The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-12-02


Free state-AmerIcan Goods
Found Everywhere and More
Wnnted-The State of the Country
Now the Scene OF the Life-and
Death strusEle of Briton nn0
I'ocr.
STORY over which the Br1tish-Boer war
is going on was written by the United
Stares consul general at Cape Town,
James G.. Stowe. He made a tour Of
inspection through Cape Colony, Natal,
the Orange Free State and the Trans
8vaal, and embodied his observa tons in
a report to the state department., dated
June 10, 1899, and entitled Commercial
Development of South Africa
q He travelled first from Cane Town to
Kimberley, 6A7 miles. The Journey con-
sumed two days and one night and was
made in one of the compartment cars
which in South Africa take the place of
sleeping and dining cars. At night he
had bed consisting of one sheet
double, one small pillow and two blankets
made up for which he paid 10 English
shillings, s.. 43. The scenery in the Hex
mountains, which were traversed the first
afternoon, reminded him Of Colorado I'm
y the distance on each side could be seen
the 'coppips' (hills) assuming all shapes
and heights. These wastes were covered
with a stunted bush, the food of the
sheep which once roamed about in large
numbers, now sadly decimated by dis
ease. At the foot of the copies are
some fertile fields, whose principal prod
ucts are Kaffr corn and mealies. Mr.
Stoves report, as epitomized by the New
York Sun, says the Kaffir corn is in the
tasse1, not in the ear; the me;.lie is like
our own Indian corn, but smaller in ear
and grain, and when ground and mixed
with cold water is more palatable than
our Indian corn when scalded The
mealie is planted in rows and left to
mature. It is never cultivated; hence the
plant runs to stalk and not. to ear
The nonotony of this long ride was
broken by occasional small herds of cat,
tie, sheep, goats or ostriches These last,
less timid than their four-footed COM
panions, came UP to the fence and stared
at the train as it rushed by i The fences,
by the way, were of American barbed
wire, but built with genuine Dutch SOL
idity, attached to heavy iron posts and
gates, imported from Europe. Kimberley
Mr.. Stowe found to be a city Of $4,000
inhabitants, most of them attracted to
the place by the greatest diamond mines
in the world. The general manager of the
n1inesy CO Ediner sIN.s4sXV liams,ais also the
.Initad-S States consular agent. IT was
pleased to find,'' says Mr.. Stowe, that
many Of the most responsible positions
in the mines are filled by Americans. The
United States also furnish most of the
1000 horses and mules used in the mines
and some Of the 200, 900 pounds of beef
and $4,000 pounds of mutton consumed
by the 1000 natives and $4,000 whites
employed in the mines I was not at all
surprised to: see American machinery
here" Mr. Stowe remarks. 1.-THE inn
mense driving gear of a pumping engine
made in England had to be sent to Chi
cago to have the cogs cut The COM
pany is operating an ice plant, made in
Chicago, and three more have been Or
dered, each with a capacity Of five tons
a day, and 10000 cubic feet of cold stor-
age, besides a complete dynamite plant,
with an American to manage it. The $50
miles of railroad in and about the mines
are laid with American rails and every
tie and sleeper is of California redwood,
which in this country is the wood par ex-
cellence for this purpose Three ships
from California have recently arrived
with cargoes of redwood and Oregon
pine. sThe ice company sells its product
for half-a.cent a pound. while in Cape
Town the price is 4 cents. All the water
used in and about the city flows through
pulled to Kimberley by an American en-
CINE, and there are several others in use
in Cape Colony"
Mr. Stowe vas interested in the ar
rangements made by the company for the
comfort of its employees. mo company IN
the world" he declares, docs more. IT
has built the village of Kennilworth, COW
ering 500 acres and occupied by white
employees at nominal cost. Water and
light are supplied free. and there is q
clubhouse, library, reading rooms, ath.
letic grounds, park and vegetable gar.
dens, with vines and fruits Of all kinds
in profusion-' The natives are housed IN
compounds son the four sides OF large
square are erected One-story buildings OF
corrugated iron, opening to the center OF
the square They are divided into rooms
which hold twenty persons, who sleep in
hunks three high. Within each com
pound Ia a store which su,.plies the ma
uves with clothes, food, ETC., at very rea-
sonable prices. In the center of the square
Is a large swimming pool, well patronized.
Adjacent to the compound Is hospital,
free to the sick and injured. Extended
over the whole enclosure, which occupies
several acres. is q wire netting, to pre-
vent the throwing over OF diamonds en-
closed In tin. cans, etc., as was once the
natives practice. Outside the compound
and ten feet from It is barbed wire
fence ten feet high with fourteen strands
of wire An underground passage leads
amined as they return from work. With
in the compound visited there are
three were $500 natives, and, as 1t was
Sunday, they were all enjoying them
selves. dancing, playing on musical in
struments, beating drums, reading the
Bible or Pilgrims Progress in their own
language, singing hymns, cooking, sew
ing, smoking hemp in cow horns and
gambling. Some were clothed, some not;
some had their teeth filled to resemble a
saw, others had their heads shaved ex-
cept fringe at the back. Some were
tattOoed, and nearly all had holes through
| the lobe of the right ear, to hold any
thing that might come to hand. saw
spoons, straws. feathers and stubs Of
cigars disposed In this manner. The ma
| tives are under contract for; six months
and receive from shilling to 8 shillings
(24 to 70 cents) a day. They are al
lowed to leave the compound during the
| time of the contract No liquor is fur
nfshed them. They are happy and con-
tented, and the system is good for the
native, the industry and the country.
They are kept In q detention room one
week before their contracts expire and
made to wear gloves made OF two discs
Of leather, locked to their wrists. Their
clothes are taken from them and ex-
amined, and at the end ok the week they
leave witf1ouf any diamonds. =
THE kimberley mine has often been de-
Escribed, but Mr. Stoves account has the
merit sc freshness. The mine. " he
writes, 'sfs the crater Of an extinct vol
eano. what Is now a level prairie was
once volcano. Cropping out on the sur
Efacc appeared blue rock, which was
Found to contain diamonds. The month
| 81 the crater Is 312 feet below the surface.
IsThey dug 800 feet lower. 80 that the mine
| IS now G12 feet deep. The rock is elevated
| 70 the surface by powerful machinery and
,onveved Ia the floors Or level ground, at