The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-10-31
SIGHTS IN BANGKOK.
Graphic Description of What ChicaSo's
Ex-Mayor Saw in AN Oriental City.

Graphic DESCRIPTION OF what ChAcaScS
Ex-AIayOr Saw in an Oriental City.
Bangkok is entirely different from all
other eastern cities 1 have seen. Else
where the houses are compacted together
so as to cover as little space as possible,
and the people massed as in hives This
CITY, however, with its $50, 900 people,
covers more ground than Canton, with
its L. 600. 600. There are but few streets,
but they are quite broad. The canals run
in every direction. and are SO numerous
that the Siamese are proud to call Their
capital the Venice of the east. Houses
project over these canals, with open bal
comics, and both sides of the river for six
or more miles are lined with floating
houses, used not only for residences, but
for business.
People do their shopping in boats, and
while woman sells to her customer in
open view-for all houses have open
fronts-her lazy husband fishes, sitting
upon a box of goods, and his children
battle and swim around the house. In
rowing or being rOwed about there was
never a moment that / could not see
somewhere a bather; and just at sun
down all the common world seemed am
phibiOus. The panOOng Is retained on
when in the water, and is then either
exchanged for a dry one or left on to
dry. Rivers and canals are always filled
bv freight boats, forty to sixty feet long;
by small peddler boats; by canoes OF all
sizes, from ten feet, barely holding
man, UP to 100 or more feet, with fifty or
more paddlers moving in state with some
high official / saw one long canoe with
nearly 100 rowers. Each one would dip
his paddle and then lift it on hlgh-S
curious sight thus to see nearly 100 pad
dies in air at the same time. There are
quite a large number of small steam
barges in the city. These dart about very
| rapidly. In fact, all boats seem to do so,
| for the tide runs very swiftly, and boats
| going with it's current move in the chan
! nE1, while those going against it stick to
! the eddies This makes the river a very
! lively one, especially toward the cool of
the day.
Trees abound throughout the town,
along the streets, along the canals and
about the houses-many of them of good
forest size. Looking down from a high
pagoda one can scarcely realize oneself in
the heart of great city. The ordinary
house is almost entirely lost in the mass
of green Here and there one peeps out,
looking cool and shaded. But the lofty,
snow white pagOdas, the tail, steep rooted
temples rooted in tiles of many colors,
many of them in gilt-the beautiful kiosk
turrets Of the palaces, the gilded royal
wat and cenOtaph, and the white palaces
themselves, make the city from an emf
hence look like a vast royal garden, with
princely palaces and oriental temples
nestled among ornamental tropical trees.
The wat is a sort of monastery, with
| ID 6n11cn
of the priest within a single Enclosure.
There are a great many of these in the
city, and many of them of Wonderful
richness. Some of the temples and pa
yodas are made up entirely of gilt and
glass mosaic, in small pieces inlaid III
cement walls and flashing in the sun
light like mountains of gold and dia
monds. The royal wat makes the LOCKER
On feel that Aladdin's lamp is close by
revealing to him scenes of fairy wondel
rather than scenes of actual reality, 1
is within and without-its several temple
buildings and it's five or six lofty, rounC
pointed pagOdas- made up Of gold anC
gems The gold is of burned gilded pot
terry in small squares of an inch, bril-
Liantly glazed; the gems of glass of diff
ferent colors and set like rose faced dia
monds, sapphires and rubies. Looking
upon the pile of these buildings, coverin
several acres, just as the sun goes down
with gentle breeze causing the thou
sand tiny bells which hang to cornice
frieze, and projecting point to tinkle,
almost felt as if had been carried OH b
some flying genie and gently droppe
upon a scene of oriental fable.
Unfortunately all of the temples, page
(, das and kiosks are of brick, stuccOe
| with Portland cement, and the gems an
gold planted into it will last only for
short time Many thousands of dollal
are required each year to keep the entiI
fabrics of beauty from tumbling int
decay. A change of dynasty will brir
quickly the glory of Slams capital I'M
a heap of debris. Carter Harrison
Chicago Mail.