Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-03-11

Flag Since 1824-Burmah Is Noted for
Being the Site of the Celebrated Rnby !
Mines Heavy Work for Elephants.
BY FRANK M. KENNEY.
Although we left Calcutta later
than our scheduled time we reached
here i'll due season, rs our trip had
been arranged with Il view of some
delays and so far we have been fortu-
nate enough to have avoided them.
The main feature here is the Shwe
Dagon Pagoda; the great temple of
the Buddhists. 1t is 36S feet high.
and being situated on an elevation of
l63 feet above the city, it is the first
object to be seen when approaching
the harbor The morning sun
strikes on its golden dome. and the
resultant reflections look like shining
lights. Around the temple have
been built many individual shrines
so that now a distant view of the
temple i'll its entirety, cannot be had.
This is a very sacred place to the
Buddhists and here the faithful can
be seen Offering up prayers to the
images of Buddha that they may OBJ
tain the object of their desires. The
statues of Buddha are many in num-
Der and vary greatly in size, cost and
material from which they have been
made. Some are pure white marble,
generally adorned with gilt or gold
leaf. Others are of bronze, often so
polished as to resemble FURNISHED
gold. Wood, laooriously carved,
formed the base OF many. Excellent
shr.nes have been placed around
many of the images but in some they
were inexpensive. Almost without
Exception they were gaudy. These
shrines having been built by irtlivid-
uals; the size of the purse is un-
dOubtedly reflected in the buildings
and statues erected. Here the Hin
du priests are much in evidence.
They have taken the vows of Poverty
and Celibacy and must beg the food
they eat. They are not permitted to
touch money and boy is taken
along with them to accept what is
offered and when they ride to the
temple the youngster pays the fare.
1t is strong rule that has no loop
hole.
Outside of one of the temples were
two leperS; the first | had knowingly
seen. Such thing as perm itting
these people to be around public
places do not believe would be tOl-
Grated elsewhere than in these coun-
tries but they do not seem to pay
much attention to it and only their
appearance tells you they are un-
clean.
Elephants are used in the timber
yards for moving the heavy timbers
and we had an opportunity of wit
Messing some of them engaged in
this, to US, novel work. 1t was sur
prising to see how intelligently they
would proceed. The tusks had been
cut off at the end; he would place
them under the log and if this would
not be possible then alongside the
log, and with his trunk he would roll
the timber over on his tusks. When
he had the log balanced he would
hold it tight with his trunk aud
away he would go to wherever the
driver commanded. In some in
stances heavy sticks were carried
without being balanced, but as a
rule the load was properly distrib-
uted. Where there is considerable
to do, machinery is displacing the ele-
phant, for large bodies move slowly
and even the wages is almost moth
ing-machinery can displaee even
cheap labor. In one mill we visited,
the logs were dumped into a small
pond (better named mud hole) and
hauled out of it on the log deck by
elephants. Live rolls carried the log
on to the circular saw, but it had to
be hauled back again by the ele-
plants when they wished to take the
next slab Off. Such a thing us using
reverse rolls was not deemed neceS-
sary, if they were ever thought Of
This was not the up to date mill of
the town, but still it had lot of ma
chinery in it. Elephants are worth
from 1,50O to 1900 rupees or approx
imately $500 to $3.50, the value being
based on what the tusks would be
worth. They say the tusks sell for
as much as the first cost of the an
imal.
The principal items of trade are
rice, teakwOod, oil and jade. Eng
lish firms seem to have the largest
stores in the town but the Chinese
are dominating the timber bust
ness. The Burmese seem to have
been crowded out, and in not place
of Importance did we see them.