100 percent maintenance. When our perpetual care fund runs up to a considerable amount it seems that the word maintenance covers the greater part of our work.

ROADS: Due to the demand of present traffic conditions it essential that every cemetery shall have good roads and it therefore becomes part of the work of modern cemeteries to build their own roads and in this work there is a very large opportunity for every cemetery superintendent to improve the existing grades as well as to build roads of such material and in such a manner that the grades are easy that the surface material will stay for a great many years and that no weeds will have an opportunity to grow. Preliminary work in road construction necessitates proper drainage by piping and this in turn would become also the problem of proper surface drainage in every part of the grounds so that the soil in every section is clear and drained of water in winter as well as in summer. In order to carry this thru it is sometimes necessary to recognize the mistakes made in early days and consequently raise the grades of paths that the roadways shall always be the lowest point in the topography of the grounds with the exception of course of any natural lakes or ponds that exist.

Our experience so far leads us to construct the roads as follows: The standard road is 18' in width. After the road is brought to proper grade by excavation and fill and the gravel for proper material for the road bed spread the width of the roadway, the whole bed is thoroughly rolled being drenched with water at the same time so that a solid and substantial road bed will be ready to receive the constructed surface. The construction surface begins with 4" to 5" of 2½" crushed stone thoroughly rolled and it is a fact that at the present time particularly where the road slopes in the direction of its length that the surface is made practically flat but where the road is almost level a crown should not exceed 2" in an 18' width. The six to twelve inch crown on a gravel road of years gone by is really dangerous construction for present traffic. After the 2½ crushed stone has been thoroughly rolled all depressions noted, and properly filled, then the whole is covered with tarvia or other bitulithic material at the rate of 1½-2 gallons per square yard. After this tarvia is spread, ½" crushed stone in as thin a layer as possible is spread over this surface. This is then thoroughly rolled again and after being thoroughly rolled is covered with one coat of tarvia at about ½ gallon to the yard which we call the sealing coat. Next a very thin layer of clean sharp sand is scattered over this surface and worn in by traffic.

I have known a road constructed in this manner to lay for almost twenty years without any further treatment than occasional coating of tarvia and sand. I believe a road of this nature is one of the least expensive that any cemetery can build. Concrete for road construction in my judgment in a cemetery is unnecessary, except in special cases where grades are so steep that a roller will not work efficiently. We have such a problem and are building this small piece of road according to the Mass. State Highway Specification.

About twelve years ago after completing a road, I remember the roller engineer telling me that we had so improved the grade on this particular piece of road that he only required one half the steam pressure to go over the hill that he had to have before; what this means in the saving of foot power and horse power I will leave to your imagination but I'll wager that the foot power or horse power saved will never be known to the ones who are using this highway. However, this thought should never prevent us from doing all our construction work as the best engineering science demands it should be done.
 
WATER SUPPLY: Due to the large amount of vegetation which is an essential part of a good cemetery, a water supply is very necessary equipment and a great many cemeteries for this reason have their own pumping stations. At Mount Auburn Cemetery this equipment includes 28-2½" driven wells varying in depth from 52' to 125'. It is a fact that practically all water from driven wells contains a large amount of iron and iron in water for cemetery purposes is very undesirable for the reason that it discolors all stonework with which it comes in contact.

By means of aerating equipment the iron in the water is readily oxidized, the water then flows over charcoal beds and sand filters which not only entirely remove the iron but also other impurities that may be in the water. From the sand filters the water flows into a clear water basin and is then pumped up to the reservoir where it flows into the mains to all parts of the grounds. There are also fountains and ornamental sprays which if used in connection with the water supply of a city would probably be considered 'an unnecessary luxury. The Pumping Station contains a low lift pump driven by a 5 Horse Power Electric Motor which pumps the water from the wells to the aerator and onto the charcoal and filter beds and also a high lift pump driven by a 25 horse power motor which pumps the water from the clear water basin up to the reservoir. Both pumps are automatic in control being governed by floats actuating electric switches.

CONCRETE: At the present time concrete more than any other material is being used in modern constructions and engineering work. In our case concrete is used as follows: Foundations for monuments and mausoleums, for paths, roads, chimneys, benches and greenhouse constructions. Our Half Hardy House is practically all concrete and we have a concrete wall 10' high around one half mile of the cemetery which at the present time due to its adaptability not only protects that part of the grounds particularly well but because of its lending itself so well for planting purposes is more ornamental than any form of cemetery fence which I have seen. The only wall that possibly equals a concrete wall for protection and ornamentation would be of brick construction such as one sees in English gardens but this would be more expensive and not as durable.

