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to all others, as it is absolutely noiseless. 
It is so arranged that it may be operated 
from a concealed position on both floors. 
The top of the elevator is flush with the 
floor and is surrounded by a bier-like 
structure with a door in the end to admit 
the car bearing the casket, the bottom of 
which comes just level with the top of the 
bier. The opening or top of the bier is so 
constructed that as the casket is lowered 
the opening, by a very simple device, is 
slowly and quietly closed. This plan was 
devised to guard the opening of the ele- 
vator and prevent possible accidents in the 
case of persons approaching the opening 
as the elevator descends. 
Your correspondent may have a fear that 
the use of an elevator or lowering appa- 
ratus will be objectionable to some sensi- 
tive people who might possibly see in the 
act of lowering a casket a suggestion or 
omen somewhat harrowing to contemplate, 
but from twenty-three years’ personal ex- 
perience of almost daily occurrence, I can 
confidently reassure him. There have been 
times, but very rare, when families have 
expressed a wish, when the body was to 
be immediately interred, to have it carried 
out of the chapel by the front door, but not 
in one instance has this request been made 
when the body was to be placed in the re- 
ceiving vault. 
He will observe that I refer to taking 
the bodies into our chapel through the 
front door in the usual manner. If, how- 
ever, his situation would require lifting the 
body from the lower floor to the chapel, 
that can easily be done, although we never 
do it except when conveying the body from 
the vault, where it may have been placed 
in advance, to the chapel above for the 
services. 
I am not prepared to say that this plan 
in all respects is better than that of hav- 
ing the chapel and receiving vault on the 
same level in the same building, but it has 
proven very satisfactory in our case, and 
we have found no reason to regret its 
adoption. James Currie, 
Supt., Forest Home Cemetery. 
Milwaukee, Wis. 
* * * 
Personally, I can see no reason for ob- 
jections, providing ventilation, light and 
lifting device are provided. 
Arrangements of that kind may be found 
in Woodlawn, Toledo, O. ; Lakeview and 
Riverside, Cleveland, O. ; Lakewood and 
Hillside, Minneapolis, Minn., and in many 
other cities in the country. 
Frank Eurich, 
Supt., Woodlawn Cemetery. 
Detroit, Mich. 
* * * 
There is no objection to placing a receiv- 
ing vault under a chapel, provided it is 
properly built and an elevator provided for 
raising and lowering the bodies. Such a 
vault should have well-ventilated catacombs, 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
which means outlets for the gases and 
fumes and a suitable draft in the rear to 
carry the gases through these outlets. The 
doors of the catacombs should be made 
fairly tight to properly carry out the idea. 
Such a vault and chapel was built by the 
writer at Elmlawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N. 
Y., several years ago. 
No objection was found to a vault of this 
nature ; in fact, I have heard nothing but 
compliments for it. It is more desirable 
than having a vault in the rear of the 
chapel, as it is sometimes done. 
Bellett Lawson, Jr., 
Supt., Elmwood Cemetery. 
Chicago, 111. 
* * * 
The receiving vault beneath the chapel is 
used satisfactorily here. 
F. L. Howard, 
Supt., Rosehill Cemetery. 
Linden, N. J. 
* * * 
We see no reason why a receiving vault 
should not or could not be placed below a 
chapel. 
Mr. Hobert’s cemetery, Lakewood, at 
Minneapolis, has a most beautiful chapel 
with crypts below and lowering device to 
lower direct from chapel. In Highland 
Park Cemetery, Kansas City, Kan., we 
have chapel above with receiving vault be- 
low. The combined chapel and receiving 
vault should be located on a hillside, with 
an upper level for the chapel entrance and 
a lower level tor the vault, as many of the 
funerals do not care to go through the 
chapel or two may occur at the same time. 
There can be no objection from a sani- 
tary standpoint to having the crypts below 
the chapel if proper provision is made for 
ventilating the vault portion. Few archi- 
tects realize the necessity of something 
more than a few vents connecting with the 
crypts. 
There are times when the atmosphere is 
heavy and such vents do not draw out the 
air. At such times an electric fan properly 
placed and connected up could be used to 
force the circulation, thus preventing any 
POST MAUSOLEUM 
The construction of the elaborate new 
mausoleum to be erected in Oak Hill 
Cemetery, Battle Creek, Mich., as the 
final resting place of the body of the 
late C. W. Post by his widow, Mrs. Leila 
Y. Post, has been begun. 
The structure will occupy a command- 
ing position in the cemetery and is to be 
built of Victoria white granite with an 
interior of cream Siena marble. The 
cost of the mausoleum will be in the 
neighborhood of $100,000. 
The architects are Carrere & Hastings 
and T. E. Blake, of New York. The 
odor in the vault or chapel. Experience 
has shown that there is not an air-tight 
casket made and that at times bodies left in 
the public vault may become a menace. In 
such cases it is well to have in some se- 
cluded part of the ground two or three 
crypts built of concrete in a hillside where 
such bodies can be taken until the family 
is notified and arrangement for burial made. 
Such crypts are also valuable to a ceme- 
tery for use in case of contagious diseases 
where it is necessary to wait for some 
member of the family coming from another 
city. Hare & Hare, 
Kansas City, Mo. Landscape Architects. 
Correction. 
I just received the December number of 
Park and Cemetery, and glancing through 
it I find my reply to your correspondent in 
September, 1914, regarding the cleaning of 
mausoleum interiors. It pleases me to know 
that you found the article interesting 
enough to give it a place in your columns. 
In the second paragraph I appear to sug- 
gest “painting the exterior or other work 
deemed necessary to keep the building in 
proper order and repair.” This is merely 
a typographical error ; but as stone work is 
occasionally painted, I might, by at least a 
number of your readers, be considered in 
favor of that, in my opinion, very objec- 
tionable practice. What I referred to was 
“pointing” the joints with mortar from 
time to time as that becomes necessary. 
This work and care of the building is 
highly important. No matter how good the 
material or with what care pointing may be 
done, time and the elements soon disinte- 
grate or loosen parts of it here and there 
on a building, admitting moisture, which 
when it freezes tends to open up the joint 
further and in time displaces even the 
heaviest stones and finally brings the build- 
ing to ruin. The old adage, “A stitch in 
times saves nine,” was never more appli- 
cable or valuable than in this particular in 
the care of mausoleums. 
James Currie, 
Supt., Forest Home Cemetery. 
Millwaukee, Wis. 
IN BATTLE CREEK. 
Victoria White Granite Co., of Keene, 
N. H., will cut the work. 
The mausoleum proper will be 16 feet 
6 inches square, while the total area of 
the granite platform on which it is to 
stand will be 40x40 feet. The two sar- 
cophagi are made of the same Italian 
marble as the interior finish and are 
exquisitely carved. The heavy doors are 
of bronze. Over 630 tons of granite will 
be used and the roof is composed of 
three single stones weighing 86 tons. 
The body of Mr. Post has been rest- 
ing in a crypt in the receiving vault, 
pending the completion of plans for a 
private structure. 
