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Thai toilet hose-California Gold Rush link astounds scholars

Written By: herbrunbridge - Jul• 12•10

The busininess end of a massive monitor hydraulic hose, purportedly the model for the Thai toilet hose

A culturally significant and historically important discovery has been reported that links the invention of the ubiquitous toilet hose found in the restrooms of Thailand to the powerful “monitor’ hoses that decimated California hillsides during the 19th century California gold rush.

Scholars from Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng University told WoWasis that archaeologists documenting the discovery of a small camp inhabited by Thai mining workers near Malakoff Diggins State Historical Park in California have unearthed what are apparently the first toilet hoses used by Thais anywhere in the world. While these archaeologists spoke to us under guarantee of anonymity, they did shows us pictures of these primitive toilet hoses, which look similar to the giant monitor hoses of the gold rush era.“They worked on gravity feed, just like the monitors, and diverted water from the same penstocks,” said one researcher. A governing valve found in a camp midden provided the key. “Without this valve, the water pressure would have blown the unfortunate victim sky high, right off the toilet,” claimed one archaeologist. Imported Thai workers of the era were known to abhor the use of paper — generally in the form of product catalogues — as well as corncobs to clean themselves. If this latest finding rings true, then an as yet unidentified Thai national evidently used the hydraulic technology used to wash gold into sluices to fashion a method of cleaning himself when using the outhouse, utilizing water in the same way toilet hoses are used all over Thailand today.

The Thai camp on the Malakoff site, which also includes cooking utensils, bottles, and letters, is adjacent to a documented camp housing Chinese workers of the era, and appears to be the first indicator of a Thai presence in California’s gold country. The Thai archaeologists are temporarily holding their discovery under the vest, as they consider the prototype toilet hose to be an artifact that belongs in a Thai, rather than western museum. Sensitive discussions are being held with California authorities over the ultimate display location of the toilet hose, as well as the letters.

ThailandPromoBannerThe letters, which are still to a large degree legible, would appear to have been in the collection of a female Thai domestic worker. One such letter from the year 1883 looks to  be a copy of a letter sent to a local non-Thai miner, written in English. “Have big problem,” one letter begins, “water buffalo sick and need gold too much to send home, papa cannot work rice farm if no buffalo. Two bag gold not too much for you. If you do for me, I love you long time.” Signed with the simple name “Lek,” this letter, scholars now posit, may be the historically earliest reference of interactions between Thai women and North American men in existence.

The discovery and documentation of the toilet hose prototype and “Lek Letters” is, for the time being, a political hot potato that is being kept away from the international press. We suspect that this significant story of early Thai-American relations in the goldfields of California is a story too compelling to remain hidden for long.the-bum-gun-bidet-sprayers

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4 Comments

  1. モンクレール ダウン says:

    Nice post. I am impressed! Extremely useful info particularly the last part I was seeking this certain information for a very long time.

  2. Right, Lomar, no book has yet uncovered the link from the Gold Rush to the Thai toilet hose. You read it here first!

  3. lomar says:

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  4. seabroubroun says:

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