The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-04
. MILES OF TIN STREETS.
Peculiar Architecture OF the kaf.
Dir Quarter of Johannesburg.

q Peculiar Architecture Of the Kaf. .
. DIR Quarter Of johannesburg. .
. . . >%% = . = = . 90 . 90
After struggling for half an hour
through pungent brickfelds Of arid
clap. cracked by the heat Of the sun
into Il Thousand assures. lodging
shunting trains and snorting engines
tive visitor to- johannesburg finds
himself on the outskirts OF Tin
Town"
geographically. the district is
Yvededorp: technically, it is the Eek
preparation area" actually. 1t Is the
Kafiir quarter of the Golden City"
Here the black man foregathers with
his wife anal family. and here the fiery
cross OF revolt is being raised; with
what results only the future can show.
Tin Town" is moro than u mile in
length and three-Quarters of mile
in breadth. 1t is laid out with great
regularity on the American block sys-
TEN.
The streets are unpaved. and the at
tempts at the construction oil side
walks are pitiful in their primitive
ness. The roadways OF red earth
dotted with crawling Kaftir babies
are marred by unpleasant undulations
and hollOws filled with stagnant rain
water. near which myriads OF pug
nac:ous mosquitoes are forever bur-
zins
The browning feature of Tin
Town" is its architecture. Never
were houses more strangely built nor
the weird structures OF nightmare
land more accurately realized.
The principal materials from which
this great living area has been con-
structed are petroleum tins. the tin
or zinc Innings Of imported packing
cases and large quantities of the lead
used in the tea trade. From these
limited means. with battens OF wood
for use of framework, are constructed
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 erecting 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
sturdy stake, some ten feet in height,
is driven in. These are strengthened
and supported by cross pieces. Then
the architect. his wife and eldest chill
dren wander abroad in search of tin
In the colonies one seldom sees
petroleum in cask. 1t is generally
sold in two, four or six gallon tins.
The consumer purchases a specially
manufactured pump and draws off the
oil as he needs it. AS the tins are
not returnable. they are pressed into
all sort 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 cat
tie, boilers, cooking utensils, besides
Il thousand and oneother familiar OBJ
iects. Yet. despite this accommoda-
tiveness, many find their way to the
rubbish heaps, and are eagerly pounc-
ed upon by the "homing" Kaffir.
The tins are cut open. hammered fiat
and nailed to the upright battens. In
a couple of hours-given a sufficient
supply OF material-the citadel walls
are complete, and this sound box of
q house only requires the corrugated
iron roof and a tin chimney-or rather
smoke outlet to finish it. The luxury
oil fire CRATES is unknown. The fire
may be lighted anywhere, and the
dense volumes of smoke are expected
to ascend skyward in the manner pro-
vided
Those OF the $4,000 Kaffirs in "Jo'-
burg" who dc not dwell in mining
compounds reside in one of the sew
eral miles of Tin Town" streets. Seen
from distance in the strong glare
OF the African sun the bizarre COL
lection 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 roots
OF corrugated irons are TRANSMITTED
into something mystic, wonderful by
the philosophers stone of the sun.
At close quarters the scales fall from
the eyes, and the awakening is rude
indeed.
The Kafir multiplies prolifically,
and these unsavory roads are always
filled with their naked, copper skinned
offspring. They crawl about the ant
infested roadway and paddle or floun-
der in the howwols OF foul-smelling
water with evident enjoyment. They
are plump little mites, these children
They are much precocious and de-
velop more rapidly than European in
rants, anu tney certainly take life
much more good humoredly
The male population of Tin Town"
does not arrive home until evening,
but always before 9 o'clock, for by the
law of "Jo'burg" no black. save those
in charge of rickshaws, is allowed on
the streets after this hour.
Then he can loll up against his tin
withdrawing them crackle and rat
tie like concentrated thunder-and
smoke his clay pipe, which he dis
cusses his short, but seditious cuts to
freedom.
In the frail habitations of "Tln
Town" the flames of revolt have been
steadily famed since the Anglo-Boer
peace. and it would be suicidal
policy to underestimate the present
menace or to ignore what is behind it.
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