HARK AND CEMETERY. 
I3y 
M'ooden stakes, ^ve. have a planting space 
of two feet wide running entirely around 
the section, a lot 20 feet or more in depth 
hack of that, another lot 18 feet or more in 
depth further back and adjoining it, and a 
walk four feet in width running entirely 
around the section and parallel with the 
drive connected at convenient intervals by 
cross ■walks with the drives. These lots 
will none of them be square, although where 
the drive does not curve very much they 
are approximate rectangles and the stronger 
the curve of the drive the more wedge 
shaped they 'wull be. Enclosed by this walk 
is the center area of the section and the aim 
should be to divide this area into rectangu- 
lar plots of sizes adapted to meet the re- 
quirements of the lot buyers. Unless this 
part of the section is very desirable and 
is well elevated, it is proper to subdivide 
it into small lots, in so far as they are 
needed. Our own practice in regard to very 
small plots — that is, three and four grave 
lots — is to lay out lots 17 feet front and 
IS feet in depth. These can be redivided 
into halves making two 6 grave lots, or into 
quarters, making four 3 grave lots, or into 
two spaces 9 by 11 and one space 6 by 18, 
making three 4 grave lots; all of these 
small lots of course, to be sold without the 
monument privilege. A lot on which a mon- 
ument is to be erected should not be less 
than 20 feet in depth and the maximum 
frontage should not be less than 11 feet. 
This width is almost too narrow, however, 
unless on each side of the lot a no monu- 
ment lot is laid out. Two monument lots 
11 feet front and adjoining each other will 
bring the monuments less than 10 feet apart, 
which is certainly an objectionable practice. 
In the no monument lot the size of 11 by IS 
covers an eight grave lot. or 13 by IS 
covers a ten grave lot; 11 by 20 and 13 Vs 
by 20 make monument lots of similar capac- 
ity. In the better parts of the grounds 12 
by 20 is a more desirable size for an eight 
grave lot and from that on up. 
Careful planning is necessary to avoid as 
far as possible triangular lots or lots with 
long sharp tapering corners. Of course, 
some spaces of this kind will be unavoid- 
able, but it is our practice to cut off these 
sharp corners and throw the small triangles 
into the -walk, leaving spaces which can 
be planted with shrubs or used for waste 
receptacles if surrounded by shrubbery. In 
practice each lot, of course, is given a front- 
age on a w’alk and if two lots are 18 feet 
depth this will make the walks 36 feet 
apart. Cross walks, of course, must be 
provided at intervals. We have not found 
it necessary to make cross walks closer than 
200 feet apart, and have not found 240 or 
even 250 feet very objectionable. One point 
to be remembered in the laying out of all 
lots is to have no curved lines. Curved lot 
lines as laid out by the surveyor by the 
swinging of a radial line, are very objection- 
able and very difficult to re-establish after 
monuments and headstones are erected on 
the lots. If the drive curves very strongly 
so that a straight line drawn from corner 
to corner of the front leaves too much 
width in the planting space, one or two 
points may be set in along the roadway two 
feet from its edge and straight lines may 
be drawn connecting them, the idea being 
to have every boundary line of a lot a 
straight line, which can always be verified 
and the points replaced if necessary. In the 
case of a circular section, which, by the 
way, is an abomination, points may be set 
at frequent intervals, maintaining the cir- 
cular edge of the roadway, but making the 
lot an octagon of similar figure. Small 
triangular sections, which are always to be 
avoided when possible, or if they are used 
must be sold at a very high price in order 
to reimburse for the waste ground and the 
additional driveway, may be laid out by 
erecting perpendiculars from the center of 
each of the three sides to meet at a middle 
point, making three lots. The pointed ends 
of other sections may. of course, be thrown 
into one lot in this way. 
In laying out walks, due regard must be 
had for the general direction of the travel. 
If the natural course of visitors is length- 
ways of the section, then the walks must 
be run largely lengthways, otherwise paths 
will be worn across the lots. It should be 
borne in mind that every foot of ground in 
a walk is not only a loss, but a constant 
future expense for care, and much study 
must be given to so laying out the lots that 
the minimum amount of ground will be 
wasted in walks. 
After all lots are staked temporarily, a 
rough plat or sketch of the section should 
be made, the lots given their proper num- 
bers, and concrete corner posts prepared 
and set at the outside corners, or such other 
markers as may be decided on. The inside 
corners may be marked by white topped 
terra cotta markers. The plan in force for 
marking lots with us, which has worked 
exceedingly well and saved much time by 
reason of the visitors being able to find 
the lots •without having some one sent to 
show them the way, is to have the outside 
corner posts made eight inches square (we 
should reduce this to about 6 inches, how- 
ever, except for the sake of uniformity, hav- 
ing started on the S-inch basis). Each 
marker contains the word “Sec.” and the 
number of the section. In Addition to that 
the word “Lot” is twice repeated and the 
numbers of two lots, it being set one-half 
in each lot. In this way the visitor by find- 
ing one corner stone knows immediately 
what section he is in. The stones are made 
of concrete 18 inches deep and are faced off 
like a cement sidewalk; the letters and fig- 
ures are properly assembled in a form and 
pressed in at one operation. The expense 
of these posts, set in place, of course, fiush 
with the ground, is about 35c, dependent 
largely on the cost of material, with labor 
at $2.00 per day. It is very strongly to 
be advised that all corner stones be made 
and set at once. The work can be done very 
much cheaper if all are set at once instead 
of setting one by one as the lots are sold, 
there is no subsequent trouble over the loss 
of stakes, no subsequent variation by errors 
in replacing stakes with the stones and if 
the work is done in this way the final sur- 
veying, measuring and platting of the lots 
can be left until the permanent markers 
are in. 
