Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-11-14
A Submerged Palace.

Inc lLOoiSui VI HO" :" ny
summer offers wide range of glorious
possibilities, but probably the most ex-
traordinary method ever heard of is
that of the King of Siam. This IN
genious gentleman escapes the torrid
rays of Old Sol by depositing himself
for hours at time in the cooling if
aqueous embrace Of lake. There he
sits in house of glass as comfortable
as can be, while the pond lilies droop,
and the furuace-like heat spreads itself
all over his dominion.
The King, in the interests of suffer-
ing humanity, did not copyright this
interesting idea, and it has been adopt
ed by the Prince Khan Aryanluh, of
India The prince has a magnificent
summer villa on the bottom of lake
on his ancestral estates at Agra.
The question of ventilation has been
already attended to by the kingly in.
ventor. He pumps airs from the sur
face through enormous tubes and man.
ages to keep up a constant circulation.
As it is for himself alone, the room Is
but twenty feet square by fifteen feet
high. With the exception of the floor.
it is entirely of heavy plate glass close
" fitted into steel frames. The floor
is of wood and steel, and directly un-
der il is a second or false floor, into
which are stored weights of stone.
When floating all these weights are
removed, but when His Majesty de-
sires a cooling, tons of them are rolled
in, aud the room slowly and silently
sinks, until 1t rests upon the bottom.
1t is then at depth of about twenty
feet, and so arranged that an abund-
ant supply OF air is obtained from
numerous tubes leading to the surface.
By means Of other tubes he is enabled
to hold conversation with those in the
royal palace on shore, and also to
transact state business
The furnishings of this submarine
castle are as lavish as those Of the i'm
perial palace. Every chair, table and
divan is inlaid with gold and heavily
studded with precious stones. The
ornaments, statues and minor furnish
ings are of ivory, and the back OF the
royal chair is emblazoned with a coro-
net Of emeralds.
When His Majesty desires to re-
turn to the surface the weights are
quickly rolled out upon sunken raft
by means of levers worked in an ante
room, and the room is drawn up, as
if it were an elevator, by means Of
cables and hosting apparatus operated
from above. The raft bearing the
weights is afterwards drawn up by the
same method. The whole affair is az
simple as it is ingenious
Prince Khan Aryanluh, Of India,
has submarine room equally as gor-
geous To him, however, the idea OF
living under water is not os marvel.
lous as to the King Of Siam, ~ the
water has been the Prince home from
childhood. His home, and the home
of his father, the royal palace at Agra,
is built entirely on the water, and ac-
cess to it il only possible by boat. In
magnifcence and gaudy grandeur, It
probably eclipse' anything known TO
the civilized world.
Its decorations in ivory and precious
stones alone are worth over 500, ,0O0,-
600, and it has 1000 rooms. II is
known as the pearl palace and was
built exclusively for the ruling mon
arch, his family and bis wives. Twen.
ty thousand men were employed on il
for twenty-five years. 1t is built in
the form Of an irregular octagon, is Of
pure white marble, and 20 layishly is
the main hall decorated that the
whole Of the Koran is said to be writ
ten in precious stones on the walls.