The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11
ON THE EDGE OF CIVILIZATION,
NEWS COMING ONLY NOW or TEN
RUIN or DIANANTINO.

Once tho World Got Its Diamonds FpsA
This Town IN Braz1l-It Was Utterly
Wiped Out Two Years Aso-Details It
Its Fate Have just Been Received.
Many OF the inner parts Of South America
are less known to-day than any portion II
Africa These regions OF widespread
forests and swamps, inhabited only by
wild Indians, are almost unknown to the
outside world; even in southern Brazil
large districts Of the big State Of Mstto-
Crosse may we'll be said 10 be on the edge
OF the most remote corners of civiiza-
tion.
Capt. Ludwig hermann has just bean
telling in Petermdnn's Mitteiluagcn OF the
destruction Of Diamantino in that State
| during the insurrection Of November.
1901. The world has scarcely heard Of
Diamantno for many years. though it was
once a dourishing little place inhabited
by Brazilians who were rich in slaves and
in the diamonds they washed from the
| stream.
The district once had q population q
about 1000, mostly negroes and halfbrests.
Tho people who still live there speak
very corrupt dialect OF Portuguese, but the
town was in decline years before its dnal
destruction. Slavery and diamond wash
ing were at an end and the well-to-do bad
departed. The town had schoolhouses
but not soul In that region was come
| petent to teach school. 1t had = church,
| but for years no priest had been seen IN the
town.
No good roads connected II with other
| settlements and its population had dwindbd
to about 300 souls Only the plastered
houses along the three streets and tho
81 bstantial stone residences Of the foSIno1
diamond washers remained to testify 10
the old time prosperity Of place tha1
was once the centre from which the world
derived most Of it's diamonds.
The instruction OF 1901, when . lAfDo
dissatisfied element in Matto-Grosso arose
against the Central Government Ut no
do Janerio, completed the ruin OF Dtarnsn-
tino. The Government hurried large
| number Of troops into the State, and In Z
few weeks they laid the disafected' DIS
tricts in ruins.
The frantic inhabitants Of the little town
heard on Nov. that the soldiers were conn
| ing, and at once began to abandon their
homes. They heard that the soldiers were
not sparipg even women or children; and 30.
with bundles OF household effects under
their arms, they hurried in wild flight Into
| the dense forests to hide from the advano-
| ing enemies On the evening Of Nov =,
| Capt. hermann, sick, old man, and black
washerwoman were the only human beings
left in the town.
The next morning the infantry and csv-
airy OF Brazil, wild, rufflan crowd, bare
footed, dressed in ragged trousers. without
coats or hats, poured into the place. They
swarmed through the abandoned houses.
laundering right and left, and after re-
moving their booty to the ndghboring
fields, began the work Of levening thetown-
They knocked down the buildings with
axes and timbers. an arduous task that
occupied day. Then they set fire to tn
rims in a dozen places and took their d.
parture.
It was ten days later before the namee
died out. There was nothing left but aAhIea
and blackened stones and ruins to marx u.
place where Diasnantino had stood.
Last year only few Of the inhabitanfa
had returned to begin the difficult work a
rebuilding their town. Some OF them bad
| been murdered ny tuc eoloA7An, AAoAAy A~>s
fed further south TO begin life again amons
sett lements that had escaped destruction
and others had gone to Paraguay and
Bolivia.
Capt hermann believes it win b many
wears before this region will recover from
the utter ruin which has overwhelmed u
In time, however. he thinks that various
industries will be established, for there aEo
GOOD prospects for gold and diamond wash-
inc rubber trees flourish in the neighbor1ng
forests, and the agricultural lands arc very
fertile.
Il ia a curious fact that nearly two yoazs
elapsed before any detailed information
reached the outer world Of the utter destruo.
ton OF the little town that had once n0e1
famous. 1t shows how utterly isolated
this part Of Brazil from tho foreign iutsss
est, that are impelling all the Northern
white races to send thousands OF rsfrss
sentatiyes to the newer parts Of the world.