CREMATORY: I am in accord with the late James Currie of Milwaukee, that the day is not far distant, in fact, may be said to be already here when no cemetery of any importance will be fully prepared to accommodate its patrons if not equipped with a crematory as a medium for the disposal of the dead.

The cemetery and crematory should not be considered as standing in opposite and antagonistic positions and that cremation is not inimicable but in reality conducive to the prosperity of a cemetery."

The crematory at Mount Auburn Cemetery consists of a well designed chapel, the upper part of which contains an organ, vestry and all the necessary background for holding: proper services. In the basement of this building are tour retorts capable of taking care of twenty-five to thirty bodies in one day. In back of the retorts towards the rear of the building is a subterranean passage about 40' in length and leading northerly away from the main building, this enters into a building which is made entirely of concrete and which is wholly underground except the glass skylight overhead which measures 12' x 10'. In this engine room is a centrifugal compressor which is capable of delivering 1600 feet of free air a minute to the retorts above. This is operated by a 25 Horse Power electric motor being supplied with current from the local Electric Light Company. As an auxiliary on the opposite side of the engine room is a gas engine coupled to a Root's blower which can be used if the electricity should for some reason not be available. Just outside of the engine room but adjacent to it is a heating plant for all buildings of the crematory unit. This uses oil as fuel, is automatically operated and as a matter of fact is the best heating unit we have in connection with the whole cemetery.

The efficient operation of a crematory is maintained by a knowledge of chemistry as regards combustion and fuel oil; the design and operation necessitates engineering skill which shall assure the elimination of objectionable features, maintain quietness and speed in operation and the creation in the immediate vicinity of an atmosphere which will reflect peace and quietness which is so essential for the people who at this time require the use of this equipment.

MECHANICAL: The necessity for mechanical knowledge in the maintenance of plant equipment is illustrated every day in the ordinary operation of a cemetery and I think is evident in the things which I have enumerated.

CHEMISTRY: In the healthy upkeep of the vegetation which covers so much area, a knowledge of as much chemistry as will lead to successful spraying and fumigation to hold in check or to eliminate entirely insect pests and diseases which are apparently always evident, is certainly a desirable asset for the cemetery manager or his assistants to have.

I am inclined to believe that the average man does not realize that the conducting of a cemetery is a technical business requiring training, skill and experience and the primary purpose of this paper is to show in part some of the technical features involved in the establishing and maintaining of a cemetery as required under present conditions.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 40th Annual Convention
Memphis, TN
October 11, 12 and 13, 1926

The men present today represent two of the oldest practices known to mankind—burial and cremation. Those of you who are especially interested in the history of your craft can find many remarkable examples of both methods. I need not recount them to you. The pyramids, Taj Mahal, cave burial—all these have their own connotation.

Cremation has been traced to the early Aryans, from whom all white men have descended. And, probably, most of you know that the word "Aryan" means "the race that moves onward and upward."

The speaker has looked up the history of cremation and found evidence from the earliest periods. Ancient India cremated. Many early Indian tribes, the earliest Scandinavians, Huns, Greeks, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Lombards and Israelites. Saul, the first king of Israel, together with his three sons was cremated after the battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, 990 BC: "All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh and burnt them there." And the beloved Buddha was cremated, his ashes divided into 7 parts and 7 sacred temples erected in as many different widely separated locations.

The first cremation of the white race in the United States, of which we find record, is that of Colonel William Henry Laurens, member of George Washington's staff, who was cremated in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792, in accordance with his wishes. Two weeks later, another member of George Washington's staff died, and was likewise cremated upon a burial pyre in a beautiful garden.

So far as we can discover, the first crematory was built by Dr. Julius Lemoyne in Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1876. The first person cremated in this crematorium was Baron LePalm, in the same year. (Dr. Lemoyne had built this crematorium for the cremation of his own body—he was so strongly averse to burial.) The popular disapproval of this innovation was so active that police reserves were called out in New York City to allow the departure of the body. The furnace was the old fashioned coke, preheated type, 24 hours to heat, 2 hours to cremate and another 24 hours to cool. A tablet in memory of this beginning of the modern cremation movement has been placed on this little brick crematory by the Cremation Association of America by Dr. Hugo Erichsen, its founder.

