The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-09-28

a very pleasant gentleman, William j
Masters, who has just returned from
South Africa and is registered at the
hai!srcll, conversed in very interest
ing manner of that uneasy part of the
| world.
MIR. and Mrs. Masters, with their four
children, werc over forty days enroute
and while On the voyage stopped at St
Helena, where they met many Of the
1000 bocr prisoners who are confined on
that famous island where Napoleon I
passed SO many unhappy months.
In speaking of the condition of affairs
in South Africa, Mr.. Masters said: II
was located almost 100 days at or near
the seat Of war and witnessed many of
horrors as well as five engagements, one
of those being that in which the Scotch
Brigade and the Black Watch we're SO
badly cut up. England alone has lost
almost $4,000 men, while those living
were on not to exceed half rations, and a
great part of the time much less. Hun
drcds of the Beers have been buried on
the battle field with hardly enough soil
to cover the bodies, eight and ten piled
together in one grave, and it was no un-
common thing to find face, in all it's
coldness, staring at you, upon moving a
stone or kicking up the earth
1.-THE Beers had commenced to bury
their heavy artillery and small arms and
| believe that should search be made
hundreds of stands of small arms would
be found (Mrs. Masters here remarked:
"The soil seems to be well adapted to the
raising of arms') Unless they are found,
some day, Great Britain will find herself
again with serious trouble on her hands.
Had the Beers been trained in military
tactics, England would never have de-
feated them. Beers are more like farm
ers than soldiers and not nearly so num-
erous as has been reported.
1--WE resided in that part of the world
seven years and witnessed many of the
history making events; went through the
Jameson raid there can be no doubt
but that England was back of the whole
thing. Rifles were smugged into the
country in smoke stacks, tanks filled with
oatmeal and under coke loaded on cars,
always brought in at night. The only
trouble was that DIR. Jameson commenced
his advance prematurely.
Yes, we were in Kimberley during the
siege. Over 5000 shells were thrown
into the city, but did little damage; 397
of them were hundred Founders. Only
three people were killed by these shells.
Food was scarce and prices as high up as
war balloon. Potatoes were GO cents a
pound, horse and mule meat 20 cents,
$3.50 per dozen, a duck cost $G,25, and
everything else in proportion. Flour,
butter and all such supplies could not
be purchased at any price. Ecer only
brought $3.50 bottle.
The mines were working when I left
taking out from three 10 live thousand
karats Of diamonds per day. Miners
were receiving from S4.OO to SG.20 a day.
The largest diamond taken out, to my
knowledge. weighed IA little over four
hundred karats. Diamonds are valued
and named in the following order:
Frosted, pink, blue, white, orange and
straw. A frosted diamond has milky
figures in the stone which the inexperi
enced would think flaws, and which re
mind one of the frost work on window
on cold morning. The stones are very
brilliant, very scarce and expensive.
II am sure the real cause of the war
was the discovery of gold and there can
be no excuse OF reason given to uphold
the loss of life and property"