PARK AND CEMETERY. 
329 
ASKED AND ANSWERED 
An exchange of experience on practical matters by our readers. You 
are invited to contribute questions and answers to this department 
Sealing Concrete Burial Vaults. 
There is a preparation in the market 
called “Arco Sealit,” manufactured by the 
Atlantic Refining Co., Cleveland, O., which 
is highly recommended for sealing burial 
cement vaults. It sticks to the most highly 
polished surfaces ; it is in a somewhat soft 
condition ; it is waterproof, can be used in 
hot or freezing weather for stopping any 
kind of leakage in cisterns, roofs, etc. Did 
you ever hear of same, or are there any 
cement men or cemeteries where same is 
used? What is the best method of sealing- 
cement burial vaults in hot or freezing cold 
weather? Is there any other material in 
the market to be used in sealing vaults be- 
sides cement? — C. S., Kan. 
In sealing our cement vaults we fill space 
between wall of grave and vault with ce- 
; ment and bed the top in cement and cover 
the top with about two inches of fresh 
cement. A. J. Graves, 
Supt., Bloomington Cemetery. 
Bloomington, 111. 
In very hot weather, when the cement 
used for sealing burial vaults sets rapidly, 
a little sheet glue dissolved in the water 
before making the cement has a tendency 
to retard the setting process. Put just 
enough glue in the water to make it feel a 
little slippery to the hands. In freezing 
| weather a little salt added to the water be- 
fore making the cement will prevent freez- 
' ing. Or, if convenient, heat the water be- 
I fore mixing the cement and then use at 
once, since the hot water has a tendency 
to cause the cement to set rapidly, and the 
water begins to cool as soon as the cement 
is applied to the cold surface of the vault, 
so that the hardening of the cement will 
; not interfere with the work of sealing the 
vault. 
A still better method is to use the auto- 
matic sealing cement burial vault. For bur- 
ial purposes the automatic sealing feature 
eliminates this trouble of having to use 
1 cement in either hot or cold weather to 
i seal it. 
This vault is manufactured from our ad- 
justable steel moulds, and those who have 
i this troublesome feature to contend with in 
I sealing vaults will do well to investigate 
this vault. We use our own waterproofing 
preparation that has been thoroughly test- 
ed and tried out on our own automatic 
: sealing cement burial vaults. This is put 
up in five-gallon cans at $1 per gallon, and 
we supply nearly all of our manufacturing 
plants throughout the country with their 
■ waterproofing. 
Automatic Sealing Vault Co. 
Peru, Ind. 
We are sending Toch Brothers’ booklet 
on Toxement waterproofing, which densi- 
ties and waterproofs concrete, cement mor- 
tar and cement stucco. It is also used in 
cement wash as per circular herewith en- 
closed. 
On page 16^ of the booklet please note 
that Toxement is used as a bond in the 
proportion of five pounds Toxement to the 
bag of neat Portland cement (no aggre- 
gates) and six gallons or more of water to 
make a sloppy paste. This is used as a 
grout to join new and old concrete. The 
grout is used directly ahead of and in con- 
nection with cement mortar laid on cement 
burial vaults before placing the top in po- 
sition. It is necessary to wet the concrete 
construction top and bottom before using 
the grout and laying cement mortar. Con- 
crete construction should have to be 
broom-scrubbed free from dirt before using 
the Toxement bond, which will make a 
tight joint between the additional construc- 
tion where work is left from day to day or 
longer. 
Owing to the lack of care for small de- 
tails to produce proper results, we beg to 
advise you that if Toch Brothers’ Liquid 
Black R. I. W. Marine Cement, as per page 
23 of the R. I. W. Red Book, is used in a 
heavily pitched coating on the dry surface 
of the cement burial vaults and permitted 
to set a day or so, that the cement mortar 
does not absorb the liquid too much, and 
paint the flange or edge of the top of the 
burial vault precisely the same, this will 
bond with the cement mortar to join the two 
pieces of construction together. 
As a matter of safety, Toch Brothers’ 
R. I. W. Liquid Black Marine cement can 
be painted all around the edges of the 
joints and stick cotton cloth (unbleached 
muslin) to the wet R. I. W., also coating 
in the laps of at least 6 inches, the cotton 
cloth lapping some inches on the vault and 
over the top. A heavily pitched coating of 
the R. I. W. Black coating is to be applied 
over the surface of the cotton fabric to 
fully cover the mesh. This might be re- 
peated with another layer of cotton fabric 
and R. I. W. Black. If the concrete burial 
vault is not waterproofed we should advise 
that two coats of Liquid R. I. W. Marine 
cement be painted entirely over exterior 
surface, including the bottom, and to be 
coated over the top to prevent seepage 
through the concrete construction. 
However, if Toxement is used in propor- 
tion of two pounds and not over three 
pounds to the bag of neat Portland cement, 
well turned therewith before aggregates are 
added, this will waterproof the burial vault 
and top thereof. 
R. I. W. with cotton fabric reinforcing 
connecting the vault and the top will pro- 
tect against cracking of the cement mortar. 
The cement mortar should also be densified 
and waterproofed by 3 per cent of Toxe- 
ment to the cement unit. 
Hill & Woltersdorf, architects, of this 
city, used the R. I. W. system for a sar- 
cophagus holding the remains of a former 
minister representing this government at 
the Russian court. The architects had 
promised to look after this matter when 
necessary, stating that the work was so 
well done that no moisture could penetrate 
the interior. 
R. I. W. Liquid Black Marine cement re- 
tains its resiliency when bedded in. We 
should suppose that most persons are de- 
sirous of spending sufficient money to get 
waterproofing results, and amount of ma- 
terial required does not cost as much as 
the labor in connection with it. 
We are always pleased to hear from 
you, and with thanks for past favors. 
The Garden City Sand Co. 
Chicago, 111. 
As regards the sealing of burial vaults, 
we understand that all the manufacturers 
specify ordinary Portland cement mortar 
and we know of no other substance being 
used. It impresses us that it would be 
possible to use tar or asphalt in cold 
weather, when there would be danger of 
injury to cement mortar on account of 
freezing. It would, of course, be necessary 
to have the material melted and kept in a 
liquid state until the vault was ready for 
sealing. Atlas Portland Cement Co. 
Chicago, 111. 
We use a sealing acid called Bondsit. We 
have been using this for several years. We 
purchase it from the Maumee Chemical 
Co., Toledo, O. We have found it alto- 
gether satisfactory and use it in the fol- 
lowing manner: About a tablespoonful of 
acid is dissolved in a quart of water. Then 
the solution is applied to the inner edge of 
the vault and outer edge of the cover with 
a brush about half an hour before the seal- 
ing is to be done. When the cover is placed 
on the vault it is sealed with cement mixed 
thin enough to pour. A very small bit of 
Maumee waterproofing compound is mixed 
with this. It is then smoothed over with a 
trowel in order to finish up the appearance. 
Norwalk Vault Co. 
Norwalk, O. 
* * * 
Cleaning Monuments in the Cemetery. 
Editor Asked and Answered : — What is 
the best preparation for cleaning granite 
and marble in cemeteries to be used on 
stones that have been placed for some 
years? — Cem. Assn., Me. 
You can buy preparations for cleaning 
granite and marble and get instructions for 
doing this work from either one of the fol- 
lowing firms : Harrison Supply Co., 5 Dor- 
chester avenue extension, Boston, Mass. ; 
Cross Brothers Co., Northfield, Vt. ; Quincy 
Avenue Granite Co., 48 Penn street, Quincy, 
Mass. 