The public crematorium movement was really started by the sons of Dr. Corey of Buffalo, New York. Dr. Corey, somewhere about the early eighties, died in Europe and was cremated in an Italian crematorium. His sons, upon return to Buffalo, decided to organize the Buffalo Crematorium for public use. They brought the Italian workmen and materials from Europe and installed a wood alcohol, gas producing and burning retort, which was used intermittently with gas supply to date. Of the various systems of cremation more later.
Perhaps, you will be interested in a few brief statistics of the cremation movement in this and other countries. In Scandinavia, there were 2,757 cremations in 1927 and in 1928 there were 3,207. Germany, much better organized had 48,369 cremations in 1928 and a total of 437,591 cremations since 1892. Czech Slovakia has swung into the cremation movement since the war and with the modest beginning of 83 cremations in 1918 they have recorded 4,090 in 1928. It is very interesting to note that the number of cremations by religion are kept over there, 50% of the cremations were Roman Catholic and 8% Protestant. Mussolini has disapproved of cremation in Italy, although there are 2 score crematories, you know that anything of which Mussolini disapproves dies of anemia.

Now in the United States, as you will see by the report, of the statistical committee of the Cremation Association, the growth of cremation has been constant. The four-year period, ending in 1928, shows 101,467. Partial report.

Now, as to methods used. The earliest crematoriums all followed one general method. With coal or coke or wood, they heated a chamber to incandescence, then introduced the body, either in casket or on a slab, and reduced it to its mineral elements by radiant heat. The principle exterior evidences of this system were a very high stack, lots of smoke, delivery of tons or cords of fuel. The interior evidences were the sound of shoveling, the roar of burning and blowers and the white-heated furnace. One had to be a 100% cremationist in those days to face all of these horrors.

With the discovery of crude oil for industrial purposes, some one proposed the possibility of cremation by oil fire. With tremendous heat available at short notice, this permitted the cremation of bodies which were placed in an unheated furnace. The earliest furnaces for this purpose were, I think, those originated by the superintendent of Cypress Lawn Cemetery, San Francisco—Mr. Davidson. He got up a tremendous pressure of either steam or air and fired oil flame directly upon the body. Yes, it would cremate the body, but with most unpleasant circumstances. This system was carried to the Hawaiian Islands, to Sacramento, Seattle and other places. And, speaking from the standpoint of one who is devoted to the cause of cremation, I am compelled to say that it had nothing to recommend it, except economy. The same high stack was required and there was more smoke, more noise and worse yet, pieces of cloth from the casket and clothing floated lightly out of the smoke stack and spread over the landscape.

I am not sure who started the gas cremation, but I think this was Frank Gibson, who used artificial gas, firing on the body directly and carrying the fumes and smoke to a separate chamber to be further consumed. The gas had the virtue of making less noise and less smoke, but the fuel cost, even with the most modern apparatus, runs from $2.50 to $8 per case. The roar is still there.

Electrical cremation was tried by surrounding the casket chamber inside with resistance metal. Mechanical difficulties developed and this was abandoned 15 years ago, only to be tried again in southern California, and again abandoned by one new plant, because of its cost, the duration of the process, the smoke and odor from incomplete combustion.

I have studied this whole situation many years and have decided that the ideal system would be somewhat as follows:—there should be no stack or at best, a very low one, there should be no noise, the furnace should not be preheated, the casket and body should be placed in the furnace without dismantling of any sort. There should be no smoke and no firing directly on the body. All this has been accomplished as you will see in California—at Fresno, San Bernardino, Oakland, Long Beach.

So much for methods. Any paragraph of this could be expended into an hour's discussion. In the early days of cremation, the sanitary appeal was made. The protection for water supplies, the evidence of decomposition either in the ground or in mausoleums. These emphases have been almost wholly abandoned. The cremationists are following the modern trend and the accent is now on the aesthetic element. If you will study the records of the different crematoriums, you will find that it is those which are beautiful, which minister to a sense of peace, which are making the greatest gains.

And right here, let me speak about your own craft as cemetery men, a little while,—so far as I have investigated the matter, there has been no propaganda in favor of earth burial. Cemeteries have not made advance to meet the competition of the modern crematorium and mausoleum. The average cemetery office is a dull place with musty records and old fashioned procedure, whereas the average mausoleum or crematorium has become the place of light, cheer and beauty.

