PARK AND 
CEMETERY. 
57 
FOR AND AGAINST THE COMMUNITY MAUSOLEUM 
The Monumental News has always 
held its pages open to a reasonable dis- 
cussion of both sides of any question that 
affects the interests of the trade, re- 
gardless of what might be its own views. 
Consequently it has been our intention at 
some time or other to describe the best as 
well as the worst that has been done in 
the way of community mausoleum con- 
struction. Thus far it has been very dif- 
ficult to find anything of the best to talk 
about. Thus far none of the large city 
cemeteries, which are generally the best 
managed, has allowed a community mau- 
soleum to be erected on its grounds. 
Rosehill and Elmwood of Chicago an- 
nounce that they are going to erect per- 
fectly constructed, amply endowed and 
well cared for buildings, but as these are 
still on paper, they can hardly yet enter 
into consideration. 
We have been told on several occasions 
by people interested in the Wisconsin 
Mausoleum Construction Co., who are 
building the Fairview mausoleum in Mil- 
waukee, that theirs would be the last 
word in mausoleum construction, as per- 
fect as human building skill and good 
building material could make it. It was 
announced that the exterior would be of 
Wisconsin mahogany granite, a material of 
unquestioned quality, and the interior of 
a good quality of real marble. The officers 
of this company are : President, George L. 
Thomas, a leading undertaker and ex- 
president of the National Funeral Di- 
rectors’ Association ; vice-president, Frank 
B. Fargo; treasurer, Jacob Schaefer, a 
leading monument dealer; and secretary, 
W. S. Halladay. We had thought that it 
would be profitable to present to our read- 
ers a description of this building and of 
the methods of management and of care 
under which it is to operate, from the 
point of view of the general public, the 
prospective crypt buyer who wants to 
know not only how the structure is to be 
built, but how it is going to be managed. 
Consequently we were disposed to meet 
the promoters half way when we received 
the following communication from the 
Wisconsin Mausoleum Construction Co. : 
Monumental News, Chicago, 111. 
Gentlemen: We have been very much interested 
in your article with the headline of “Community 
Mausoleums in Illinois and Ohio” published in your 
periodical of February, 1913. 
In reading this matter over we are wondering 
whether or not you people are broad enough to 
discuss Community Mausoleums from both stand- 
points of good as well as bad: if so we would 
be pleased to take up this proposition with you and 
write you in full regarding our Milwaukee build- 
ing, which has been passed and approved by Wash- 
ington authorities, as being the most perfect con- 
struction of its kind within the borders of the 
United States. 
It is needless to say that if poor mausoleums 
can be built that good ones can, and I believe that 
since you have opened this matter for discussion 
Reprinted from the Monumental News 
it is no more than reasonable that you should dis- 
cuss both sides of the question. 
You have only taken the one side in this dis- 
cussion, which is detrimental to the business, and 
in the long run when people discover that good 
buildings can be built it is going to be detrimental 
to your paper. 
Trusting we may hear from you, we are, 
Very truly yours, 
The Wisconsin Mausoleum Const. Co. 
W. S. Halladay. 
Believing that they were in earnest and 
wanted to freely and fairly discuss their 
construction and methods of business from 
the point of view of the crypt-buying pub- 
lic, The Monumental News replied to the 
above communication as follows : 
Tne Wisconsin Mausoleum Construction Co., Majes- 
tic Bldg., Milwaukee, Wis. 
Gentlemen: Replying to your letter of March 
1st we have had in mind for some time to get a 
description of your building in order to give our 
readers an idea of how the better class of these 
structures are erected. While it has never been 
demonstrated that any building, no matter how 
perfect its construction, is sufficiently enduring to 
house human remains to the number of several hun- 
dreds or several thousands for all time, we are 
perfectly willing to allow you to defend your side 
of the proposition in our paper. 
Will you kindly describe for us briefly the meth- 
ods of construction of your building and the methods 
of managing it which you have outlined? We do 
not care for any of the matter that you people 
ordinarily use in your advertising, along the line of 
the sentimental advantages of mausoleum inter- 
ments over earth burial. We are interested only 
in your methods of construction. In the description 
which you sent us will you kindly answer definitely 
and in detail the following questions: 
How many crypts; selling price per crypt; total 
cost of building. 
Describe crypt construction, and give number and 
date of patent on it. 
What is the new feature of your construction that 
is patented? 
How does your crypt construction resemble or 
differ from that employed in the construction of 
the best private mausoleums? 
Are crypts sealed hermetically or are there open- 
ings for ventilation ? 
How do you propose to take care of decomposing 
bodies that have been imperfectly embalmed? 