In addition to this it will be found a great 
convenience in showing and selling lots and 
make it possible to largely avoid the ex- 
ceedingly annoying error of showing a man 
one lot and giving him a deed for another 
number. 
If the cemetery is laid out into 200-foot 
squares, the intersections of the lot lines 
with the lines of those 200-foot squares 
can be noted, the lots then measured up and 
platted very readily. 
SINGLE GRAVES. 
Single graves are of two classes; the com- 
mon single grave, which is designed to be 
sold at the very lowest possible price, and 
the select or preferred single grave, ■which 
is practically a small lot for one interment. 
The less desirable parts of the grounds 
should be selected for single grave districts, 
and preferably they should be adjoining the 
boundary of the cemetery and in a location 
where the visitors to the lots will not pass 
by them. They should also, if possible, be 
so located that the crowds of people going 
to and from the single graves wdll not be 
tempted to cross other sections and wear 
paths in the sod. A very large area should 
be provided, if possible, to cover all needs 
in common single graves for many years. 
This should be of sufficient width to take 
50 or more adult graves side by side and 
should adjoin a drive. A very good prac- 
tice is to call this one large lot and to sub- 
divide it into long strips at right angles to 
the drive. These strips are of sufficient 
width to take an adult grave and head- 
stone — that is, eight feet in width and if 
calculated for fifty graves should be 125 
feet long — two and one-half feet being al- 
lowed for each grave space; rough boxes in 
this locality running 26 or 28 inches wide. 
Of course, where the general run of adult 
rough boxes is wider, more space will have 
to be allowed. 
These tiers are numbered generally from 
the south line of the lot north, at Tier 1 
North, Tier 2 North, etc.; the graves in each 
tier being numbered from the drivetvay. An 
eight-inch square corner stone is set along 
the drive at each tier, marked “Sec. , 
Lot , Tier 1 North,” etc. and another 
similar stone should be placed at the other 
end of the tier. By stretching a line be- 
tween these two stones all the graves in 
the tier can be carefully lined up and the 
headstones can easily be set in the proper 
location. The grave spaces being accurately 
maintained, if it is desired to find any grave 
in the tier, no matter if all stakes and other 
markers have disappeared, it is simply a 
case for careful measurement. 
The graves in the tiers are to be marked 
with round cement or tile markers, each 
marker bearing' two numbers; the number 
of the tier above, which will be the same 
for each grave in the tier, and below, the 
number of the grave in the tier, which of 
course will vary for each grave. The de- 
scription of any grave is entered in the grave 
receipt as follows: “Lot , Section , 
Tier North, Grave .” With this 
description and a little explanation it will 
be found that the grave owners can in 
almost all cases locate the gi’ave they are 
looking for, thus saving a very large amount 
of time in the future which would other- 
wise be used in pointing out the location. 
It will be noted in this article that the 
writer pays no attention to laying out the 
grounds for the burial of bodies east and 
west. In the locality of Chicago the old 
idea that all bodies should be buried due 
east and west has been abandoned and no 
attention whatever is paid to the points of 
the compass. The lots face in all direc- 
tions and the burial is made entirely with 
reference to the conditions of the individual 
lot. 
Headstones, of course, in the single grave 
sections will be kept very low, preferably 
not over six inches high will be limited to 
one foot in thickness and not less than 
six inches and should be made six inches 
narrower than the width of the grave — that 
is, 24 inches, or less. 
* Between every four tiers — that is, 32 feet 
apart — four foot walks are placed for drains, 
water pipes and access. ,Of course, this sys- 
tem contemplates that no mounds what- 
ever shall be raised on the common single 
graves. The burials are begun at the polrrt 
farthest from the drive and progress towards 
the drive, to avoid passing over the graves 
already buried. 
The select or preferred graves are a 
higher priced proposition and should be 
of larger area and may be in better loca- 
tions. We have found it a not bad proposi- 
tion to take small lots here and there in 
the cheaper sections of six or eight grave 
capacity and divide them, selling them out 
singly. They being so few in number and 
being maintained in the same w'ay as the 
lot graves, they have not been found to be 
objectionable. (These graves are numbered 
on the same plan as the common singles; 
that is, the description of any grave will 
carry the lot and section number and will 
be Tier North, East or West, as the 
case may be and Grave North, East, or 
West, as the case may be.) 
* * • 
The laying out of lots and, single grave 
districts is not a matter in itself of great 
difficulty although it requires accuracy in 
the making ' of the final plat and very care- 
ful study. Bad judgment used in this work 
is costly, either "when it causes waste of 
ground or when it results in an awkward 
and inconvenient lay out. After the plat 
is recorded and sales are once started in 
the section no changes can be made, hence 
the maxim to be observed is “Make haste 
slowly and .study carefully.” 
