US203024A - Improvement in corpse-coolers - Google Patents

Description

J. FLAHERTY. Corpse-Cooler.

No. 203,024. Patented April 30,1878.

l il@ N. PETERS, PntTD-UTHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. n C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FLAHERTY, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORPSE-COOLERS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent, No. 203,024, dated April 30, 1878; application lcd April 3, 187s.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES FLAHERTY, of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freezing Gaskets 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in caskets for preserving dead bodies; and it consists, first, in making a drawer in the bottom of a casket, which can be drawn out for the purpose of refilling it with ice without disturbing the body; and, second, in the peculiar construction of the head-piece, in which ice is placed, and from which the water runs, as the ice melts, into the drawer below, aswill be more fully described hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings represent my invention.

A represents a casket, of any desired shape, size, or construction, and which is preferably given the shape of a coffin, as herein shown. Inside of this casket, at a suitable distance above the bottom, is made the flange C, upon which the support B for the body rests, said support being covered with wire-gauze, or any other suitably-perforated material, so as to let the cold from the ice pass freely through it around the body placed on top.

Through one end of this casket is made a suitable opening, and through this opening is passed the ice-drawer D, which is nearly as long as the casket, and which is kept in position by means of the guides H. As fast as the ice melts in this drawer the water runs out through the pipe G into any suitable receptacle prepared for it.

By thus making a flange around the inside of the casket to support the body upon, the drawer may be moved in and out without disturbing the body in the slightest degree, whenever it is necessary to put more ice into the drawer.

In order to preserve the head and features free from all discoloration and decay, I surround the head with a metallic ice-box, L, which just lits inside the head of the casket, and which has a large circular recess formed upon its inner edge, so that it will almost or entirely surround the head. In this circular recess made in the ice-box I place ahead-rest, N, which consists of a senricircular metallic vessel, much thicker at one edge than the other. As the water melts in the ice-box L it passes through the small pipe O in its side into this head-rest, and from the head-rest it passes through the small pipe B into the icetrough below. By thus having ice around the sides of the head and a body of cold water constantly owing through the rest under the head, the features of the corpse will be preserved unchanged for days.

This casket may be used for preserving the bodies simply until the time for interment, or may be used for transporting them to any desired distance upon the cars.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a freezing-casket for preserving dead bodies, the combination of the casket A, pro vided with the drawer D, ice-box L, and headrest N, whereby the water from the box L is caused to run through the rest N and pipe R into the drawer D below, substantially as shown.

2. The combination of the head-rest N with the icechamber L, the two being connected together so that the water from the melting ice runs through the rest N, substantially as shown.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of March, 1878.

J AME S FLAHERTY. Witnesses JNO. J. SHEA, G. A. GUsrAFsoN.

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