Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

Originally Posted by nathanielnong

I will send this photo to some historians.

Will be back...

I’m back (with no good luck)…

Our historians have no idea at all because there was no even one significant something that could start from.

They said that line #3 started from (roughly) ‘a place near Sapan Put (Memorial Bridge) – around the old city wall – Bang Lumpoo – Pra Athit Road – Rachini Road – along Na Pra-Tad Road – Ta Pra Chan Road – Ta Tien – Paklong Talad – over klong ‘Ong Ang’ – heading to Nang Leuang – Worachak - before ending at Thae Wet area’

“So, it could be anywhere along this route” They said.


[A photo shot by W.J. Higgins on 1^st March 1959 showing (a modern) Line #9 stopping at Wat Benjama Bopit (Note: Tram-stop looks like a red flag with one star within)]


All my life, I used to ride on a tram just once (that I can remember), in Wongwien Yai area the place where I grew up. I remember that it ran very quietly with only metal sound of 'kang... kang..." along the way.

When the tram system was firstly introduced in Siam, in late 1800s, it should have been publicly popular because at the time, other kinds of vehicles had not been born yet. But due to lack of information provided (see related stories on page 13/309-310), not many passengers risked their fears to use it. Therefore, the business barely broke even.

Before World War I, there were more people in the city also more marketing and demonstrations, tram business had gradually improved.

Anyway, at the same time, more public vehicles such as tricycles, taxis and buses emerged. These vehicles got their shares of taking away the tram passengers.

But the main disadvantage of trams was that they were quite slow especially when came the time to wait for the other tram that shared the same track to pass. So, it was not suitable for going around if you were in a hurry.

During World War II, the lack of fuel to run the engines affected those public vehicles to stop running.
The most popular public vehicles around that time were those that did not rely on fuel such as tricycles, rickshaws, and horse-drawn carriages but soon they also had to stop servicing because of short of rubber supply, for tires.

Until then, people came back to use trams. Though a bit slow but they were more reliable.

Sadly, fate of trams once again became worse at the end of World War II due to insufficient electricity. Many tram lines had to stop running. Some lines were reduced in circulation.

The situation not only affected tram operation but people too. Each tram available became crowded and that made it difficult for passengers to get off. Some even had to get out through the windows.

Also, crammed trams were dangerous. Accidents happened all the time to those passengers who had to hang themselves outside the trams. They might fall off or injure their body parts such as arms, legs or even necks.

Worse such circumstance created a new career, pick-pocketing career that flourished during the War and after.

And that was the history of trams in the past in Siam/Thailand, the first country in the world that brought electricity to provide a driving force.


(Accident in 1948 in front of Ratanakosin Hotel, Ratchadumnuen Road)

Originally Posted by aging one

Yes it is as when I first came here in 77 I experienced no air conditioning in taxi's or local buses. You got something like this that I took back to the SF bay area as its not really hot often there.

2 popular brands of taxis in those times...

Pra Preechakolakan (noble title + name granted by the king; 1841-1879) whose birth name was Sum-Ang was the second child of a noble family from ‘Amattayakul’ lineage (see Note: 1 below). His father presented him as a royal chamberlain in the reign of King Rama IV (1858-1862).

He was graduated in engineering field from Scotland, England at the age of only 20. The King was pleased and ordered him to help his father at the Ministry of Royal Mint.

Graduated from overseas, Sum-Ang was a modern-minded person who loved inventing and researching. Like his father, the young man also liked to associate with foreigners, the activity that pleased and helped the King.

Later on, when King Rama V took the throne in 1868, his favor for Sum-Ang still continued. The King appointed him to act as the head of the Ministry of Royal Mint instead of his father.

As an engineer, young Sum-Ang invented a lot of new things. Among them was gas-fired facades for royal celebrations.

In 1871, he was graciously appointed as Superintendent Engineer - Chief Mechanic controlling the Royal Ship named ‘Bangkok’ that took the King on various trips of voyage abroad to Singapore, Penang, Melaka, Kolkata, Bombay.

In 1873, Sum-Ang was given title+name as Pra Preechakolakarn and appointed to do business about gold mine in the city of Kabin Buri and finally became the ruler of the city of Prachinburi in 1876.




In Bangkok, Pra Preecha (for short) built his house on the banks of the Chao Praya River. It was located near the foot of the (future) Memorial Bridge (Sapan Put) which at present, was replaced by Pra Poklao Bridge.

His house was luxuriously western designed and was a distinguished house in the area.

After his death, the authorities transformed his house to be a post office before being demolished to give way to the construction of Pra Poklao Bridge.

However, his house was, later, duplicated and used as a museum of the Thai Post Affairs (related story on page 26/626 & 628).




Because of his striking background, Pra Preecha was very welcome and well known among the high societies. On March 11, 1879, he married Fanny Knox, the daughter of the British Consul Thomas George Knox and his Siamese wife.




Later on, Pra Preecha was accused of "Killing and mistreating a lot of people in the city of Kabin Buri”. He was arrested and tethered.

