The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-08-03
From the London Express.

N FTER struggling TOT nal1 an nour
 P0 through pungent brick fields of
 arid clay, cracked by the heat of the sun into a thousand Assures, lodging shunting trains and snorting engines on a mazy goods siding the inquisitive vis- itor to Johannesburg finds himeslf on the outskirts of "Tin Town"
 Geographically, the district is Yvede- dorp; technically, 1t Is the appropriation area" actually 1t Is the Kaffir quarter of the Golden City, Here the black man forgathers with wife and family, and here the fiery cross of revolt Is being raised, with what results only the future can show. "Tin Town Is more than mile in length and thre-quarters of a mile in breadth. It Is laid out with great regularity on the American block system.
 The streets are unpaved, and the att tempts at the construction of sidewalks are pitiful in their primitiveness. The roadways of red earth-dotted with crawl ing Kaffir babies-are marred by unpleas- ant undulations and hollows filled with stagnant rain water, near which myriads of pugnacious mosquitoes are forever buz- zing. s
 The crownng feature of '"rin Town" is strangely built nor the weird structures of nightmareland more accurately real ized.
 The principal materials from which this great living area has been constructed are petroleum tins the tin or zlnc Things of imported packing cases and large quan- titles of the lead used in the tea trade. From these limited means, with battens of wood for use as framework, are construct ed dwelling places very similar ot that made by Peter Pan and hls youthful crow for the protection of Wendy.
 Every man is his own architect and builder. and the work of erecting these twelve or fourteen feet high stiles Is sim plicity 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 These 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 petrol cum in a caslS It is generally sold in two, four or slx-gallon tins. The consumer pur- chases a specially manufactured pump and draws off the oil as he needs it. As the tins are not returnable, they are pressed into all sorts of strange services. Filled withy earth they are used for build ing walls; painted green they are turned into flower boxes; they are in common use as pails, drinking troughs for cattle, boilers, cooking utensils, besides a thou sand and one other familiar objects. Yet, despite this accommodativeness, many find their way to the rubbish heaps, and are eagerly bounced 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 com- plete and this sound box of house only requires the corrugated iron roof and a tin chimney-or, rather, smoke outlet-to finish It. The, luxury of fire grates is unknown. The fire may be lighted any where, and the dense volumes of smoke are expected to ascend skyward in the manner provided
 Those of the S0000 Kaffirs in 'Jo'burg'' who do not dwell in mining compounds reside in one of the several miles of ''rin Town" streets. Seen from a distance in tn strong glare of the African sun the ui- zarre 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 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 Kaffir multiplies prolifcally. and these unsavory roads are always filled with their naked, copper skinned off, spring They crawl about the ant infested rodaway and paddle or founder in the hollows of foul smelling water with evil dent enjoyment. They are plump little mites. these children. They are much more precocious and develop more rapidly than European infants and they certainly take life much more good humoredly.
 The male populatio nf "Tin Town" does not arrive home until evening, but always before 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 Toll up against his tin walls-naking them crackle and rattle like concentrated thunder-and smoke his