The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-12
A GOOD MARKET IN siam
American Building Materials Would
Meet the Demand.
Views of Minister King Respecting
Commercial Enterprises Use ct
Observation-Disclosures Tools From
the United states in High Favor.

the United states in High Favor.
hamilton King, United States Minister
and Consul General to Siam, has written
the following interesting letter on the pos
sibilities for American trade in Siam;
There is great amount of building
going on in Bangkok at the present time;
a conservative estimate places the num-
her OF permanent buildings that have been
erected during the last year. and are nov
in process of erection, at $500. These dc
not include the temporary structures oil
the natives, but represent all styles Of
mere permanent buildings. from the rent
ed shop and more humble dwelling TO the
new palace of His Majesty at Tusit Park
and the most pretentious modern DWELL
ing house.
The materials used In the construction
of these buildings are wood, brick, CORFU
gated iron, and tile. a few years ago teak
wood was the most common building ma
teriaI. but the great advance in the price
of teak has led to the Importation OF
cheaper woods and an endesyor to manu-
facture other lumber from the forests OF
Siam.
las yet there has been no good wood
found TO take the place OF teak, for. in ad-
dition TO durability and strength, this wood
possesses the valuable quality OF resisting
the white ants better than the other
woods. Brick columns are now being used
in the place of teak posts. While these are
cheaper and furnish the strength needed,
they are very clumsy In the otherwise
"A h,,.1l nd
Objectionable.
ut is believed that light Iron grders
and posts would find very general favor
II once they we're introduced. Several
large fires have given rise to ordinances
prohibiting attap Cthatched) roofs or bam-
boo structures in the city in the future.
These circumstances, on the whole, have
proved beneficial for the new city that 10
now rising is for the large part made up Of
brick. iron, and tile.
THE sanitary department has also taken
advantage of these fires to broaden the
streets in the burned districts so ar to give
room for the side walls of brick and ce-
ment and open brick sewers between the
side walls and the streets. These i'm
provements are now being pushed beyond
the confines OF the burned district, and
the temporary structures that have en-
croacbed upon the streets. rs time has gone
by. are now gradually giving way TO side
walks and sewers throughout the city.
THE city has been obliged to manufac-
ture its own brick for year or more. All
the brickyards OF the country turn out
most ordinary, coarse, rough product, which
are SO unsightiy that they must always be
covered up with plaster.
"A very fair quality Of lime is made from
the limestone that is found in abundance
along the shores of the Gulf of Siam. but
the cement is all imported. The best ce-
ment used here comes from Denmark and
England American cement is unknown
One of the city engineers qualified TO
speak, says that there ought 30 be a good
market here for the second quality of Port
land cement. The first quality sets too
quickly. both for the work and for the
workmen
Corrugated iron is extensively used in
the less pretentious buildings for roofing.
and TO some extent for siding. The most Of
this corrugated iron comes from Belgium,
some of il from Germany. Although sew
eral attempts have been made 10 Introduce
American iron il has not yet been able TO
compete with the European product on ac-
count OF the heavier freights Of the longer
haul. At present this iron is bringing
better than SOTO Mexican picul u33
pounds, and is rapidly advancing on ac-
count OF shortage in the Bangkok, Singa-
pore. and Hongkong markets.
ANY material that would furnish
light, cheap, non-combustible sheeting and
roofing for buildings, such as might be
termed temporary structures in America,
would easily control the market here and
displace the corrugated iron. If 1t can be
easily penetrated by the nails it will be
a grea; merit, and the larger the sheets
or squares the better 1t would serve the
purpose.
"such a material mus; be able 10 with
stand the very sudden changes that occur
in this climate, of drenching rains FOR
hours, invariably followed Immediately by
the intense heat of the tropical sun, with
out being water soaked by the one or
being warped and curled by the other. It
would seem that some OF the various
products containing asbestos that have re-
Gently been invented in america ought TO
meet this need. To introduce such an
article it would be necessary to demon
strate its merits by using it in the con-
strucsion of one or two buildings, as actual
acquaintance with the thing itself is quite
necessary In introducing a new article TO
this market.
'0n the whole, however, America must
be content 70 await the appreciation of a
good article that comes with a higher civil
ization before she will fnd much of de-
mand for her tools of the pattern and
quality that are used at home. Something
Of an immediate trade il cabine;makers'
tools for working hard woods could no
doubt be developed. however IL the trouble
were taken to pattern after the tools that
are already used by the cabipetmakers
here