St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-14
SLAMS LUXURIOUS KING.
His Glass Pavilion at the Bottom
of a Lake.

His Glass Pavilion at the Bottom
of Lake.
San Francisco Examiner
Among the travellers who arrived from
the Orient by a recent steamer was one
Clark Russell, namesake, but no rel.,-
tive, of the famous novelist of the
sea. Mr.. Russell. made rich by the
prudent care and acquisitiveness
OF his father, a manufactured of cutlery
at Sheffield, has spent the lass four
years in wandering about the continent
Of Asia picking up odds and ends,
scientific and curious, which it is his i'll
tention to embody i'll book. There is
one story that he tells that VIII especial
ly commend itself to the seekers after
the strange and the novel. T.
Il was surprised" he said at the Pal
ace the other day. "at the ESiZe and ap-
pearance of Bangkok. 1t is the Venice
of the East. The city lies on both sides
of the River Menam. About twenty
miles from the east and OH each side,
branching out from the stream, are a
great number of canals. upon which the
dwellings, and public buildings are
built. The houses. constructed of
wood as in most Eastern cities,
stand upon piles, and the wash of
the waters around these supports at
night make most unique and pleasur-
able sensation. 1t is as though you
were borne along on gently moving
river, for the city is as silent as ne
cropolis and there are no sounds, no
changing of street car bells. no hideous
shouting of salvation hymns to break
the spell. Farther down the river you
see tier upon tier of floating houses
moored to the bank, in which large
part of the population of 100000 dwell.
But that part of Bangkok which in
terestS the tourists most is the section
set apart tor the king. The palace is
inclosed in high white walls, which are
mile in circumference. Within them
are contained temples, public offices,
SeragliOs, stables for the sacred elephant,
accommodations for 900 troops, cavalry,
artillery, war elephants, an arsenal
and theater. The palace of the king
is equipped in true Oriental magniti--
cence. HangiBgs of the cOStliest tapes
try and mats made of woven silver catch
jeSty-a luxurious fellOw-had lately
erected structure of which the like
does not exist in the world In summer
Bangkok is Steaming sweat room, and
any contrivance to escape from the heat
is eagerly entertained.
"SOme Chinese architect suggested to
the king that he have erected glass
pavilion in the great reservoir that Oc-
cupies part of the palace grounds. He
drew the plans and the scheme captured
the fancy Of the king. The pavilion is
built entirely of glass-walls, floors, cell
ing and ail-joiHed by an indissoluble
cement. The plates or slabs of different
sorts and thicknesses and of variegated
o<Iorc ,vora oi,f,ipod in Fra yvhifb a ,,
an agent had been sent for the purpose.
When put together they formed the
prettiest and most unique structure that
imagination can picture. The Chinese
architect, true TO the genius of his race,
had ornamented it with quaint turrets
and gables that made it seem a toy
house.
'By mechanical means 1t was so ar
ranged that. when empty, the pavilion
would rise to the surface of the minia-
ture lake. At little distance it re-
sembles nothing so much as a
pretty conservatory. such as might
be seen in the Jardin des Plants
at Paris, or in the gardens at
later you might wonder what had be-
come of the pavilion. An attendant
would tell you that the king was taking
recreation with his harem at the bottom
of the lake and point to the spire-like
yentiIators rising above the level of the
placid surface as evidence of the truth
of what he tells you.
"By one door only can the king enter,
and this closes Theoretically after him.
at once this edifice begins to sink, the
valves in the tall pipes in the roof open,
and in few minutes it is resting be-
meath the placid waters. There in his
perfectly cool and dry habitation. with
the softened light trickling through the
king spends the hot summer days
singing, smoking, eating and drinking,
with his harem aud favorites about
him ,,