I want you cemetery men to realize that the real competition is not between the cemetery, crematorium and mausoleum—the real competition is for the consumer's dollar, between the mortuary craft and the other crafts. Americans, particularly, have surplus money to spend for luxuries, so called and the real problem of the 3 phases of our mortuary craft is to so elevate in the minds of the public the appreciation of the memorials, that they will establish beautiful places of memory. The time has gone by, when the cemetery men should depreciate the value of what the crematory man has to offer and the converse. To put it in the language of the theatre—the people really decide on the following typical formula: "Shall we have a burial lot, a new Buick, or a baby?" What form of happiness shall we invest in?

To survive in the modern competition where the genius of the artist, and the artisan and engineer, the architect, the real estate salesman is manifested in a million tempting ways, the mortuary craft must do likewise, for after all, the most prosperous craft will be that which makes the most compelling appeal. Ugliness is on the way out, drudgery is obsolete and a new era of beauty in all things has come.

Let any man here go home to his work and ask himself this question, looking it fairly in the face:—"Is my place early Victorian, or earlier than that? Do people come to me only when they have to, or do they love to come, because of what I have to offer in ministry?" Just as the old grocery with its spilled sugar and salt, its dripping kerosene can its barrel of vinegar, has gone out, just so the musty cemetery vault, the dull and dank chapel, the ancient office and the ancient attitude are a thing of the past.

Contrary to the general opinion, the gross and net returns for each cremation case are greater than for every burial. This result is only attained, however; by having everything modern in crematorium, columbarium and urn displays. You will also be interested in knowing that in some eastern cemeteries, notably Mt. Auburn in Boston, organized in 1839, there are more cremations than burials.

I know that every man here wants to be a master in his work and maybe, in these few moments left me, I can give some suggestions of what we can do. First of all, it is proper to say that a first class cemetery or crematorium man has an opportunity to express his finest quality of mind and heart. He must be more things to more people than he perhaps realizes. In forestry, horticulture, civil engineering, architecture, accounting, human contacting and in those fine, high spiritual qualities of leadership which lift his craft above the crowd, the cemetery man has a life time task. Cemeteries, mausoleums, columbarium should be full of the meanings of joy, of "beginning again"; of symbols of faith, of transforming by renewing of mind. Tall or thin, dark or light, Jewish, Christian, foreign or native, you yourself can stand above the crowd by developing your attribute of service to a higher degree; join American aristocracy of service.

But I think that if one would search for a single phrase in which one could concentrate all qualities and all capacities needed, it would be that—that the mortuary craft should be regarded as a ministry, in its highest and most noble sense. This, then, means that whether you operate a nonprofit or commercial institution, the ministry of beauty shall enter in every possible appeal—in the sound of music, of falling water and of songs of birds; in beauty of form, whether of landscaping or architecture, arrangement of road or path, in shape of urn; in spire and tower, in light. In the ministry of finance, wherein devoted men would endow and perpetuate these abodes of memory and in the ministry of love through service of personal understanding and sympathy.

May I, in closing, outline to you the ideal crematorium and columbarium? In outward appearance—of charming dignity, and preferably, church-like buildings (with no stack nor exterior evidence of cremation, either of sound or odor visible) in which one would love to enter, the chapel bright with the cheer of not only its form, but also its color, the song of birds, the music of beautiful organs. A Memorial columbarium should have no dark corners in it. Indoor gardens will lift it from the common place; the niches themselves should be very substantial, the urns well selected as to form and inscription, the walls adorned with messages of cheer from the Scriptures and poets; sunshine should enter, fountains add their note, and where possible, gardens should open to the outdoors. Our own California Crematorium, in Oakland, has huge glass and steel rolling skylights, which roll back allowing the sun and fresh air to enter.

But all this is just material. In addition, there should be a staff of conscientious, high-minded employees, who are devoted to the establishment and maintenance of a beautiful memorial.

Of course, behind all this, there shall be records accurately kept, funds administered with integrity, and a devotion to the things of the spirit.

And now, curiously, I shall place my text last, and it is this—taken from Cicero:—Memory is the treasurer and guardian of all things." For of our dead it has been said"

They have but put off their shoes,
Softly to walk by day within our thoughts,
To tread, at night,
Our dreamed paths of sleep.