Will you require all bodies to be embalmed, and 
how will you enforce this requirement and deter- 
mine whether embalming has been done thoroughly? 
What sum have you set aside as an endowment 
for the perpetual maintenance of the structure; who 
is to have control of this fund; how and by whom 
is it to be invested, and what revenue do you 
expect it to yield? 
What work of maintenance and care will be done 
on the building and grounds? 
Who are the Washington authorities that have 
“passed and approved your building as the most 
perfect of its kind within the borders of the 
United States?” 
How have you provided for the remodeling of 
this building or the rebuilding of it in years to 
come when it deteriorates, as all buildings do, no 
matter how well they are constructed ? 
Will you kindly also let ns know what you can 
furnish us in the way of illustrations of your 
methods of construction, and we will then let you 
know just what we need in the way of pictures. 
We then began to figure on the number 
of pages we should have to set aside to do 
justice to the full and complete details, 
accompanied by patent specifications, draw- 
ings and . photographs of this wonderful 
structure, which “has been passed and ap- 
proved by Washington authorities as be- 
ing the most perfect construction of its 
kind within the borders of the United 
States.” 
Instead, we received the following char- 
acteristic piece of promoters’ literature: 
Monumental News, Chicago, 111.: 
Gentlemen: — We are in receipt of your letter of 
the 8th inst., in which you state that you are will- 
ing to allow us to defend our side' of the propo- 
sition in your paper. 
You also make the statement that it has “never 
been demonstrated that any building, no matter how 
perfect its construction, is sufficiently enduring to 
house human remains to the number of several hun- 
dreds or several thousands for all time.” When you 
make* the statement “for all time” you are cor- 
rect, because we do not know how long time is 
going to continue; but we do know this: that there 
are buildings standing today in a fair condition of 
preservation in which human bodies were placed 829 
B. C. These buildings have been investigated with- 
in the last few years, and we find that during 1 all 
these years they have received very little repair. 
So far as the proposition of housingi several hun- 
dred or several thousand bodies, that matter is im- 
material, for in a house in which one body can be 
preserved for all time you could preserve several 
thousand on the same basis. 
You ask us to kindly describe the method of our 
construction, the method of managing, and many 
other things which seem to appeal to you people 
from a standpoint of taking the other side of the 
proposition. You ask us to specify the selling price 
of the crypts, the total cost of the building, and 
many other things which have only an indirect bear- 
ing on the proposition. You ask for a description 
of the crypt construction; the date of our patents; 
which has no reference to our building. You fur- 
ther ask whether the crypts are hermetically 
sealed or whether there are openings for ventila- 
tion, when it is positively known that no recep- 
tacle holding a human body can be hermetically 
sealed without any vent without an “explosition.” You 
further ask how we propose to take care of de- 
composing bodies that have been imperfectly em- 
balmed and whether we will require that all bodies 
be embalmed, and how we can enforce this require- 
ment and determine whether the same has been 
done or not. 
It would seem that anyone familiar with the dead 
would be forced to realize that the first obligation 
of an undertaker is that he pass an examination 
before the State Board of Health as to his ability 
to perfectly embalm a body. The embalming of a 
body requires a perfect circulation of “formaldu- 
hide,” which, when the fluid returns to the artery 
into which it is sent there can be no question that 
the body is properly embalmed. 
The proposition before the American people to- 
day is whether or not these buildings can be prop- 
erly constructed and properly cared for, or whether 
they are failures, as has been demonstrated in 
some of the buildings built for profit. 
We are more than willing to go into the propo- 
sition with you on a basis of perfect construction 
and perfect method of care for the dead, mode of 
construction, or anything- that has any bearing 
directly on perfect construction against poor con- 
struction, and further than this, we have a build- 
ing to demonstrate our claims in the matter, which 
we would be more than willing to have you inves- 
tigate, and allow you to decide for yourself whether 
or not our building is worthy of the patronage of 
the people of this country, and whether or not we 
are not justified in demanding this character of 
building in our state. I feel more than certain 
that it would be to your advantage to come to Mil- 
waukee personally and look over the proposition, 
and then write an article for the best interest of 
the people, leaving out all advertising, and we 
would be willing to furnish you with such illus- 
trations as you would need to illustrate your article 
if you saw fit to write the same. 
Trusting we may hear from you relative to this 
matter, and thanking you very kindly for your 
favor and your being willing that we should defend 
our proposition, we are, 
Very truly yours, 
THE WISCONSIN MAUSOLEUM 
CONSTRUCTION CO., 
W. S. Hallady, Secretary. 
