Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-04-13
SIGHTS IN BANGKOK.
Graphic Description oy What Chlcago's
Ex-Mayor Saw In an Oriental City.

Ex-Mayor Saw In an Oriental City.
Bangkok is entirely different from all
other eastern cities | have seen. Else
where the houses are commcted together
so rs TO cover as little space rs possible,
and the people masSed as in hives. This
city, however, with its $50, 600 people,
covers more ground than Canton. with
its |, 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 ia bats, and
while a woman sells 10 her customer in
open yiew-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 roued about there was
never q 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 filed
by freight boats, forty 10 sixty feet long;
by small peddler boats; by canoes of all
sizes, from ten feet, barely holding a
man, up TO 100 or more feet, with fifty or
more paddlers moving in state with some
high official, | saw n long canoe with
nearly 100 Towers Each n would dip
his paddle and then lift il on high-a
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 its current move in the cham
mel, while those going against il 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-rlany of them of good
forest size. Looking down from a high
pagoda sle can SC: rely realize oneself in
the heart Of n great city. The ordinary
house is almost entirely lost in the mass
of green. Here and there one peeps out,
looking cool AM shaded. But the lofty,
snow white pagodas. the tall, steep rooted
temples-roofel 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
nence look Ike a vast royal garlen. with
princely palaces and oriental temples
nestled among ornamental tropical trees.
The wat is a sort If monastery. with
its temple and kiosk and lodging house
of the priest within a single inclosure.
There are a great many Of these in the
CHI, and many Of them Of wonderful
richness. Some Of the temples and pa
godas are made up entirely of gilt and
glass mosaic, in small pieces inlaid in
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 10 him scenes of fairy wonder
rather than scenes Of actual reality. IL
is within and without-itS several temple
buildings and its five or six lofty, round
pointed pagodas-made up of gold and
gems. The gold is OF burned gilled pot
terry in small squares Of an inch, bril-
liantlv glazed: the gems Of glass Of diff
ferent colors and set Ike rose faced dia-
monds TapDhires and rubies. Looking
upon the ple Of these buildn, 5. covering
several acres, just as the sGn goes down,
with a gentle breeze causing the thou
sand tiny bells which hang Ia c~0rnice.
frieze. and projecting point to tinkle, |
almost felt As il | had been carried of by
some flying genie and gently dropped
NJ IN a scene Of oriental fable.
Unfortunately all Of the temples. rago-
das and kiosk are Of brick, succeed
with Portland cement, and the gems and
gold planted into il will last only for a
short time. Many thousands ~ dollars
are required each year 10 keep the entire
fabrics Of beauty from tulIblipg into
decay. \ change of dynasty win bring
quickly the glory Of SLAMS rnTltai into
a heap Of debris. -Cartcr Harrison in
Chicago Nal.
pY..'4s. Vorp,Tt Ia live.