The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-10-11
NILES OF TIN STREETS.
Peculiar Architecture Of the Kafir
"A rarnz.o,h,,,,.

Quarter Of Johannesburg.
After struggling for half an hour
through pungent brickfelds Of arid
clay, cracked by the heat OF the
sun into thousand assures, dodg-
ing shunting trains and snorting en-
! gines on masy goods siding, the in
quisitive visitor to Johannesburg
finds himself on tho outskirts Of
"TIn Town"
Topograhically, the district, is
Yvededorp; technically, it is the
"expropriation area: actually, 1t Is
the Kaar quarter of the Golden
City" Here the black man fore
gathers with his wife and family,
says the London Express. "Tin
Town" is more than mile in
length and three-quarters of mile
in breadth. T. is laid out with great
regularity On the American block
system.
The, streets are unpaved, and the
attempts at the construction of side
walks are pitiful In their primitive.
ness. The roadways Of red earth
dotted with crawling Kaf1r babies
are marred by unpleasant undula-
tions and hollows filled with stag
nant rain water, near which myriads
OF pugnacious mosquitoes are for
ever buzzing.
The crowning feature Of "Tin
Town" is its architecture. Never
were houses more strangely built
nor the weird structures of night
mareland more accurately realized.
The principal materials from
which this great living area has been
constructed are. petroleum tins. the
tin or zinc Innings Of imported pack
ing cases and large quantities Of the
lead used in the tea trade. From
these limited means, with battens or
wood for use as framework, are con-
structed dwelling places very similar
to that made by Peter Pan and his
youthful crew for the protection OF
Wendy.
Every man is his own architect
and builder, and the work OF erect
ing these twelve or fourteen feet
high sites Is simplicity itself. First
the ground is marked out, generally
exactly square, and at each OF the
four corners a sturdy stake, some
ten feet in height, Is driven In. Inese
are strengthened and supported by
cross pieces. Then the architect,
his wife and eldest children wander
abroad in search of tin.
In the colonies one seldom sees
petroleum in cask. 1t Is generally
sold in two, four or six gallons tins.
The consumer purchases a specially
manufactured pump and draws on
the oil as he needs 1t. AS the tins
are not returnable, they are pressed
| into all sorts Of strange services.
Filled with earth they are used for
building walls; painted green they
are turned into flower boxes; they
are In common use as pals, drinking
troughs for cattle, boilers, cooking
utensils, besides thousand and one
other familiar objects. Yet, despite
| this accommodativeness, many lind
their way to the rubbish heaps, and
are eagerly pounced upon by the
"homing" Kaf1r.
The tins are cut open, hammered
fat and nailed to the upright bat
tens. In q couple Of hours-given
q sufficient supply Of material-the
citadel walls are complete, and this
sound box of a house only requires
the corrugated iron roof and tin
chimney-or, rather, smoke outlet
to finish It. The luxury Of fire CRATES
is unknown. The fire may be lighted
anywhere, and the dense volumes or
smoke are expected to ascend sky
ward In the manner provided.
Those of the $4,000 Kaffirs In
"Jo'burg" who do not dwell in min
ing compounds reside, in one of the
several miles of Tin Town" streets.
Seen from a distance in the strong
glare Of the African sun the bizarre
collection of human dwellings looks
| like some enchanted dream city.
The tin walls reflect back the suns
rays like walls of silver, and even
the dull roofs Of corrugated iron are
transmitted into something "mys-
tic, wonderful" by the philosophers
stone of the sun. At close quarters
the scales fall from the eyes, and the
awakening Is rude indeed.
The Kafflr multiplies prolihically,
and these unsavory roads are always
filled with their naked, copper skin
ned offspring. They crawl about the
ant infested roadway and paddle or
founder in the hollows of foul
smelling water with evident enjoy
ment. They are plump Titles mites,
these children. Thew are much more
precocious and de- Up more rapidly
than European infa ;, and they Ger
tainly take life Ii , h more good
humoredly.
The male popula Of "Tin
Towr does not arriN home until
eveninA, "lways bel 9 o'clock,
for by the Jaw OF o'burg' no
black, save those in charge Of rick
shaws, Is allowed on the streets after
this hour.
Then he can loll up against his tin
walls-making them crackle and rat
tie like concentrated thunder-and
smoke his clay pipe, while he dis
cusses his short, but seditious cuts