8
same lines, but less detailed, and were found after a few days' experience to
require amplification.
6. For the purposes of searches and , other plague operations the city was
divided in five sections numhered I to V. Each section was divided into six
divisions distinguished by the letters A to F. The accompanying map (Appen-
dix 3) shows the sections and divisions into which the city was divided.
7. The ct Directions for searchers " were published for the information of
the public, as were the Notifications contained in Appendix a.
8. The work of the search parties in the city commenced on March 13th
and ended on 19th May. In the first instance, only two search divisions, each
consisting of 10 parties of three British soldiers were employed. Each division
was under the command of an Officer and had a Medical Officer attached to it
besides lady searchers. Each party was accompanied by a Native gentleman.
The officers commanding the search divisions were provided with maps on which
the areas their men had to search were shown. In order that plague patients
might not be removed before the arrival of the troops, no intimation as to what
area was to be searched was given to the public. The streets in which the
search took place were patrolled by Cavalry. The only important complaint
about the first day's work was that doors forced open by the troops were not
reclosed. This difficulty was got over on subsequent occasions by attaching to
each search division a few Native troops with hammers and staples to fasten up
doors after the searchers. Search work was carried out by two divisions daily
till March 22nd, from which date up to May 19th six search divisions worked
in the city. From March 22nd onwards one of the five sections into which
the city had been divided was searched daily. The six search divisions were
distinguished by the letters A to F. They always worked in the local divisions
of the sections that bore corresponding letters on the plague map. It, therefore,
happened that after the whole of the city had been once worked through the
search divisions did not have to go over ground with which they were unfami·
liar. When the operations commenced, it took a search division about 41/2 hours
to search the area assigned to it, but the work was done much more expedir
tiously towards the close of the operations when the cases discovered were few in
number and the men were familiar with their duties.
9. Up to March 22nd it was usually found possible to attach a Native
gentleman to each search party. "When, however, the total number of search
parties was increased to 60 it was impossible to do so, as the number of gentle-
men who came forward for this duty seldom exceeded 20 on any day. There-
after two or three Native gentlemen usually accompanied each search division.
10. Of the six search divisions three were at first accompanied by Euro-,
pean Medical Officers and the remainder by men of the Hospital Assistant
class. The work of the latter, however, not being found to be very satisfactory,
they were relieved of their duties and the European Medical Officers were
placed in charge of two divisions each. The officers employed on this duty
were Surgeon-Captain Beveridge, Surgeon-Captain Lloyd Jones and Surgeon-
Lieutenant Kiddle. These officers were supplied with cash advances and had
instructions to pay compensation for any articles belonging to plague patients
that might be destroyed.
11. On May 4th the constitution of the search parties was altered from
three British to two British and one Native soldier. On May 13th the strength
of each search division was reduced from 10 to 7 parties. It was found that
even with these reduced numbers a search division could get through its morn-
ing's work more quickly than it had been able to do in the early days of the
operations.
12. The work of the search parties as well as of the fumigation and
limewashing parties was carried on every morning of the week except on Sunday.
The troops usually had a march of from two to three miles from Camp before
they commenced work which was started in the city at about 6-30 A.M. On
one occasion an afternoon search was made. It was found, however, that search
work twice a day was too much for the men, and the experiment was not
repeated.