AHMEDNAGAR DISTRICT.]
199
of 12 Superintendents and 60 Supervisors. The latter were Municipal School-masters
and Inspectors, and were responsible for the discovery of cases.
In view of the probability of an outbreak the Collector had been endeavouring to
persuade the people to provide themselves with temporary accommodation in the neighbour-
hood of the Town, so as to avoid the discomfort of hurried evacuation and segregation. They
had not done much, however, in the way of making encampments for themselves, but the
object-lesson of two or three hundred people having to go into strict segregation the very
first day on which a case occurred in the Town, provided a stimulus that had been hitherto
wanting. On the 6th November an exodus began from the Town, which ultimately effec-
tually emptied it. It was estimated that during this fortnight alone (5th—19th November
1897) no less than 10,000, out of a total population of about 37,000, fled. After the exodus
had continued for eight days, it was resolved to attempt to prevent further flight,
but this decision was wisely abandoned on the advice of the Civil Surgeon. Till then
the Town was practically uninfected, and the exodus does not appear to have disseminated
the infection.
Eight cases having been reported from the Post Office and other buildings at the
Railway Station (some two miles out of Nagar) during the week ending the 5th November,
and 2 more cases in the following week, the whole of these buildings, including the Post
Office, were evacuated.
During the week ending 19th November, 5 cases were reported in the Town, but it
was not considered necessary to evacuate more than the surrounding blocks of houses in
each case. The Savedi Camp was begun during this week, to provide for complete evacua-
tion should this become necessary. The following week, the Savedi Camp, with 1,000 huts
and 1,000 sites for huts, was pronounced ready, and 8 more cases occurring, the evacuation
of Wards IV, V, and VI was ordered.
But the exodus, the beginning of which has already been noticed, had proceeded
very rapidly, and, by the end of November 1897, out of a population of about 37,000, only
12,000 remained. Of these, 5,000 were in Camp and 7,000 in the Town. The Collector makes
the following estimates of the distribution of the missing 25,000 : —
"...
The Kopargaon Taluka received 2,000 . . . Sangamner 225, Nagar
Táluka 8,857, Rahuri 786 . . . Akola 32, Nevasa 849, Sheogaon 106 . . . , while
Shrigonda, Punier, Karjat, and Jámkhed received a very considerable influx. Of the remaining
10,000, large numbers, it is believed, proceeded to His Highness the Nizám's dominions . . . '
'During the week ending the 11th December 1897, a further development took place in
plague operations, European supervision being introduced into every branch. The arrange-
ments made were us follows:—Ward XII was emptied, and Mr. C. N. Clifton, Executive
Engineer, P. W. D., was placed in charge of the disinfecting, cleansing, and unroofing
operations in Nagar, with Mr. W. H. J. Wilkinson, I. C. S., Mr. R. J. Kent, P. W. D , and
Mr. Watson, Municipal Engineer, as his assistants : Mr. C. S. F. Crofton, I. C. S., super-
intending at Bhingar, a large suburb oí Nagar. Mr. L. W. Spence, District Superintendent
of Police, also took charge of two wards in addition to his own duties.
The following week saw plague at its height. The District returned 108 cases, of
which 30 occurred in Nagar.
The weekly figures for the epidemic were :—