They are not dead who live in hearts they leave behind,
In those whom they have blest they live again,
And shall have eternal life. And grow each day more beautiful as time declares their good,
Forgets the rest and proves their immortality.

Therefore I have fulfilled my appointment to speak of cremation and crematories by saying that cremation and niche interment now called inurnment, is one of three ways to memorialize the dead and foster in lives and hearts of men and women, memories which are the treasures and guardian of all things.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Convention
Los Angeles, CA
September 3, 4, 5 and 6, 1929

Developed in 1998 by the Government and Legal Affairs Task Force of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association 

BACKGROUND 

The specifics associated with cremation are issues of concern to the funeral service industry who performs this vital service and to the consuming public. Therefore, the consumer should have a clear understanding of what is entailed during the cremation process. The consumer should be assured that certain standards are upheld during all phases of the cremation process to preserve the dignity of the human remains and to ensure that the crematory is complying with applicable laws.

This guideline is confined to the handling of human remains in conjunction with the cremation process and does not cover various other considerations surrounding cremation, including the final disposition of the cremated remains.

PRINCIPLES 

1.) Upon taking custody of the human remains, the crematory authority should verify that the cremation container bears some means of identification of the deceased and is accompanied by the proper documentation.

2.) Cremation is an irreversible process and as such should not be performed until the proper documentation has been provided to the crematory authority. Accordingly, a cremation may be delayed for a reasonable period of time after death, in which case a holding facility should be utilized until such time as the cremation occurs.

3.) During the cremation process, crematory operators may have to open the cremation chamber and reposition the human remains in order to facilitate and complete a thorough cremation, which should not be construed as desecration or abuse of human remains.

4.) The crematory authority should not simultaneously cremate more than one human remains in the same cremation chamber unless it has written authorization to do so by the authorizing agent of each human remains to be cremated. The crematory authority should be held harmless for the intentional commingling of cremated remains resulting from these authorized multiple cremations.

5.) Even with the exercise of reasonable care and the crematory operator's best efforts, it is not possible to recover all particles of the cremated remains from the cremation chamber. Therefore, some particles may remain in the cremation chamber as residue and become commingled with residue of other cremated remains remaining in the cremation chamber. Such residue may be disposed of by the crematory authority in any lawful manner it deems appropriate.

6.) The removal of dental gold before, during, or after the cremation process should not be permitted.

7.) In the event that the cremated remains are unclaimed for a stated period of time, the crematory authority should send a letter by registered mail to the authorizing agent. If the cremated remains are unclaimed for a specified period of time after such written notification is mailed, the crematory authority should dispose of unclaimed cremated remains in any proper manner, and be held harmless for this action.

8.) The crematory authority should be allowed to adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the management and operation of the crematory and the procedures for handling human remains, providing that such rules and regulations conform with relevant statutes.

9.) The cemetery authority, crematory authority, direct disposer, funeral establishment, or related businesses, should be held harmless in connection with the authorized cremation of the deceased, when relying upon the identification and disclosures provided by the authorizing agent and acting in good faith upon the instructions of the authorizing agent.

See Also: HANDLING OF HUMAN REMAINS IN CONJUNCTION WITH FINAL DISPOSITION

Everybody who nowadays undertakes to look into the facts about cremation in the United States sooner or later comes across a table of figures showing at a glance the number and place of all the cremations that have taken place here since that form of disposal of the dead first began to come into favor, twenty or twenty-five years ago. I first saw this table two years ago. It was in a monograph concerning the public health of this country, by Dr. S. H. Abbott of the Massachusetts State Board of Health, and it was being made ready to be sent to the Paris Exposition. Dr. Abbott added only a few words of explanation to the table; the lack of historical matter to explain the figures attracted the attention of the editor of the Boston Transcript, and under his direction it became my duty to compile a newspaper article which reviewed in some detail the rise and growth of cremation up to that time. It was the publication of that article, I suppose, which attracted the attention of the Cambridge member of your committee (who happened at that time to be making ready to open a new crematory in his own cemetery at Mt. Auburn) and led him recently to ask me to do a little more compiling. What he wanted me to do was that, as an outsider, I should try again to summarize the incoming of the cremation idea in a paper here today.

