US30252A

US30252A - George w

Info

Publication number: US30252A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1860-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 1877-10-02

Description

GEORGE IV. SCOLLAY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GLASS COFFIN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,252, dated October 2, 1860.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE l/V. SooLLAY, of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Glass Coffin; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this specification, in which-d Figure l is a top view of my said coffin; Fig. 2 a side elevation; Fig. 3 a transverse section, and Fig. t an end elevation thereof.

This invention is the commencement of a series of inventions, by me, the prime object of which is, to preserve the human body after death, for a long period of time, from decomposition and putrefaction without molesting it, by cutting, as is now the practice, to infuse in it a poisonous liquor, to destroy the animalcula, which usually develop after death. To accomplish this object it is necessary to deposit the dead body in some vessel, constructed of some material, and in such a manner as to be absolutely imperish-v able, and impervious to the air, and from which the air can be abstracted, and into which can be introduced any one or more of that class of gases, which in the absence of air or oxygen, will destroy animal life, and consequently the animaleula, that develop in the body after death. As I know of no other material but glass of which such a vessel can be made, I propose to make a Collin of that material, which shall fill all the requirements above referred to. To do this however, it was necessary to devise molds, and a press of peculiar construction to form successfully on a large scale, the two parts of the coin. This I have done and have made these molds, and the press referred to the subject matter of separate applications, for separate patents. I have mentioned them here, only that a better understanding may be had of this present invention, which consists in making a coflin of glass to answer the requirements, above stated.

Similar letters of reference represent corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawing annexed.

The body of the coffin is shown in the drawing by B, and the lid thereof is shown by A. Upon the upper edge of the body of the coffin and all the way around it, I make a flange or rib Z2, in the outside of which along the whole length of the Collin, I make a groove b, and on the outside of the body of the Collin, I make a rib the whole length thereof, shown by I, to serve the purpose of a handle, and in the lower part near the end of the coffin I introduce a glass plug or cock d, which I operate with a wrench D. This cock has a hole through it as shown, which communicates with, both the out and inside of t-he coffin, whereby a pipe may be applied to it to exhaust the air out of the coffin. The lid of the colhn is made with a groove in the inside of the edge thereof, to fit over the rib or flange o, and with a second groo-ve shown by b to correspond'with, and match the groove in the flange o so that when the lid is shut down on the body of the coHin the two grooves form a hole, also shown by b in Fig. 3. The flange c in the ends of the lid, shuts in the inside of the flange o, so as to break the oint-that is, make a double oint between the lid and the body of the coffin in the ends thereof.

The coffin having been made in manner and form as aforesaid, I fill the grooves, Z), with a soft silicate, in the nature of a cement, and the joints adjacent the said grooves I smear with the same material, and then close down the lid, and thereupon I introduce in the ends of the hole I) short glass plugs, say from one to three inches in length, with heads on their out ends similar to bolt heads, as shown by b, Fig. 2; but before I introduce these bolts I dip them in a solution of soluble silicate, of potash or soda, and thereupon I give the joint a coating of this solution of silicate, which being of the nature of glass, as is also the cement above referred to, soon cools and hardens, and becomes like glass; imperishable and impervious to the air, so that a vacuum may be had and maintained in the coffin for all time to come.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Making a glass cofhn with the rib I near the upper edge thereof and in combination with the flange o, to strengthen and stien the said flange and upper edge of the coffin, to serve as a basis for the lid to rest upon and as a handle to lift the coffin by.

2. Making the upper edge of the body of the coffin and the lower edge of the lid thereof, with the flange and lateral grooves, in the manner described, for the purpose specified.

3. The use of a valve or Cock n combnapurpose of uniting the lid to the body of tion Wit-h a eon arranged in the manner a glass coffln, more firmly than the cement described S0 that a pipe can be att-ached to would unite it, unaded by the Said. plug.

exhaust the air out of the eon when said GEORGE W. SCOLLAY. 5 cock and eon are of glass. tnessesz 4. The use of the glass plugs b, (the head C. E. GRAY,

of which is shown in Fig. 2, by b) for the R. B. GRAY.