PARK AND CEMETERY. 
i37 
CEMETERY NOTES 
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The board of aldermen of New York have adopted resolu- 
tions requesting the United States government to lay out a na- 
tional cemetery, to which the bodies of the soldiers who have 
fallen in the Spanish war shall be transferred for burial, and to 
erect a monument therein. 
* * * 
A recent improvement at Green Lawn cemetery, Colum- 
bus, O., is a steel bridge spanning the ravine and givingaccess 
to the western portion of the cemetery, in which a new section is 
to be prepared. The bridge has just been completed at a 
cost of $4,500. Considerable improvement is under contem- 
plation by the trustees. 
* * * 
Kalamazoo florists have entered a complaint before the at- 
torney general at Lansing, Mich., that the incorporated ceme- 
tery association of Kalamazoo is competing with them, contrary 
to the statute under which it was organized. The charge is that 
the association seeks not only to furnish graves but flowers to 
cover them. 
* * * 
A Pennsylvania inventor makes the startling proposition to 
introduce porcelain as a material for tombstones. This is too 
radical for calm consideration at present, but as to its durability 
we have only to think of the uses of porcelain among the Chin- 
ese and Japanese, and of their relics of ancient art. Something 
more easily mentally assimilated just now is the idea of the Pitts- 
burgh firm to manufacture glass coffins, which may be hermeti- 
cally sealed. Here is another practically indestructible ma- 
terial, which in the shape of a casket would invite the considera- 
tion of many people who object to contact with mother earth. 
mit, but the borough authorities refused to issue the permit. 
The commanding officer at Willets Point thereupon decided 
to bury the body without a permit, and it was interred in the 
national burying plot at Cypi^ss Hills Cemetery. An opinion 
has been asked on the question. 
* » * 
A conflict occurred in Washington cemetery, Brooklyn, last 
month, between a monument builder and the cemetery officials 
in the person of the superintendent, resulting in the eviction of 
the monument man. Armed with a permit from a society own- 
ing a plot of ground, and for which he was to erect a monument, 
he commenced digging for the foundation, a work which the 
cemetery by its rules controls, and refusing to comply with the 
superintendent’s request to cease work, he was summarily ex- 
pelled. The monument man then applied to a magistrate for a 
warrant of arrest for assault, which was refused on the grounds 
that the Washington Cemetery Company was regularly incor- 
porated according to the laws of the State of New York and had 
a right to make its own rules. 
» * * 
McCook, Neb., has been stirred to its foundations by the 
action of a committee of five women, appointed by the city 
authorities to look after the principal cemetery of the town. This 
committee, it appears, without any preliminaries went to work 
to remodel the cemetery on the lawn plan, and by the aid of the 
sexton, according to the local press, removed a number of fences, 
leveled graves, rearranged head and foot stones, cleared out 
floral and such decorations and did seme cleaning up generally. 
In explanation of their work the committee refer to the ceme- 
teries of Denver and Lincoln. From the expressions current 
McCook is not yet sufficiently advanced in the enlightened ideas 
governing modern cemetery methods, and are resenting this 
radical method of instruction. 
* * * 
* * * 
By the will of Joseph Banigan, of Providence, R. I., re- 
cently deceased, the executors are directed to finish and com- 
plete St. Bernard's Mortuary Chapel at St. Francis Cemetery, 
and the residuary devisees are to set apart $5,000 annually until 
the entire sum so set apart shall amount to $100,000 when this 
money is to constitute in their hands, or in the hands of such 
trustees as they slvTl select, a trust fund, the income of which is 
to be applied to the repair and maintenance or reconstruction of 
the chapel. In the selection of trustees for this fund the testa- 
tor recommends the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company. 
* * * 
A recent application to the Lodi borough Council for a 
permit to establish another cemetery on the road from Lodi to 
Passaic, N. J. , reminds one that if carried out, this will make the 
fifth in a row of cemeteries on this thoroughfare. The Catholics, 
the Greek Fute Catholics the Protestants and the Hebrews are 
represented in these cemeteries. An exchange says: A faceti- 
ously inclined clergyman after a funeral in one of them the 
other day, remarked that when Gabriel blows his horn, the re- 
sponse along the Lodi road will be uttered in many languages. 
All the chief races of the world, except Mongolian, are repre- 
sented in one or the other cemeteries and the mixture of relig- 
ions is complete. 
* * * 
A controversy over burial has occurred between the civil 
authorities of Brooklyn and the military officials at Willets 
Point recently. A private soldier was accidentally killed on 
the United States reservation at Willets Point, and the coroner 
of the borough attempted to hold an inquest, which was stopped 
by the military authorities. The assistant United States sur- 
geon made out a death certificate and applied for a burial per- 
The body of Capt. T. W. Morrison, 16th U. S. Infantry, 
who was killed at Santiago, Cuba, July 1st, was buried Sept. 6th 
in Uniondale cemetery, Allegheny, Pa. A detail from his regi- 
ment who fought with him in Cuba accompanied the remains, 
and the funeral cortege was met at the cemetery by soldiers 
from the Allegheny Arsenal. The grave is near by that of 
Lieut. Friend Jenkins who perished in the “Maine” disaster, an 
account of whose burial was given in these columns. The floral 
display was beautiful, many designs being suggestive of his call- 
ing and of his family ties. After the service that most impress- 
ive of military funeral ceremonies, “Taps” followed the three 
volleys and the sorrowing family and friends retired. The de- 
sire for souvenirs by the spectators rendered a strict guard nec- 
essary, and kept the cemetery employees on the alert. 
* * * 
In a recent arrest for trespass made by the Riverview Ceme- 
tery Company, Wilmington, Del., to test the validity of their rule 
prohibiting individuals or firms from making contracts with lot- 
holders for the care of their lots, in competition with the ceme- 
tery company, a fine and costs were assessed against the defen- 
dant by the Justice. A strong fight was made, but in his opinion 
when imposing the fine the Justice said: “Cemetery compan- 
ies are unique institutions and should have peculiar protection, 
and in order to properly care for the lots, the Board of Trustees 
should be given exclusive control of the grounds under their 
care.” The rule of the cemetery covering the case was adopted 
in March last and reads: “No individual or firm shall hereafter 
act as a general contractor with lot-holders in caring for the lots 
in the cemetery, trimming grass, etc., in competition with the 
cemetery company, but this provision shall not prevent any lot- 
holder or any member of his family or a legular employee of 
such lot-holder from doing such work.” 