As soon as I started in the matter, I was interested to see how widely the table of figures I mentioned has been circulated since it was published in that monograph by Dr. Abbott. It has been copied in pamphlets after having been printed in newspapers and it has been reprinted abroad; and after having been brought up to date by recent returns from the cremation reports, it is now published as a regular feature of the annual report of the Board of Health of the city of Boston. Probably everybody in the room has seen the table in some form. Filled out with the figures which I myself obtained through the assistance of crematory superintendents within the last few weeks, it shows that whereas there was only one crematory for the entire country twenty years ago, with two or three incinerations per year, there are now twenty-six crematories and a yearly average of about 2,500 incinerations. The number of crematories has doubled within the last ten years and new ones are now being planned. To get a definite idea of the increase in popularity of cremation since the practice was introduced here, think of these totals for the entire country: In the year 1884, only 16; in 1891, 471; ten years later, in 1901, 2,646. The increase was about 100 cremations per annum from 1890 to 1893; about 150 per annum from 1893 to 1897, and from 1897 to 1901, it was about 285 per annum.

For the first fifteen years, the total annual cremations for the United States were below 500. In three years the total had climbed to the thousand mark and it took only four years to run up to 2,000 or more annually. It has stood above 2,000 for three years and this year, if the present rate continues, the total will be for the first time above 3,000. I was curious to see how the number of cremations in some of the larger cities compared with the total population and number of deaths in those cities. It was impossible to get a fair comparison because the bodies incinerated at a given crematory may come from outside the district for which the death figures are given. But here are the comparisons; they may be taken for what they are worth.

1901
CITY POPULATION DEATHS CREMATIONS
St. Louis 598,000 10,601 135
New York and Brooklyn 3,304,750 86,578 654
Chicago 1,754,025 24,406 183
Philadelphia 1,321,408 24,137 118
Boston 573,579 11,300 290

1900
London 4,589,129 86,007 301
Glasgow 755,730 15,424 20

1899
Paris 2,511,639 50,511 5,825

A glance at the progress in Italy is interesting. Milan had the first crematory of modern times there, and it was established in 1876. Next year a crematory was opened in Lodi and from then until 1883, these two were the only buildings of the kind in the country, while at the same time, Germany's first was opened at Gotha in 1878 and remained the only one there until 1891; England's first was at London in 1885; Sweden's at Stockholm in 1887; France's at Paris in 1889; Switzerland's in the same year at Zurich, and Denmark's not until 1893 at Copenhagen. In 1883, 1884 and 1885, Italy's list lengthened rapidly, making a gain of twelve in these three years. After that the gain was at the rate of one or two new crematories each year down to 1897, the date of the most recent available figures, when there were twenty-seven crematories in Italy alone.

A summary of the cremations in Europe and America since the establishment of modern crematories is afforded by a table recently published by the Cincinnati Cremation Company.
The figures were:

Country Crematories Cremations
United States 25 13,281
Italy 27 4,110
Germany 5 4,261
Great Britain 7 2,482
Sweden 2 721
Switzerland 2 719
France 2 2,245
Denmark 1 146
--- --------
United States, Europe 71 27,965

Now, the remarkable thing about this development of the cremation idea is that it has all come within the last thirty years. So far as the many books and pamphlets on the subject show, it was in New York City in 1873 that a small group of people began to agitate the desirability of cremation instead of earth burial as a means of disposing of the dead; and their agitation appears to have been the first to attract attention in this country. Even then, what they did appears to have been little more than to draw up a paper which all signed, making a public declaration in favor: of cremation. There was an effort to form a joint stock company to enable them to put their ideas in practice, but under the stress of the great financial panic of that year, interest in the cremation idea was lost sight of and no company was formed. Yet the effect of this New York agitation was not to be lost for what the New Yorkers failed to accomplish through a stock company, a certain Dr. Le Moyne (who, is likely to be frequently mentioned where this subject is discussed as the father of cremation in this country), accomplished by his own private enterprise three years later when in 1876, he built at Washington, Pennsylvania the first crematory in the United States. It was a crude affair, judged by present day ideals; and although it was intended primarily for the incineration of the owner's own body, he seems to have been willing to allow its use for others as a means of education, for between the years 1876 and 1883 while that crematory was the only one in the country, it was the means of twenty-five cremations. In 1884, a company that had been formed opened the crematory at Lancaster, PA, which was the first public building of its kind in the country. In this building there were three incinerations that first year, with thirteen in Dr. Le Moyne's building. In the following year, 1885, the Lancaster crematory disposed of thirty-six bodies and the doctor's practically went out of use, for in the entire seventeen years since then there have been only five incinerations at the Le Moyne crematory.

