ztier tor
( fui44

7Witncase '
N PETERS PHOTOLTHOGRAPHER WASHNGTON) C:
UNTED STATES PATENT P10
ELSHA METS OF ROCHESTER NEW YORK MPROVEMENT N BURALCASES
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No  dated April 3 1877  application filed
March 1 1877
To all whom it may concern :
Be it known that  ELSA METS of the city of Rochester in the county of Monroe and State of New York have invented a new and useful mprovement in Burial  Cases which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a plan of the floor or bottom of the case or coffin Fig 2 is the edge or side of the same Fig 3 shows the top of the coffin and Fig 4 is a side of the same
My invention relates to improvements in coffins or burialcases and its object is to utilize the loose detached floor of the coffin for the layingout board acrd thereby to facilitate depositing the corpse in the coffin
t consists in a burialcase or coffin having (f'or the convenience of laying out the corpse and for depositing the same in the coffin) its floor loose and detached from the upright sides
After the bottomless coffin is applied over the corpse its sides resting on its floor an intervening and partiallysunken rubber bead is inserted and vertical screwbolts extending through from out to out of the case are inserted thereby confining all its parts together producing an airtight coffin
n the illustrations Figure 1 represents in a horizontal position a detached coffinbottom having the corpse as customary preparatory to its burial before depositing it in the coffin laid out thereon
B is a rubber bead sunk about threefourths of its diameter in a previouslyprepared circular groove which extends fully around the top disk of the bottom answering to the outline of the lower edge of the bottomless case S S are cleats guiding the lower edge of the coffin's sides to their position so as to rest squarely on the said bead and at the same time preventing displacement by pressing inward while L L are inside screwbolts vertically extending through from out to out of the case by which means together with said rubber bead and cleats the coffin when all its parts by means of said screws are brought in position becomes a
watertight receptacle The hexagonal nuts For introducing antiseptic gas into the cell h of any design or finish screw down onto the ordinary airpump is first attached to the
the points of the bolts L by which after the corpse is deposited in the coffin all its parts are firmly held together T is a tube having suitable valves at each end by means of which and an airpump the internal air is ejected from the receptacle and any antiseptic gas is injected to occupy its place
To construct a burial case or casket embracing my improvement its floor for any plain or fancy design having any kind of a lid by a molding of preferred pattern worked or planted on its edge projects beyond its vertical sides as desired and the circular groove for embedding the rubber bead is sunk in the disk of the same so that when the shell of the coffin is in position its bottom edge shall cover and press down on the bead about a fourth of its diameter for this purpose standing out above the surface of the floor Then the cleats are attached at such points so that when the sides of the case are in position they will impinge against the cleats as well as the bead becoming thereby at the same time a guide giving rigidity to and preventing their inward movement Suitable perforations at proper points just within said groove are then made through the floor for the screwbolts and countersunk on its under side The bottomless case now having been constructed of auy contour or in any style and prepared for the reception of said screwbolts and also provided with said eduction and induction tubes is applied over the floor rubber bead and bolt perforations when the bolts themselves are inserted from its under side nuts applied to their tops and turned down as desired but are left loose to be afterward easily removed
The operation of the invention is as follows: Said top nuts are turned back releasing at the same time both the screwbolts and shell from its floor or the bottom of the case which shell is then lifted off and set aside leaving the detached floor at liberty to be used as a layingout board for the corpse After the corpse is laid out the shell as desired is replaced over the corpse and the nuts turned down to place thereby furnishing an airtight receptacle as before described

tube T by which the internal air is exhausted Then by means customarily used for injecting air understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains the preservative gas is injected into the receptacle
Having now described my improvement what  claim and for which  ask of the United States Letters Patent is
The coffin having a removable bottom for a layingout board and the rubber bead B embedded at the joint between the sides and bottom and provided with through screwbolts L and cleats S by which the receptacle is made airtight substantially as set forth
n testimony whereof  have hereto set my hand this 16th day of February 1877
ELSHA 3ETS
Witnesses:
FRANK KNGSLEY PETER R BROTHERS