rectly into the ground and let the floor of 
the crypt dip towards the mouth of the 
tube, which for obvious reasons should be 
at the back of the crypt. But just see what 
a bother and expense all this would be, 
and to no purpose, especially if the bodies 
are enclosed in practically imperishable cas- 
kets. 
Relative to your correspondent’s inquiry 
regarding the ventilation of the interior of 
the mausoleums, I would refer you to the 
proceedings of the annual convention ol 
the A. A. C. S. held in Milwaukee last 
year, which may be obtained from Secre- 
tary Lawson. Let me advise him to pro- 
vide very little or no ventilation for the 
interior of mausoleums, relying rather on 
an occasional opening of the door in favor- 
able weather to change the atmosphere of 
the interior when necessary. Free ventila- 
tion is always productive of more or less 
condensation in certain conditions of the 
atmosphere, varying according to locality. 
It is very objectionable and in sections 
where severe frost prevails is very de- 
structive to mausoleums or similar un- 
heated buildings. For the same reason 
the air spaces separating exterior walls 
should not be ventilated, but should be 
made what is technically termed dead air 
spaces. In this way atmospheric changes, 
if communicated at all to interior spaces, 
are so modified as to be comparatively 
harmless. Condensation in such structures, 
1 can positively assert, can never be rem- 
edied by liberal ventilation. Means for 
free circulation only aggravate the trouble. 
Crypts need not be more than two or 
three inches larger than the caskets planned 
for, but as caskets are made in many 
sizes’ it is customary to construct crypts 
in private mausoleums uniform in size and 
large enough to accommodate the largest 
sized casket likely to be used. It is ad- 
visable to be on the safe side, and I would 
suggest that crypts be no less than 7 feet 
3 inches long, 2 feet 6 inches wide and 2 
feet 2 inches high, but if space would per- 
mit, 8 feet long, 2 feet 8 inches wide and 
2 feet 4 inches high would be better. In 
many cemeteries receiving vaults for tem- 
porary use are provided with crypts of two 
or three sizes to economize space. 
As to the thickness of walls and roofs 
of mausoleums, there is no standard. De- 
signers are governed by the size and style 
of building under consideration and gen- 
erally provide amply for strength, stabil- 
ity and permanency. It is now generally 
conceded that in the superstructure of 
such buildings granite only shall be used 
and in as large sizes as conditions will per- 
mit, one important object being to mini- 
mize the number of joints. Granite in it- 
self is very durable, but a stucture of this 
kind is usually strong or weak, permanent 
or of short duration, according to the sizes 
of stones and number of joints in its con- 
struction, together with subsequent care. 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
for let this all-important fact, which I par- 
ticularly desire to emphasize, be always 
borne in mind, that however well a build- 
ing of this kind may be constructed, con- 
stant vigilance must be exercised to keep 
all joints carefully pointed, otherwise dis- 
integration will soon begin and progress, 
as often happens, with amazing rapidity. 
James Currie, 
Supt., Forest Home Cemetery. 
Milwaukee, Wis. 
* * * 
Water Supply Outfits. 
Editor Asked and Answered: “Can you 
give me the names of several firms that 
build water supply outfits for cemeteries, 
including windmills, tanks and towers for 
water works systems?” — B. F. L. 
Water supply outfits are furnished by 
Fairbanks, Morse & Co., Chicago ; W. E. 
Caldwell Co., Louisville, Ky., and Kewanee 
Water Supply Co., Kewanee, 111. 
To Inquirers About Community Mau- 
soleums. 
Editor Asked and Answered : “An agent 
who represents he has this state as his ter- 
ritory proposes to construct a mausoleum 
in our city cemetery containing from 100 
to 200 crypts, to sell at $125 to $175 a 
crypt. Our town would probably need one 
of 200 capacity. He wishes land donated 
on which to build ; he will allow the city 
use of chapel and receiving vault. All 
this is new to me, except as it comes in 
picture books. Can you give me some in- 
formation as to the desirability of this 
scheme? We have abundant room for 100 
years to come, and more grounds where 
these came from. Are there any features 
that make this form of burial undesirable? 
How do these figures look as to expense 
for crypts?” , Mayor of . 
“I understand there has been a great 
deal of criticism of people who are en- 
gaged in pushing the so-called community 
mausoleum. Can you give me some def- 
inite information or refer me to sources of 
such on this subject? Can you refer me 
to officials in some of the communities in 
which it has been tried and either found 
satisfactory or otherwise?” — A. F., N. Y. 
“As we are looking into the matter of 
a community mausoleum, we would esteem 
it a favor if you would kindly advise in 
regard to this kind of mausoleum and the 
perpetual care of the same. We would ask 
you to write frankly in regard to this 
proposition, and if you have any literature 
on the subject kindly forward, together 
with bill for same. The mausoleum com- 
pany is taking this up with us, and any 
information you may care to give us in 
regard to this company and its operations 
will be treated as strictly confidential. It 
is our desire to inform ourselves fully, and 
we thank you in advance for your courtesy 
in the matter.” , Sec., Cem. Assn., 
Mass. 
“We would be pleased to have some in- 
173 
formation on the building of municipal 
mausoleums. There is a company of gen- 
tlemen in this section of the state who so- 
licit stock for the building of these mau- 
soleums. They are built under the 
patent; all the seepage goes to the base- 
ment into a tank and is treated to acid; 
all the gas goes to the roof into a tank of 
iormaldahyde before it escapes. What do 
you know about vaults of this kind, and 
are they any advantage to a cemetery do- 
nating the ground to build them? Any in- 
formation that you can give will be highly 
appreciated.”— C. IL, Sec., Cem. Assn., Pa. 
We have so many inquiries of this na- 
ture that we print the above as examples 
of the lack of information on this subject, 
and have fomulated a general answer that 
will cover all the information we are able 
to give our readers on this subject. 
If you have read all the matter that has 
been printed in Park and Cemetery in re- 
cent months, you have all of the informa- 
tion we are able to give you. The four 
pages that appeared in our May issue rep- 
resent fairly our opinion on this subject 
and our suggestions as to the questions 
that ought to be put up to the promoters 
of these structures. 
In the October issue of Park and Cem- 
etery is the report of the Committee on 
Community Mausoleums of the Associa- 
tion of American Cemetery Superintendents. 
This we believe to be the most carefully con- 
sidered discussion of this subject that has 
yet appeared, and we should advise you to 
read it carefully and require any mauso- 
leum people with whom you do business 
to meet absolutely the specifications laid 
down by this committee. 
The great majority of these structures 
that have been built have been very poorly 
constructed and have become eyesores to 
their respective communities. Cemeteries 
will therefore do well to insist absolutely 
on having an endowment fund of half the 
cost of the building, as is recommended in 
the report of this committee. Inquirers 
would do well to correspond with Mr. 
Edward G. Carter, superintendent of Oak 
Woods Cemetery, Chicago, chairman of 
the committee that made the above report, 
with W. N. Rudd, president of Mt. Green- 
wood Cemetery, Chicago, another member 
of that committee, and with Carl Price, 
Kenton, Ohio, who is chairman of the Na- 
tional Retail Monument Dealers’ Association 
Committee on Community Mausoleums and 
has collected much literature and investi- 
gated many of these structures himself. 
Nobody knows whether these community 
mausoleums are going to last or not. Most 
of them that have been built are already 
beginning to be very badly in need of re- 
pairs. If you are going to build one, you 
should see that the construction is perfect 
and that it is sufficiently endowed to keep 
it in repairs and to rebuild it in the course 
of forty or fifty years. 