The cremation idea was spreading notably in the early eighties. The year 1885 saw crematories established in New York and Buffalo in the following year, another was opened at Pittsburg and in 1887 the opening of others (at Detroit, Cincinnati and on the Pacific slope at Los Angeles) began to afford a fair distribution of cremation facilities among the centers of population. At the same time, there were forming in various cities, cremation societies, some of them like the New England Cremation Society, with the object of educating and pledging their members to the idea of cremation and presenting the arguments in favor of that form of disposal of the dead, while other societies were formed with the object of providing the actual means of incineration, like the Massachusetts Cremation, Society here in this State. Stock companies with insurance features also began to spring up. These societies were active agencies for publishing and spreading broadcast pamphlets and newspaper matter describing the process of incineration, and urging on every occasion the sanitary cleanliness of destruction of the body by fire as against the gradual dissolution in the grave. A periodical was started to keep the news and statistics of the subject always available, and as time went on, a brief history of cremation in the United States was widely circulated, in pamphlet form, as a good argument in favor of the practice.

Some of this early literature was rather gruesome, to say the least. Take the paper mentioned above. It did not scruple to vary its treatment of the favorite subject from a manner that was becomingly serious to one that was jovial, even jocular. It had its various departments, editorials, dissertations, addresses, news and statistics, even jokes, all bearing on cremation and it may be said that the joke maker, once let loose did not have to go far afield for his material when dealing with the subject of dissolution by fire. The title of one article, "From the Diary of a Corpse," gives an idea of one way in which the journal attempted to convert its readers from the custom of earth-burial. But after the first years of the agitation, it was not necessary to resort to such startling ways of winning converts. Familiarity with the methods of cremation, especially the modernization and refinement of these methods, seem to have been sufficient to win a constantly increasing number of believers. A long paper could be written on the popular objections to cremation, and the ways in which they have been or are being gradually surmounted. Among the principal objections, there was at first the natural prejudice of people long familiar with earth burial to any change at all in what seemed almost a sacred rite. With this was involved a shrinking from the idea of subjecting the body of a loved one to any such sudden, and, as it might seem, violent, destruction as that• obtained by flame. Then there was the religious objection based on the supposition, urged at first by many eminent clergy, that the resurrection of the body could hardly be looked forward to, if instead of being buried in the earth according to time honored custom, the body were to be practically "annihilated" through the agency of fire. And finally, there was the belief that if bodies were to be destroyed by cremation, the result would be to encourage crimes of violence, on account of the fact that, in cases of cremation, the authorities would have absolutely no opportunity of obtaining any kind of evidence from a body once disposed of, as they do have in cases of earth burial. There have been long and ardent controversies over these objections, in times past, but we see and hear little of them at present. That first prejudice against destruction by fire is disappearing. No longer is the statement in a newspaper funeral notice that "the body was cremated" deemed worthy of amplification with all the details, and no longer does it excite more than a brief comment. As for the resurrection argument, the believers in cremation have met it by bringing forward, in some form or other, the reply of Canon Liddon, that "the resurrection of the body from its ashes is not a greater miracle than the resurrection of an un-burnt body as disintegrated by the grave; each must be purely miraculous." And the legal argument has been met largely on the part of crematory managers themselves by requiring very specific certification as to the identity of the body presented for cremation and the cause of death before allowing the body to be placed in the retort. At the same time, the advocates of cremation have been making the most of the argument that their method of disposing of the dead does away with danger to the public health from overcrowded cemeteries in thickly populated city districts minimizes the danger of grave desecration and contrasts the purifying influence of fire against the revolting phases of grave dissolution. Mote than all this, perhaps the simplification and refinement of the method of cremation has done much to make the idea more popular. Crematories, at first crude, and erected with comparatively little attempt to prevent them from bearing a resemblance to ordinary industrial establishments, are now coming to be so designed that their architecture and their surroundings shall give no offense to those who resort to them, and also that noise and all suggestion of the mechanical process involved shall be even more completely eliminated than would be the case if a body were being lowered into a grave and covered with earth.