Knowing that this case was politically suspicious and the person who was behind was a Somdej Chao Praya (noble rank granted by the king) who was from another family, ‘Bunnag’, and also once a Regent to King Rama V when the King was being young, Pra Preecha’s father-in-law, Mr. Thomas George Knox, the British consul in Siam threatened the Regent to release his son-in-law otherwise he would detain the Regent in a British warship and ordered the British naval army to bombard Bangkok and after that he would bring this matter up to the British government.




When nothing had advanced, a British warship named Foxhound was steered in on April 12, 1879.




Meanwhile, Pra Preecha’s wife, Fanny, being pregnant, urged his father-in-law to approach another intervention to save her husband.

Mr. Knox took the case to King Rama V asking him to help on this matter which he believed that his son-in-law was being wrongly framed by the Bunnag family which at the time was a big rival of the Amattayakul family (his son-in-law’s). Also, rumor had it that the Regent had wish for a son of his to marry his daughter, Fanny, in order to strengthen his power.

King Rama V was always fond of Pra Preecha and made it clear that he had no wish to see the man punished if he was not guilty of the alleged crimes.

Unfortunately, during this time, more scandalous rumors of Pra Preecha’s malfeasances were surfaced and a number of his ‘Amattayakul’ family members were also put under arrest with charges ranging from malfeasance to murder.

Mr. Knox’s intervention in the affair was in vain and also cost him his post as Consul. He was recalled to London, where he was later granted the title Sir Thomas George Knox.




Back to Pra Preecha, his trial got underway in mid-1879. An article in The New York Times of April 12, 1880, said that “[the] trial is admitted by all intelligent persons to have been a complete farce, since he was not allowed to cross-question witnesses who accused him of murder, nor was he permitted to refer to his books when called upon to account for sums drawn by him as expenses for the gold mine.”

Although Pra Preecha eventually admitted to stealing gold from the King’s mines, some believed he made the confession in the hope that he would be spared the cruel torture that so many criminals of that time suffered until they confessed.

At last, Pra Preechakolakan was found guilty of all charges. He was stripped of his noble title and name to be back as Nai (= Mr.) Sum-Ang. His execution date was set for November 24, 1879. Sensing the brewing storm coming, he put all of his assets in his wife’s name.

Not long before the execution took place, his wife, Fanny, departed to England along with her newly-born baby (who died later at the age of just 21) and two of Pra Preecha’s children from another marriage.




Note:

1 - For centuries, inhabitants of Siam did not have surnames. They identified themselves by referring to their parents’ given names or the place they resided.

The Siamese government started recording data on its citizens during the reign of King Rama V (1868–1910). The data recorded consisted of birth dates, dates of death, and household members. It was difficult to distinguish between citizens as many shared the same name.

In 1912, two years after King Rama VI ascended to the throne, he declared that a birth, death, and marriage registration system would be instituted in Siam. Everyone had to bear a surname to identify them properly. In 1913, the first Surname Act was promulgated.

2 - The story of Pra Preechakolakarn was finally become a novel titled “Fanny & Regent of Siam” which was penned by R. J Minney who admitted that the story was only 75% probable. Nevertheless, it has become a bestselling historical book in England.

At the royal funeral of Queen Sripatcharin, King Rama V’s Supreme Queen Consort (year of death: 1920), her son, King Rama VI, ordered two replicas of ‘Pig Memorial’ and ‘U Taga Tarn Shrine (means closely in English as Water Giving in Charity Shrine)’, of which the originals were located close together in the inner city or Rattanakosin Island, built within the site.

(Read the details about 'why?' on page 27/652 and 9/215 respectively)


(Computer colored version)




(Computer colored version)


After the cremation was done, those two replicas along with the other constructions were dismantled.

Some rare photos (computer colored versions) taken at the funeral of King Rama V’s Supreme Queen Consort (1864-1919). She was the Queen Mother of King Rama VI and VII. She died in the reign of King Rama VI.


(Her last official portrait)



(Her funeral pyre)



(The prototype of her coffin setting behind her royal urn on the crematorium)



(A set of royal tokens [4 items: a fan used during praying, a set of Buddhist Scriptures, a set of daily objects such as ‘alm bowl’, ‘flagon’ and etc., a pair of electric candle sticks] given to each monk who came to pray at the funeral)



(The day after the cremation, King Rama VI was collecting his mother’s ashes and put them in the royal cremation urn)



(Her last residence before passing away was a mansion built in Payathai Palace on the location which is now Pramongkutklao Hospital close to Victory Monument)

Wat Borwornsatan served as a royal wat for Wang Na thus no monks.

The office of Wang Na was considered second only to the king and regarded as the heir presumptive.

The status of Wang Na's Wat Borwornsatan was equal as the Grand Palace's Wat Prakaew

(1956 & 2011)




MacKenna theater, Ratcha Taewee, 1969 & 1974 (Shot from Asia Hotel)




Yaowarat, 1952 & 2017




Wat Yai Chaimonkol, Ayuthaya, 1957 & 2013




Hoh Trai Scripture Library, Wat Pra Sinkha, Chiengmai, 1934 & 1999

Grandfather of King Rama X’s, Mahidol Adolyadej, Prince of Songkla (1892-1929), King Rama V’s son born from one of his Queen Consorts, dressed in his navy officer uniform when he was still serving in the Ministry of the Navy in the reign of his elder half-brother King Rama VI.


(Computer colored version)