168 
PARK AND 
CEMETERY. 
& 
rS 
MONUMENT WRENCHED BY 
EARTHQUAKE, SAN FRANCISCO. 
Turkish Cemetery Monuments 
The recent revolution in Turkey 
lends particular interest to the curious 
Turkish cemeteries encountered by 
the traveler in the Empire. 
The Turk uses no coffin, but shortly 
after death, the friends wash the body 
and wrap it in a winding sheet. Then 
it is set on a bier, and escorted to 
the mosque. Every passerby lends a 
hand at this bearing of the corpse, 
for it is regarded as a good act for 
the faith. 
There on the portico, hired wailers 
gather about and beat their breasts, 
while others distribute alms to the 
poor. 
Then the body is taken to burial. 
It is laid upon the bare earth, and this 
then is filled in. Over it is set the 
monument. Usually that is the mer- 
est rock or boulder, though occasion- 
ally it may be a pillar. With the bet- 
ter class, a turban of stone is carved 
FREAK BRUSH BETTERING ON A 
WOODEN CROSS. 
SOME FREAK 
MONUMENTS 
around this to indicate a man’s grave 
from a woman’s. 
Often, however, there will be a 
“tomb” effect, and a heavily carved 
headstone, such as shown in our pic- 
ture. 
The cemeteries, nevertheless, are 
left to sad neglect; brooks wander 
through them, scattering stones hel- 
ter-skelter, as may be seen in the il- 
lustration, and dogs make of them 
their lairs for bringing up their young. 
Again and again these dogs may be 
seen crunching human bones washed 
out by the last freshet. 
Tree Growing Around a Headstone 
Last spring the old Mount Ida 
Cemetery, one of the familiar land- 
marks of Troy, disclosed itself in a 
form in which it has not appeared in 
many years. The clearing of the 
dense undergrowth, which was com- 
pleted late last fall, left the old bury- 
ing ground in a rather barren state. 
The removal of the rubbish and 
rank undergrowth, made possible 
through the generosity of Mrs. Rus- 
sell Sage, has brought to light many 
names long since forgotten that recall 
some interesting memories of Troy 
as it was back in the “twenties, thir- 
ties and forties.” 
During the last few months a new 
interest has been aroused in the old 
burying place. A majority of the 
tombstones have fallen from lack of 
care, but there is one which did not, 
or could not, in fact, for it is held 
up by the trunk of a tree. It is that 
of Thomas G. Perkins. Behind the 
headstone a small elm tree had sprung 
up, so close that when the tree grew 
its trunk, near the roots, did not have 
room to spread, and so it embraced 
the stone, making it impossible for 
the marker to fall. Our illustration 
shows a view of this strange head- 
stone overgrown by a tree. 
* * « 
Unique Lettering 
William Loefffer, of the Capital 
City Monumental Works, Washington, 
D. C., sends us the photograph of 
this example of artistic lettering on 
wood that he has run across in his 
travels. It is a startling example of 
what the artist with paint brush and 
hatchet can fashion to cheat the stone 
cutter of his rightful earnings. 
The brush artist went at it with a 
will, and put on some remarkable 
flourishes in imitation of tracing. 
TREE GROWING AROUND A 
HEADSTONE, TROY, N. Y. ' J 
Souvenir of the Earthquake 
At the time of the San Francisco 
earthquake great damages were 
wrought in the different cemeteries. 
The most of the damage has been re- 
paired at a vast outlay. But there is 
one exception. In one of the prin- 
cipal cemeteries stands a “monumen- 
tal” souvenir of the great disaster. A 
granite monument, about 18 feet high, 
remains untouched — left just as it 
stood after the quake. Why this 
monument has never yet been re- 
paired no one seems to know — in fact, 
no one seems to claim it. So violent 
was the shock that the cement hold- 
ing the blocks was loosened and the 
heavy stones twisted out of position. 
It is now quite generally regarded 
as a relic or souvenir of the quake and 
will doubtless be left un-repaired as a 
curiosity. 
ELABORATE MONUMENT AND 
TOTTERING HEADSTONES IN 
TURKISH’ CEMETERY. 
