“The Bone Pile”
Throughout
the
world
there
are
many,
varied
and
curious
ways
of disposing
of the
dead.
In the
mountains
of Abyssinia
is a
people
who
believe
a man
should
be buried
where
he dies
without
pomp
or ceremony;
neither
should
the
remains
be moved
from
the
exact
site
of death
one
foot
more
than
is necessary.
This
practice
is thousands
of miles
away;
let
us come
to our
own
country,
and
in New
Orleans
we find
another
queer,
unique
mode
of burial.
In order
to more
clearly
understand
this
mode
of burial,
we should
first
know
something
of her
cemeteries,
which
are
more
than
thirty
in number.
New
Orleans
has
the
country’s
oldest
cemetery,
(St.
Louis
No.
1),
with
an area
of about
one
and
one-half
acres
and
an estimated
ninety
thousand
burials,
all
above
ground.
It is
correctly
called
“A
City
of the
Dead,”
and
is still
used
today.
This
unique
way
of interment
was
not
by choice
but
by necessity.
In the
days
before
artificial
drainage
the
water
table
was
within
a foot
of the
surface,
therefore
a standard
grave
was
out
of the
question.
The
problem
was
solved
with
the
present
system
–
a cross
between
the
catacombs
of Rome
and
a mode
used
by the
inhabitants
of the
lowlands
along
the
Northern
Mediterranean
Sea.
Of all
New
Orleans’
cemeteries,
St.
Louis
No.
1, due
to age
and
quaintness,
is the
most
interesting.
It has
one
entrance,
facing
east,
so small
a casket
has
to be
carried,
or wheeled
in.
The
streets,
lanes
or passageways
between
the
vaults
are
paved
with
shell,
they
are
narrow
and
none
too
straight
and
often
blind,
with
an occasional
pomegranate
or magnolia
tree.
Most
of the
vaults
have
two
and
four
compartments,
called
crypts
or ovens.
They
are
privately
owned
and
as a
rule,
kept
in a
fair
state
of repair.
Others,
from
the
lack
of proper
foundations,
have
sunk
practically
beneath
the
surface,
some
have
sunk
on one
side
so fat
they
could
easily
be toppled
over.
Then
there
are
the
large
vaults,
having
twenty-four
to thirty
compartments.
These
are
erected
by societies
of the
city.
The
fence
or wall
which
encloses
the
cemetery
forms
what
is called
the
wall
vaults
and
in these
are
buried
the
poorer
classes.
The
wall
vaults
are
four
compartments
high,
and
are
erected,
sold
and
rented
by the
church.
Many
of these
compartments
have
a small
balcony
the
length
of the
opening,
approximately
thirty
inches.
On these
balconies
are
placed
flower
pots,
vases
and
small
pieces
of marble,
usually
with
only
one
word
inscribed:
Mother,
Father,
Wife,
Sister
or Brother.
Those
which
do not
have
balconies
may
have
a wooden
shelf.
Some
have
neither,
their
only
ornament
a home-made
tin
flower
pot
which
looks
like
a funnel
cut
in half.
In the
cracks
and
on top
of the
vaults
where
dust
has
settled
grows
a species
of fern
and
occasionally
a species
of narcissus,
the
Star
of Bethlehem.
As to
how
one
is buried,
let
us follow
the
sexton
as he
prepares
a vault
for
use.
Into
a wheelbarrow
he places
a shovel,
rake
and
a heavy
hammer
with
a short
handle.
If it
is a
top
vault
he places
the
wheelbarrow
in front
of it
and
stands
in it.
In the
event
the
vault
has
not
been
opened
for
a score
or more
years,
he hesitates,
thinks,
wonders,
and,
who
knows?
There
may
be buried
treasure.
Then,
with
gentle
blows
he loosens
the
bricks
and
takes
them
out
one
by one,
pausing
to clean
each,
as they
are
to be
used
again
to seal
the
vault.
The
moving
of the
first
brick
lets
in the
light
and
suddenly
a buzzing
sound
is heard
which
is followed
by an
exodus
of bright
bronze-colored
roaches.
Occasionally
there
is a
quite
a commotion
within
the
vault.
This
is caused
by a
rat
running
over
loose
bones
and
usually
making
its
escape,
as the
sexton
is by
this
time
busily
fighting
roaches
of his
person.
Holding
his
nose
and
shading
his
eyes,
the
sexton
peers
into
the
vault
and
looks
at the
future
as far
as it
is possible.
What
he sees
he will
never
forget.
The
interiors
of the
vaults
are
not
always
the
same.
If the
vault
has
not
been
opened
in many
years,
the
casket
will
have
fallen
in decay,
leaving
the
skeleton
intact
lying
flat
on the
vault
floor.
Amid
the
casket’s
remains
occasionally
a skeleton
has
been
found
face
down,
indicating
some
one
had
been
buried
alive,
which
was
not
unusual
years
ago.
The
people
had
such
a horror
of this
that
it was
customary
to place
a bell
in the
hand
of the
corpse.
The
sexton
draws
the
skull
to him
with
the
rake
and
smiles
or shakes
his
head,
for
at one
time
medical
students
paid
ten
dollars
for
a good
skull;
then,
too,
some
people
filled
their
teeth
with
gold.
He searches
the
vault
and
with
the
rake
pushes
the
remains
back
into
a corner,
where,
as a
rule,
is a
small,
neat
pile
of bones.
The
next
vault
opened
may
have
been
used
in the
last
two
or three
years.
In this
instance,
the
greeting
is different,
for
the
casket
is found
in good
shape
if not
too
cheap.
The
sexton
then
takes
his
time
removing
the
cover.
This
accomplished,
the
casket
is turned
upside
down
so the
remains
may
fall
out.
When
the
roach
episode,
which
lasts
about
two
minutes,
is over,
the
casket
is placed
in the
sun
to dry.
The
vault
is then
searched
and
the
bones
pushed
back
into
the
corner.
It is
in instances
of this
kind
that
one
can
see
that
the
hair,
toe
and
finger
nails
grow
after
death.
When
the
sexton
opens
a vault
and
finds
the
casket
in such
condition
that
it has
no value,
it is
burned.
The
remains
in a
rented
vault,
when
the
rent
has
not
been
paid,
are
taken
out
and
buried.
A vault
can
be purchased,
or rented
for
a year
and
a day.
According
to law
this
much
time
must
elapse
before
the
vault
can
be opened.
By this
time
there
is nothing
left
to a
body
but
bones.
As many
as thirty-odd
people
have
been
buried
in the
same
vault
or crypt.
Should
two
members
of a
family
die
within
a year,
a vault
is rented
for
a year
and
a day
for
the
second
member
and
after
that
time
the
remains
can
be transferred
to the
family
vault.
This
is done
to save
rent
for
many
Orleanians,
like
other
people,
believe
it is
cheaper
to move
than
to pay
rent.
In
most
of the
city’s
cemeteries
the
line
of creed
or color
is not
drawn,
Jew,
Catholic,
Mason,
Protestant,
white
and
black
are
buried
side
by side.
This
mode
of burial
applies
to rich
and
poor
alike.
There
are,
of course,
some
exceptions,
but
the
majority
of the
people
of New
Orleans
believe
this
is the
proper
way
to inter
their
dead.
Holt
Cemetery
