Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-27
THEY KEEP COOL
The King Of Siam and the Prince Of
midas Great Schemes.
GLASS PALACES SUNK IN A LAKE
In Fairy-Like Chambers the Kings
Pass the Hot afternoons.
| Ian GUID LUX URY

| Written for The Evening Star.
There is no longer any need to swelter
during these hot months if you will only
be up to date and follow the example OF
| the King of Siam and Prince Khan Ar
| yanluh of India.
These two gentlemen have struck upon
| a scheme which is certainly unique, and
| by the aid Of which they are daily beating
| Old Sol at his own game. The glory OF
| solving the great problem really belongs to
| the King of Siam, and was afterward
| copied by Prince Khan of Aryanluh.
In substance it is the constructing Of a
mammoth glass room upon the surface of
a lake, and sinking it during the intense
| heat.
This room measures about twenty feet
| square by fifteen feet high. With the excep-
| ton Of the floor 1t is entirely Of heavy
plate glass. closely fitted into steel frames.
The floor is OF wood and steel, and directly
under it is a second or false floor, into
which are stored weights of stone. When
floating all these weights are removed, but
when his majesty desires cooling tons of
them are rolled in and the room slowly
and silently sinks until 1t rests upon the
bottom. 1t is then at a depth Of about
twenty feet, and SO arranged that an abun-
dant supply of air is obtained from numer-
Gus tubes leading to the surface. By means
Of other tubes he Is enabled to hold con-
versation with those in the royal palace on
shore, and also to transact state business.
Here. in fairy-like chamber. the king
passes the long, hot afternoons in the dolce
far niente so dear to the orientalist. The
white hot light of the blazing sun, cooled by
its passage through the waters. penetrates
the transparent walls of this Neptune-like
structure with softness the exquisiteness
of which cannot be described, and in magic
tintS shed a chaste luster over surround
ings gorgeous beyond the dreams Of the
mermaids and naiadS Of the deep. Could
one of these maidens Of classic lore gaze
through the translucent sides of this water
palace she would see its royal master re-
Ginning at ease lulled to repose by the
gentle murmur of ripping waters and the
dangerous music of his pretty attendants.
4 Marine Landscape.
Unfolded to his gaze there is a marine
like panorama on which the eye never
tires of feasting. Richly tinted fishes
move slowly through the green waters, so
near that the hand stretched out could
almost touch them. Little fleets of water
warriors glide past majestically. and ever
and anon there is witnessed a battle royal
between opposing forces or the fierce
struggle of larger fish destroying its
smaller prey. Overhead the blue tinted
sky is strangely changed by the interven-
ing waters, and clouds and shadows put on
new shades. Truly, a more beautiful cell
ing for a palace could not be painted by
man, and the walls afford vistas Of new de-
light on every side. While the surface ILL
les droop, and the furnace-like heat stills
the surrounding forest, the king and his
royal retinue. ensconced beneath the wa
ter, live anew the old, old life OF Posedon,
the Greek god of the seas, and his wife,
Amphitrite. who dwelt in their tabled
golden house under the seas, at Aegae, of
the Homeric Isles.
TIxaf t,-y tcI, - H,t-
are similar to those of the imperial palace
"a mixture of Chinese grandeur and In
dian lavishness. Every chair, table and
divan is inlaid with gold and heavily stud
ded with precious stones. The ornaments
statues and minor furnishings are of ivory
and the back Of the royal chair is en-
biazoned with coronet of emeralds.
When his majesty desires to return to
the surface the weights are quickly roll
ed out upon sunken raft by means Of
levers from an ante-room, and the room is
drawn up, as an elevator. by cables and
hosting apparatus from above. The raft
bearing the weights Is afterward drawn I'D
By the same method.
Initiated in Ipdfn.
This Ingenious scheme has been copied
by Prince Khan Aryanluh. His submarine
room is somewhat larger, but equally as
gorgeous To him. however, the idea of
living under water is not as marvellous as
to the King Of Siam, as the water has been
his home from childhood. His home, and
the home of his father the royal palace at
Agra, is built entirely or the water, ard
access to 1t IS only possible by boat In
magEificence and gaudy grandeur it proba-
bly, eclfpseS anything known to the civilized
world Its decorations in ivory and pre-
cious stones alone are worth over O,0OO,-
COY, and 1t has 1000 rooms. 1t is known as
the pearl palace, and was built exclusively
for the ruling monarch. his family and
his wives. Twenty thousand men We're en-
ployed on it for twenty-five years. It is
built in the form of an irregular octagon,
is of pure white MARBLE and so lavishly is
the main hall decorated that the whole of
the Koran is said to be written in precious
stones on the walls.
Slams Remarkable Ruler.
The King of Siam, the inventor of this
submarine device. it a wonderful person.
His name is perhaps the longest of any
monarch in the world, containing fifty
seven letters, but he is called Chulalankorn
for short. He has ten different names in
addition to this and his titles would fill
more than column of newspaper space.
He is young man, but despite his tender
age has GOO wives. Notwithstanding this
large assortment, however, he is so sacred
and mighty that he must marry nobody
beneath him in rank, and his only equals
being members of his own family, his
official wife must therefore be his half sis
ter. She rules the harem, wears diamond
and emerald rings on every finger and ruby
bracelets around her ankles. She occupies
her time in smoking cigarettes and chewing
the betel nut, making her teeth as black as
ebony. This pleases the king, who says that
anybody can have white teeth, but only
who are rich enough to afford
the betsl nut, can have black ones.
In looking at this semi-heathen king it is
hard to bslieve that he is the sacred ruler
Of over 100000 of people, and still harder
to appreciate his absolute power The whole
people are his slaves. and his simple word
inflicts instant death on any man, or robs
him of his daughter. He has the light to
call his subjects into his service without
pay at any or all times, and every man in
Siam is forced to give him part of his ser
vices during each year. All the women of
the entire country are supposed to belong
to him and the mobiles offer him their
daughters by the score
Although Siam has no national debt he
taxes the people as he pleaseS and so heavy
are these taxes that men are often forced
to sell their wives and children. By this
means the kings vaults are full of treasure,
and his yearly income $10,OOO.oOO. This he
squanders i'll enriching his personal sur
For the building of this submarine room
probably 1000 men were forced into the
work in addition to extra heavy taxes being
levied upon the entire pophace.