Apparently there has been an improvement, too, in the actual handling of a body in the process of incineration. In some of the earlier crematories, it had been required that before entering the retort, a body should be removed from the coffin and wrapped in alum-soaked sheets. The control of the flame in the retort was also ill-adapted to its purpose. But in recent years, these difficulties have been overcome; the flame introduced into the modern retort is a pure, white flame of vaporized oil, driven with a great pressure of air, so that it plays over and about the body with an intense heat that accomplishes dissolution in the course of about one hour; and in the most modern crematories, apparently no such feature as the removal of the body from its coffin is tolerated, but (except that all metal such as ornaments and coffin handles, is removed) the coffin with the body is placed in the retort exactly as received at the crematory. The way in which Mount Auburn cemetery took up cremation shows something of the increase in popularity of that form of disposing of the dead. A crematory was provided there merely to meet a growing demand, not because the proprietors or others interested had any desire to foster cremation at the expense of other methods. Yet, in the ordinary nature of things, the cemetery had found it necessary to provide not only lots for earth burial, but vaults and tombs as well, according to the varying preferences of those who had dealings with it; and as the popularity of incineration increased, the new method had to be recognized. The old chapel, unused since the completion of the new lone, offered a building which could be conveniently made over into a crematory, and the work of remodeling began in the fall of 1899. The exterior of granite was left untouched, but all the woodwork of the interior was pulled out, and replaced entire with ornamental fireproof brick. From the spacious chapel on the main floor, which is used in connection with cremations only, to the waiting rooms in front of the furnace doors below, everything is of fireproof brick or stone even to the stair railings. Even the slates on the roof are nailed to terra-cotta, in the arched and vaulted chapel there is space sufficient for niches to accommodate urns for the ashes of almost 50,000 bodies, whereas the total number of earth burials in the cemetery in all the years of its existence has been less than 35,000. Thus the chapel will in time become a columbarium of extensive proportions and as the charge for each urn space in edifices of this sort ranges up to $150, the rentals are expected to provide a fund sufficient for the maintenance of the building.

Down a winding stairway from this columbarium, one finds oneself in the furnace room, wondering how anything could be more suited to its purpose, and at the same time, less repugnant to those compelled to follow the body of a dear one thither, than that clean, plain, brick apartment. Only the two iron doors of the furnaces are suggestive, but the guide, opening them, shows merely a clean vault of fireproof material, with no apparent opening through which fire could come. The consuming element here is an oil flame with which air under considerable pressure is mixed, filling the chamber with an intense but perfectly clean flame, which literally dissipates the body into vapor, except for a small quantity of ashes from the bones. Nothing could be cleaner. Much care has been taken at Mount Auburn to get rid of all noise which might mar the solemnity of a service at the crematorium. The building itself situated on the slope of the hill a quarter of a mile from the entrance, is removed from any ordinary sounds from the street; and the coffin once placed on the altar in the middle of the chapel has merely to be lowered to the floor below to be directly in front of the furnace. Unchanged, it is easily lifted into the retort; the iron door is closed, and then a heavy screen of fire clay, lowered into place just inside the door, shuts off sound as well as heat from the interior. The necessary engine and air compressor is placed a hundred feet away from the furnaces, at the foot of the slope, in order that no noise or jarring from the machinery shall be audible to those participating ill the service, and the engineer can pass between the engine room and the furnace room by means of an underground tunnel. The doors separating the space behind the furnaces from the rooms in front are all double for the purpose of shutting out all noise. Such arrangements show to what an extent of refinement the cremation process has been reduced. Yet the cost of incineration is said to be, as a rule, about half the cost of earth burial. Cremation prices vary. Baltimore and Pittsburg crematories charge $40 for an incineration; one of the San Francisco crematories has reduced the price to $10; but the average charge is about $25 for an adult and $15 for a child.

It seems hardly too much to expect that with these low charges for expense, and the constantly, increasing necessity for finding some way to relieve the crowding of cemeteries in the great cities, the growth in the practice of cremation will continue, and that this peculiar use of fire as a purifying agent (a use which took its origin in the first stages of human culture; was almost universal at the opening of the Christian era; but was driven out from among European nations by the early conception of the resurrection doctrine), may, in time, refined by modern methods, come once more into practically universal favor.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the16th Annual Convention
Held at Boston, MA
August 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1902