Up early this morning as today I am visiting the 'Big Hole'. There are many things to see and much history attached to Kimberley but this is the reason for my visit. Believe me once you enter the museum, which is well signposted as are all the places of interest, it can take a day to look around. I had no idea what to expect other than that this was where Cecil Rhodes and others made their fortunes and the fate of nations decided by that wealth.
It was a pleasantly warm day for the visit and I was impressed on entering the museum that it is not just a hole in the ground but a living museum with a small town constructed of buildings from the mine and from Kimberly which have been carefully preserved and contain authentic objects from the building itself and from the period. It reminded me of Beamish Museum for those with links to the N.E. of England. But first into the museum itself where one is greeted with the admission desk, souvenir shop and cafe, and a cinema which shows a brief history of the mine and characters every thirty minutes. Between all of this is a huge portal, a massive steel and cable construction which leads to the mine itself. This fête of engineering is worthy of the biggest man-made hole in the world (well almost). By man made I mean pick and shovel!
I walked out onto this structure noting the information boards and monuments along the way, pausing to look right and left at the plant and machinery which ran the mine including the massive drum and wheel house which raised and lowered the cages. These transported 25 miners to and from the depths of the mine. Incidentally, Fleetwood Rawstorne didn't actually discover the mine. Esau Demoense, who had been a member of the 'Red Cap Party' of which Rawstorne was the leader, had been sent to the top of a 30 metre 'copie' or hill with instructions not to return without a handful of diamonds. Return he did and the rest is history. I have photographed the landscape on this trip, in part, to show the 100s of kilometres by foot or wagon in blazing sun and freezing nights which the prospectors endured in the hope of joining in the spoils of the diamond fields.
Reaching the platform at the end affords a magnificent view over the 'Big Hole' itself now, of course, full of water. The sides are steep, the digging deep and the ghosts walk at the dead of night for there was no 'Health & Safety' in those days. The hole got bigger as the sides of each claim collapsed in on each other until Cecil Rhodes managed to buy up the individual claims to form De Beers Consolidated Mines, by that time they were starting to go deep. A few minutes just to stand and stare and let the imagination take over before walking back to have a closer look at the plant and machinery which kept this magnificent mine working. I had not intended to touch on the Anglo-Boer War however the war touches on the mine. A commemorative plaque describes the tunnels being used as a shelter for women and children during the bombardments from the Boer 'Long Tom' guns. It must have been an equally frightening experience descending in the cage, 25 at a time.
The 'Hollywood' style search lights, of which there were five, were used by the company to play across the fields of 'blue ground' where the diamond rich earth was left to settle. During the 124 day siege they were used to keep the Boer from advancing at night and, for the first time, to send Morse code messages to the advancing British troops who replied with one of their own. Look up the story of the 'Long Cecil' field gun, not featured here, which was constructed in the mine workshops by use of 'Encyclopedia Britannica' and other pamphlets.
After a wander around I descended to the first shaft in the new lift, the original cages can be seen above this construction. Again the unexpected, from the noise and dust to the simulated explosions from the blasting this authentic tunnel has been preserved to show the working conditions and methods of the mine. Koekoepan (short stumpy wagon) trucks at work and converted to exhibitions, props, fire walls and air ducting are all authentic along with the working tools which kept the operation going. Following the shafts through the workings I find myself at the entrance to the cavernous museum exhibition.
The displays here cover everything from the formation of diamonds through the history of the diamond fields. There are displays of real diamonds including the famous 616, named after its carat weight it is the largest uncut octahedron diamond in the world. Some are replicas as there are famous Kimberley diamonds all over the world including in our crown jewels. Documents, photographs, fact sheets and a huge time-line of South African and world history complete the display, not forgetting the huge 'Pulsator Building' which I missed.
Moving back out into the sunlight I explored the buildings from the original site and those removed and preserved from the town of Kimberley. From the opulent to the tin shacks of the black miners each evokes the hardships, friendships, laughter, cruelty and spirit of the era. I discovered later that the Tourist Information Office in Kimberley itself organise guided tours of the mine and museum. Instead of just looking around the first barbers shop the history and circumstances are explained. Men didn't have their hair cut but they needed their beards trimmed. Barney Barnato's Boxing Academy, one of the enterprises this east-ender from London engaged in before he became a diamond magnate and rival to Cecil Rhodes. A prefab church shipped out from England and, of course, the tavern where diamonds were traded for favours or gambled away.
Leaving the 'Big Hole' I found the statue, erected by public subscription, of Cecil Rhodes. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that he did not found Kimberley! There are many other places of interest in and around the town, the home of millionaires and paupers. I popped in to see the railway museum mainly because I saw the sign for the station and knew that it was still operational. Built in Victorian times it still has that look and feel and the museum, off to one side, contains many interesting exhibits of the age of steam. The exclusive carriage used by Cecil Rhodes in back at the Big Hole. A carriage shows the luxury of the times including a steel loo and improvisations for use of the track abound.
Time running on I headed south on the N12, the only practicable route. Lo and behold I found a train. Finding a dirt track I managed to get a closer look. It was the five engines which attracted me and this train was huge. I counted five wagons between each gantry and at least 25 gantries. If each wagon contained 20 tonnes no wonder it took five engines to pull it. Believe it or not, despite open windows and doors there was not a member of crew in sight. Fancy driving a train anyone? Moving south, crossing the mighty Orange river, farming turns to sheep and the land becomes drier. Destination 'Britstown'.
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