Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-05-13
AN AQUATIC CITY.

letter from Bingkok, Is one Of the out-of-
the-way countries Of the world None
Of the great steamship lines Of the Pacte
or Of the Indian Ocean stop at Il. Few |
globe trotters visit 1t ard II Is about If |
teen hundred miles out of the regular line I
Of travel around the world. The great |
SIamess peninsula juts down from the |
east coast OF China. 1t contains half a |
dozen different countries, the chief of
which are Burmah, Siam and the Flench |
States of China. Siam itself "a at the |
lower end Of the peninsula and It bounds
the greater part Of the mighty body of
water known as the Gull OF Slam. 1t is
1900 miles long and at its widest part
1t is $50 miles wide. 1t is alnos as ilat
as your hand, though it has here and
there few mountain chains. IL has
many big rivers, and the country is as
much cut up with canals as is Holland.
During the rainy season 1t becomes
mighty lake. and the reOp'e move here
and there from one city to another in
boats.
Tie greatest river Is the Mcnam, which
the Siamese know by the eaune name as
the Indians knew the Nj sissippi. It is
"the Father of Waters and It forms the
great highway of the Kingdom. This
river flows into the Gulf OF Siam at it's
head, and II is about forty miles from its
mouth that sit here on its banks aud
write this letter in this floating city Of
Bangkok. Imagine a city as krge as
Chicago, of which ninety -nIne hundredths
OF the people live on tie water. There
are fifteen miles Of floating houses on the
two sijes of this river, and these, with
the King spalaces and few foreign build
inRs On the land, make up the capital OF
the Siamese people.
There are six millions and more OF
these S,amase, and their country covers
territory OF about twice the size of
Colorado, four times the sze of New
York, and 1t is about five times as big as
Ohio. IL Is tropical country, and the
click of my typewriter falls upon my ears
mixed with tie songs of thousands of
birds which sing IN the branches of the
| trees outside of the Oriental hotel.
The doors and the windows are all
open, and the likhtest white duck linen IL
oppressive as cl,thing. II Is too hos to 20
out in the middle OF the day, aud we
have all the surroundings of the tropics
The eocoanut and The palm tree line the
, banks OF this MeDam Rv yer, and the b ats
fit in and out of the jungles which re-
mind one of the swamps OF Florida, save
that you may see tho monkeys upon the
trees, and the plunlage OF the birds is
more splendid.
| wish could give you picture of our
ride up the Mcnam to Bangkok. The
sides OF tue river are lined with floating
, houses. They are anchored to the piles
and they lie half hidden by the great
palm trees on the banks Here aud
there Il canal juts of into the Jungle, and
the houses on it make this floating
, street. These houses are made OF BAN
boo, with their sides and their roofs
matched with palm leaves. They are
, sometimes on piles high above the water,
: but more often they rest on the surface.
They are tied to poles driven into the bed
l Of the river, and they rise and fall with
/ the tide. Their average height is not
= more than ten feet, and each looks like
two large dog kennels fastened together
and covered with palm leaves.
i Here and there Is ar opening In the
: palm trees aid you get glimpse OF the
country; 1t ID flat as the waters OF the
2 river aud where it is ploughed 1t looks a.
/. black us your hat. The only beasts upon
c It are ugly water butlaloes There are nc
fences, no barus, and only these thatched
I houses on piles.
2 The river is widening. 1t is perhaps o
/ quarter of a mile wide, aud every turn
B brings new surprises. AS we near Bang
kok the waters are alive with craft OF al
Il kinds. Little, naked, brown, shocl
: headed youngsters paddle long canoe
If not over two feet wide and 80 Sharp tina
the least balance would unseat the rover
: There are women with great hats o
straw, which look like Inverted work
g baskets, sitting IN boats which they pad
die along, and bolts OF all sizes are
i worked by all ages and sexes from babies
OF liz TO wrlnkled old men and short,
n gray-haired women OF sixty. AS you
. enter Bangkok tho crowd increases. In
I stead OF one iiue Of floating houses along
the banks there are three and sonnet mes
I Tour. The whole river is alive and you
, turn your eyes this way and that, meet
ing maze of new obiSets at eyeiy turn.