New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-29
A KING RAILWAY BUILDING.
CIVILIZATION MAKING PROGRESS IN TIE
LAND OF TIE WHITE ELEPHANT
Bangkok. March 90

or all the countries of the Eastern world, this
Land Of the White Elephant retains. despite the
advances of European civilization. most steaelfasty
its primitive Oriental air. One finds in Bangkok
many things that seem startling in such an out of
the way country. Here are electric lights. and
street cars, and buildings of European architecture
with passenger elevators and all the modern con-
vcniences" The newspaper is here Of course. ana
the telegraph and the telephone and most of the
arts and Industries arc conducted very much as they
are in the cities OF Europe and America. Yet with
al this Siam remains typical country OF the hca-
then Orient 1t i; still devoted TO the White
Elephant, which is not white. to countless UNI
brellas to the frequently recurring royal process
sons and 10 the elaborate pageantry that from tim"
immemorial has marked the civil and religious
life of the people In fact il is ONLY in the capt.
tai and few of the larger towns that many traces
Of civilization are 10 he seen. In the inland
country the mass Of the people are still very
much in the same condition as they were cen
fury or two ago. They are quiet. unambitious
people, mild in manner and cOntcnted with their
lot. Whatever their King offers them. be II new
inventions from Europe. or new burden of taxes,
they accept unnesitatin9ly and uncomplainngly.
In such a country il is partly natural and APP
proprate and partly most incOngruous that rail-
road should be built and that the King himself
should take conspicuous part in the Opening
ceremonies Of the work. Ii is natural and appro-
pirate, because so MAN, other appliances of modern
civilization are already at home here. and because,
moreover. the present King of Siam is partlcn-
larly liberal minded and progressive monarch. lie
takes much interest in science and invention and
is well informed all topics connected with the
arts OF the Western world Moreover he frequently
mingles with his people on the most familiar of
terms laying aside the artificial pomp by which his
predecessors used TO he surrounded. And yet, In
view of the ordinary notion of Siam, which is by no
means altogether incorrect. il does not seem extra
ordinary for this absolute Oriental dcSpot. who
is half worShippcd as a divinity and who exercises
the power of life and death over his subjects. to
take a spade in his hands and turn the first sod
of railroad cutting. and then to make speech
on the advantages expected from the work. for all
the world like some American Governor or Mayor
This, however. is exactly what took place the
other day. The occasion the beginning
of the work on the so-called Naeura- Rajasuna
Railroad, which is to extend from Bangkok u
Korat. There was erea: gathering of people
II included the King and the Crown Prince and
all the royal family and Ministers Of State, as
we'll as all the European residents and thousands
Of the common people There was good
deal of dignity and ceremony about il all, !
as was fitting But there was also great |
deal of ease and informally. The Minister |
Of Public Works, Prince with an en- |
tirely unpronounccable name, began the formal |
part of the programme by reading an address to
the King To this the latter listened courteously,
but with an amused air as though it were really
little surperfluous to read to him a document
which had already been submitted to him for
careful reading and revision. This DONE His
Majesty made speech ostensibly in reply TO the
Minister, but really addressed u the general
IIo 10 aSilV oil
dwelling upon the greatness OF the country and
the progress already made in the arts Of modern
civilization, and then pOrtraying with entirely
warrantable enthusiasm the great advantages that
would result from the building Of this railroad
and of other roads which in thu near future would
he connected with it, The Siamesc scarcely seemed
to know how 10 receive this speech, but the
foreign population quickly get their doubts at rest
BY leading of in hearty applause in which all
joined.
These formalities gracefully concluded, the
King took spade in his hands aud stepped for
ward TO where wheclbarrow was standing. 1t
was a spade of the most improved New-Engand
pattern, but the blade made of silver, pre-
sumably soid and the handle composed Of
a solid shaft OF ivory. The whcelbarow also was
of American design, but was made of ebony
and silver Ills Majesty thrust the silver blade
of the srade into the ground, cnergcticaly press
ing i: TO its full depth with his royal foot, and
linen lifted goodly spadeful OF soil and deposited
it in the wheclbarrow. Then the Crown Prince
came forward handsome and amiable young |
gentleman who recently celebrated his coming OF
age with characteristic Siamese rites lie took !
I'D the handles of the wheel)ar and trundicd |
it along a carpeted pathway perhaps twenty-five |
or thirty yards and then dumped the spadeful OF
earth which it contained upon the ground. The
tla Nini-f. of Dub lie
Works and "a number of notable guests followed
him as he wheeled the barrow and looked with |
earnest interest at tie spadeful Of clods as he
turned them ont upon the ground. Then four
stately and solemn Brahmn priests in their
sacerdotal robes, stopped forward and sprinkied
upon the clods few drops of holy water which
they took from vase of solid gold Finally,
brass band, composed of native musicians, played
the Siamesc national anthem, and the ceremony
concluded.
Ii was not merely a ceremony, however. The
King and his auelst followers had scarcely left
the spot before the contractors took possession OF
it and thcir workmen were busily engaged with
hundreds of spades and whcclbarrows proceeding
with the actual construction Of the railroad. IT
is not long lire that is being built, but it runs
through very rich mining region and will he of
great importance in developing the interests of
the country There is really nothing that Siam
needs much more than railroads For some years
there has been a stern-wEecl steamboat Oh the
river plying from Bangkok u Paknam Pho,
some 200 miles And there is a small traffic
on the river conducted BY sailing and rowboats.
Apart from this the only means Of communca-
ton are the native roads through the jungle,
which are mere foot tracks of the rudcst dcscrip-
ton Even by the use of slave labor the trans
portation of produce of any kind has always been
a slow and costly job and the development of the
resources of the country has thus been greatly
retarded
1t is now dozen years or more since the first