square chimney

Terrain

General Condition

The archaeological site of the square crater is located inside the Ban Plong Leam School. In Soi Plong Liam 7, Tha Mai Subdistrict, Krathum Baen District, Samut Sakhon Province, the area is a plain on the Tha Chin River. Surrounding the school is an agricultural area with gardening. There are houses built sporadically. The ancient site is on the west bank of Tha Chin River. which is located above the water curve (The Tha Chin River is adjacent to the archaeological site on the south side). The school's football field is located on the north side.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Tha Chin River

Geological conditions

The Tha Chin River Basin was formed by the deposition of convective sediments during the Holocene period.

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Square chimney (Suriya Sudsawat et al. 2010:132) was originally a chimney of a sugar factory. which in the past was called “Nakhon Chaisri Chest Factory” (Nakon-chei-See Factory) of the IndoChinese sugar company limited, England, built in 1870 under the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). John Costeker is the general manager, G.F. Hick is the factory manager.

This Indochina sugar factory is considered the first large steam engine factory in Siam. In November 1870, machines from England were sent into the factory. Which was the big news of Bangkok at that time, Moor Bradley recorded in the Bangkok Calendar that (Suriya Sudsawad et al. 2010:133)

“...30 November Steamboat Yuna ( Una) of England joins the machines of the Indochina sugar factory December 14th, the installation of the machines of the Indochina sugar factory. It was celebrated as it was appropriate.”

Indochina sugar factory is a modern industrial factory. There are six factory engineers, four assistant engineers, one transport worker and one steam plows operator. There are also more than 3,000 Chinese workers, more than a small chest of drawers. traditional villagers, many tens of times thus getting the attention of the King royal family and senior civil servants came and came to visit the factory Doctor Smith's Siam Repository records that both Somdej Phraya Borom Maha Sri Suriyawong (Chuang Bunnag) had visited this factory (Suriya Sudsawad et al. 2010:133). )

The main factor that led to the construction of industrial factories related to sugar production in the Tha Chin River basin. As a result of the Bernie Treaty with England during the reign of King Rama III, sugar became an important export. The fertile Nakhon Chai Si River basin or Tha Chin River is an agricultural area with large sugarcane plantations. At present, village names and canals still exist, such as Ban Rong Heep, Ban Om Rong Heep Canal, etc. These factories are all located in the area of ​​Tha Chin River or large canals. which is the main transportation route that is important to transport sugar cane or sugar (Suriya Sudswat et al. 2010:133)

Nature of Business Operations of the Indochina Sugar Factory It started with a treaty between the company's representatives and the Siamese government. The contract means that The Siamese government allowed the Indochina Sugar Company to establish a sugar factory on the right bank of the Tha Chin River, Don Kadi Subdistrict, Talat Mai District. Mueang Nakhon Chai Si (currently Tha Mai Subdistrict, Krathum Baen District) Samut Sakhon Province) The Company has the right to occupy land for planting sugar cane and set up a factory of not less than three thousand rai. The company will buy the land from the people who own it at a reasonable price. and pay the land tax at the normal price In the sugarcane cultivation, the Company manages to divide the land into 20 small planting plots, each with a road cut through. For the benefit of using machinery to work in the sugar cane fields and transporting sugarcane from the plantation to the factory by wagon as the main vehicle (Suriya Sudswat et al. 2010:133-134)

In the later period, the demand for sugar from Siam declined. Rice is therefore an increasingly important commodity. In addition, sugar from foreign countries is of better quality. Siamese people therefore turned to planting rice for export instead. This caused the sugar factories in this region to reduce their production and eventually quit. Like the Indochina sugar factory in about 1875 or 5 years after the start of the operation, the business was also stopped. After 1939, Mr. Chai Thongbai, the owner of the land of this former factory. has given the land to build the Ban Plong Liang School with only the chimney left standing majestically on the bank of Tha Chin River, along with the school to this day (Suriya Sudsawat et al. 2010:134)

according to the original information Characteristics of the ancient site are the chimneys and the base of the factory building. The chimney is an octagonal brick chimney of an Indochina sugar factory. The chimney is located on a rectangular base, 4 meters wide on each side, about 30 meters in height, slightly examined. The north base has an arc opening into the inner space connected to the chimney. On the east side, a stone sign was installed on the brick wall. Engraved letters, brief information of ancient monuments The plaster surface of the base part has almost completely peeled off. The chimney surface is still quite intact.

But from the survey in December 2015, the base of the building was not found. Because the remains are drowned in the Tha Chin River. (Information from interviews with school personnel.) In addition, villagers say they have seen a round metal chimney sink under a river as well. And originally this square chimney was located about 40 meters from the Tha Chin River, now the distance between the chimney and the Tha Chin River is only 14 meters.