39
The following is taken from the report of Captain Wooldridge
(Byculla) :—
" The .following chawls were entirely evacuated t—
" No. 39, Haines Road.—It is a small two-storied house with a loft ; there
" were two deaths and four removals between the 29th June and 6th July 1890,
" and the landlady agreed to vacate. It was cleared of all tenants for one month.
" Thoroughly disinfected and quick-lime-washed. There has been only one case
" since, i.e., on the 5th May 1900, eleven clear months afterwards.
" No. 82, DeLisle Road.—This house was attacked on the 12th June 1899, and
" before the 10th July 1899 had two deaths, and 9 removals. It was evacuated for
" one month, but the landlord would not quick-time the whole of it. He pro-
" mised to do so, and so I allowed the tenants to return, and after reoccupying it, he
" put ordinary lime-wash on. In March this year there were 2 deaths and 5
" removals.
" No. 52, De Lisle Road.—This is a row of 11 rooms standing on a good plinth
" with very small lofts, which are badly ventilated. The first death occurred on the
" 21st February 1900 and the same day there were 8 removals. The rooms were
" evacuated on the spot and remained so for one month. It has remained free of
" Plague since.
" Inoculation has done away with the necessity of evacuation. Fourteen chawls
" were partly vacated only as the majority of the tenants preferred inoculation."
Captain Boileau (F and G Wards) writes as follows :—
" Wherever dead rats were reported, I have made it a rule in my ward to have
"the house vacated at once and thoroughly disinfected, and have found this method
" of procedure productive of the best effects.
" In Naigaon and Bhoiwada the Volunteer Committee evacuated the whole
" section practically and those deaths which have been reported from the sections
" occurred entirely amongst those who were left behind and would not go to the fields.
" Jan Mahomed's chawl in Dadar Road was evacuated by a low class of Ghattis early
" in the season. These went to live in the camps, and amongst them the first case of
" Plague occurred in the camps. The chawl, however', which was very badly infected
" last year has had no Plague during the year under report. Again at Chota Sewri,
" one or 2 cases occurred, and Rao Bahadur V. Kimji at once caused the people to
" evacuate the place and go into the open fields ; but again in the open about 6 or 7
" deaths occurred from Plague, and that was caused by an infection left there by
" throwing urine, and excreta and dead rats from the village. The people were
" again removed about 200 yards and no further cases occurred. In Mahim and
" Worli, at one time or another the whole subdivision was out in the fields and this
" no doubt tended to avert much of the Plague.
"In Sion, Sewri, Waddala, and Bhandurwada, evacuation was carried on to a
" great extent and the effect was most marked. I am of opinion that evacuation is
" the most valuable agent we have for the stoppage of Plague in any affected locality.
" Had not this section been almost entirely in camp, the death-rate this year would
" have been alarmingly large, certainly more than double. There has been a general
" tendency all round in favour of evacuation, and people in most cases are only too
" glad to take to the fields.
" It is most noticeable that in Parel and village, where evacuation could be least
" carried out, the Plague was most virulent. In the village where the people would
" neither have inoculation or evacuation until very late in the season, the disease
" fairly caught on ; and in Parel had it not been for the large number of inoculations,
" I am convinced that the number of deaths would have been very great."