99
all ninety-two. The number is not large, considering that about 30,000 visitors-
are supposed to have attended the festival ; but it must be remembered that the
town register takes no account of the pilgrims who sickened and died after
leaving the town. Owing to the drought, scarcity of water, and recent sickness
in the town (cholera continuing from the former importation in October 1869 to
Februar 1870) the Collector had issued a warning to the Hindu public of
the risks they ran in visiting the town. In consequence of this notice the
number of pilgrims fell short of the average attendance at the May festival,
which in some years has brought 130,000 persons together.
State of weather dur-
ing the outbreak.
As to the meteorology of Conjeeveram at the time of the outbreak, Mr.
Chadwick notices that he had no instruments for recording
temperature, &c. ; but that " the hot winds were unbearable,"
chiefly south-west, occasionally veering to north-west. On the 15th May a very
slight fall of rain occurred, and again on the 20th; on the 31st rain fell pretty
heavily for the first time, lasting about half an hour.
" I cannot say whether the progress of the disease was in any way affected
by these showers, as there was no marked increase in the number of admissions
and deaths, neither was there a sudden cessation, of the epidemic influence,
the disease continuing to prevail all through June and July, when it quite
disappeared."
Distribution of cho-
lera to surrounding
districts by pilgrims.
113. To understand how the association of large numbers, as at Tripatty and
Conjeeveram, is injurious to the country at large, we must
now turn to a narrative drawn up by Lieutenant Price, Assis-
tant Superintendent of Police, North Arcot District. This
gentleman recorded the facts after personally visiting the villages which had been
affected by the Conjeeveram pilgrims in returning from that place.
Narrative of the As-
sistant Superintendent
of Police, North Arcot
District.
" The first chord struck by this terrible scourge in the sub-division of the North Arcot District
was at the village of Doshee, situated three miles to the south of the town
of Conjeeveram (resulting in the speedy death of the attacked), and the
reverberations of the same have now unhappily filled every talook of the
sub-division.
" I regret that at present I am not in possession of the minute facts necessary for a detailed
report on the commencement of the plague and its progress in talooks other than that of Vellore.
These facts I hope to glean in a few days, and if the Sanitary Commissioner considers them worth
recording, I shall be happy to place them on record."
Vellore Taluq.
" The first case in the talook under report occurred on the 12th of May, when a cholera-stricken
Reddy, en route to his home from Conjeeveram, died at the village of Kistna-
veram. On the 14th May the destroyer presented himself at the village of
Munnoor, situated about one mile from Kistnaveram, and there claimed, as his victims, three children.
Police Inspector Kistnasawmy was on the spot, and by his solicitations the parents allowed the children
to be treated with cholera pills furnished from the Vellore Dispensary. The results were happy. One
child succumbed, while the other two are now rapidly progressing towards convalescence.
"After the disease had made its appearance in these two villages, it suddenly became apparent
in the villages that lie adjacent to the roads passing through contiguous Police Divisions of Amboor
and Vepuncoopum, and which lead into Salem District, via Vaniembaddy and Alangyum, respectively.
" Both these roads are much frequented by the pilgrims going westward from Conjeeveram, and
who, from inquiries made, seem to have been the carriers of the disease. The road from Vepun-.
coopum to Alangyum lies over precipitous ghauts and through heavy jungle, where water is
scarce.
"The extra fatigue and privation forced on the half-starved wretches who pass by this route
might possibly predispose them to attacks of cholera but on this point I can offer no opinion,
CC