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

Freo state-Anlerican Goods
Found Everywhere and More
Wnnted-The State of the Country
Now the Scene. of the Life-and-
Death Struggle Of Briton and
I'oer. -
Probably the latest account of the ter
ritory over which the British-Boe war
is going; on was written by the United
States consul general at Cape Town,
James G. Stowe. He made tour of
inspection, through Cape Colony, Natal,
the Orange Free State and the Trans
a report to the state department., dated
June Is, 1899, and entitled Commercial
Development Of South Africa. =
He travelled first from Cape Town to
Kimberley, 6A7 miles. The journey con-
sumed two days and one night and was
! 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, $2.43. The scenery in the Hex
mountains, which We're traVersed the first
afternoon, reminded him Of Colorado. "In
u
! the 'coppips' (hills) assuming all shapes
and heights. These wastes were covered
with stunted BUSH, the food Of the
sheep which once roamed about in large
numbers, now sadly decimated by dis
Lease. At the foot of the copies are
some fertile fields, whose principal prod
| ucts are Kaffir corn and mealies. Mr..
Stoves report, as epitomized by the New
York Sun, says the Kaffir corn is in the
tassel, 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
l me allie is planted in rows and left to
| mature. It is never cultivated; hence the
| plant runs to stalk and not. to ear.
| The monotony of this long ride was
| broken by occasional small herds of cat
/ tie, sheep, goats or ostriches These last,
i less timid than their four-footed COM
panions, came UP to the fence and stared
i at the train as it rushed by The fences,
by the way, were of American barbed
/ wire, but built with genuine Dutch SOL
idity, attached to heavy iron posts and
i gates, imported from Europe. Kimberley
i Mr. Stowe found to be a city Of $4,000
Inhabitants, most of them attracted to
the place by the greatest diamond mines
n1ines,-- Ediner. T.s liams, lis. also the
limited States consular agent I'll was
pleased to find,'' says Mr.. Stowe, that
many of the most responsible positions
i the mines are filed by Americans. The
] United States also furnish most Of the
1000 horses and mules used in the mines
! and some of the 100000 pounds of beef
and $4,000 pounds of mutton consumed
i by the $4,000 natives and $50 900 whites
employed in the mines. I was not at all
surprised to- see American, machinery
here" Mr.: Stowe remarks. 1.-THE i'm.
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 il
1 Chicago, and three more have been or.
dered, each with a capacity of five tons
1 a day, and 10000 cubic feet of cold stor.
(! age, besides complete dynamite plant
! with an American to manage it. The Isl
miles of railroad in and about the mines
are laid with American: rails, and ever!
tie and sleeper is of California redwood
which in this country is the wood par ex
i cellence for this purpose. Three ships
from California have recently arrived
with cargoes of redwood and Oregon
pine. THE ice company sells its produc
for half-atcent a pound, while in. Cap
Town the price is cents. All the waite,
! used in and about the city flows through
pipes made in the United States. I wa.
pulled to Kimberley by an American en-
CINE, and there are several others in us
| IN cape Colony.
Mr.. Stowe was interested in the ar
rangements made by the company for III
comfort Of its employees. mo company .
4 the world" he declares, docs more.
has built the village of Kennilworth, GOV
ering 500 acres and occupied by whit
employees at nominal cost Water an
Clubhouse. a library. reading rooms, atl
letic grounds, a park and vegetable gal
dens, with vines and fruits Of all kind
i IN profusion." The natives are housed !
I compounds. ION the four sides Of a larg
4 square are erected One-stOry buildings q
corrugated iron, opening to the center 9
/ the square They are divided into room
which hold twenty persons, who sleep
q pound IL a store which supplies the ma
i tives with clothes, food, etc, at very rea
sonable prices. In the center of the squar
is a large swimming pool, well patronized
Adjacent to the compound is hospital
q free to the sick and injured Extende
over the whole enclosure. which occupte
q several acres. is q wire netting, to pre-
closed in tin cans, etc, as was once tn
81 natives practice Outside the compoun
and ten feet from 1t Is a barbed wiz
II fence ten feet high, with fourteen strand
. Of wire. An underground passage lead
Ito the mine shaft, and the men are e1
s amfned as they return from work. With
i in the compound visited there ar
Sunday, they were all enjoying them
. selves. dancing, playing on musical In
struments, beating drums, reading tn
Bible or Pilgrims Progress In their owl
language, singing hymns, cooking, sew
ing, smoking hemp In cow horns an,
gambling. Some we're clothed, some not
some had their teeth filled to resemble
saw, others had their heads shaved ex
cept fringe at the back. Some wer
i tattOoed, and nearly all had holes through
:, the lobe of the right ear, to hold any
thing that might come to hand. say
spoons, straws, feathers and stubs
l,ctgars disposed in this manner. The ma
q tiyes are under contract for six month
/ and receive from shilling to shilling
81 (24 to 70 cents) day. They are mot al
lowed to leave the compound during tn
Z, time Of the contract. No liquor is fur
nished them. They are happy and con
: tented, and the system is good for tn
native, the industry and the country
, They are kept in detention room on
]. week before their contracts expire an
y made to wear gloves made OF. two disc
of leather, locked to their wrists Inel
, clothes are taken from them and ex
amined. and at the end at the week the:
i leave without any diamonds
/ THE Kimberley mine has often been &c
i scrihed i but MI. Stoves account has tn
s1 Ierit sc freshness. The mine, n
q writes. rs the crater Of an extinct vol
5 eano. what is now a level prairie VA
once volcano. Cropping out on the SUI
-slsfacc appeared blue rock, which Va
found to contain IN dianen ssa The mont;
They dug 900 feet lower. 90 that the min
!. a now GO feet deep The rock il elevate'
Is the surface by powerful machinery an
!, conveyed to the floors or level ground, 2