Medical
charge.
Location and
movements.
Topography
and physical
geography.
New canton
-ment.
Improve
-ments.
Meteorology
and climate.
Lines,
barracks or
huts.
Position.
Disposition.
Surroundings.
54
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
arrangements were satisfactory; the stable litter is taken away from the lines
and burnt.
20th Regiment Madras Hative Ifantre—Howgong.
Surgeon A. A. Thomas, Madras Medical Service, furnishes the annual sani
-tary report of the regiment.
Construction.
I. Medical Officers who have held charge of the Right Wing, 20th Madras
Native Infantry, during the year 1875.—Surgeon Joseph Backhouse, Madras
Medical Service, assumed charge of the wing on the 13th March 1874 from 1st
class Assistant Apothecary J. Walker, Madras Medical Subordinate, and conti
- n u e d i n c h a r g e u n t i l 1 4 t h O c t o b e r 1 8 7 5 . S u r g e o n - M a j o r J . J . C l a r k e , 3 r d B e n g a l
Cavalry, then assumed temporary charge, from 14th to 25th October 1875,
when he was relieved by Surgeon A. A. Thomas.
II. Location and movements —The wing has been stationed at Nowgong during the
entire year; no movements have taken place and no detachments have been furnished. Two
companies arrived from Sitabuldi, Central Provinces, on the 5th January 1874; the remaining
two companies arrived from Sironcha and Chanda, Central Provinces, on the 10th March 1874,
thus completing the wing.
III. Topography and physical geography of the surrounding country and station.—Now
-gong is situated in latitude 25°3'30", longitude 79°31'0", and is about 700 ft. above sea-
level. The soil is for the greater part "black cotton" with some sand-stone; masses of dark-
coloured granite crop up here and there, and low hills of white granite with bright crystalline
fracture closely resembling marble in its structure.
The station is, as it were, situated on an undulating plain, surrounded by a range of low
sharp-browed hills composed of granite. Within a radius of seven miles from the cantonment
there are several pretty artificial lakes, 3 or 4 of tolerably large size; there is little or no
swampy ground in the neighbourhood of these lakes, or, indeed, anywhere in the vicinity of
the station.
The station may be said to consist of two parts—the old cantonment and the new
cantonment. The old cantonment, which has been occupied for a number of years, is the only
well-wooded portion of the station. It comprises the cavalry lines (occupied by the 3rd
Bengal Cavalry) and its bazar, commissariat godowns, infantry lines (occupied by right
wing, 20th Madras Native Infantry) and its bazar, the agency, jail, cutcherry, &c., officers'
bungalows, cavalry, infantry, artillery and agency, hospitals, and sudder bazar. On the
north-east of the old cantonment is the Koomraree Nuddee; on the south-west, behind the sudder
bazar, runs the Dhorea Nuddee. The drainage is into these nuddees.
The new cantonment is about 1¼ miles distant in a south-westerly direction from the old
cantonment. It is occupied by the European troops, i. e., one Battery of Artillery, 8th
Royal Artillery, and two companies of 63rd European Infantry. It presents a bare, forlorn
aspect, the few trees that have been planted being of small size, and several of the barracks
in an unfinished state. The drainage takes place into the Seelap Nuddee situated to the south
- w e s t o f t h i s c a n t o n m e n t . The station has undergone several improvements during the year: a number of new
pucka drains have been laid down, several old houses in the sudder bazar pulled down, and a
bridge is to be constructed over the Dhorea Nuddee. The small village of Dudree that was
situated in very close proximity to the cavalry lines, and the sanitary arrangements of which
were very bad, has been purchased by Government; the houses pulled down and site ploughed
over.
IV. Meteorology and climate. —From information gathered, I am enabled to state that
n e i t h e r h e a t n o r r a i n - f a l l h a v e b e e n e x c e s s i v e d u r i n g t h e y e a r . Th e r a i n s we r e , h o we v e r , p e c u l i a r ,
in that the heavy falls all occured in one month (July).
V. Lines, barracks or huts. —The lines are built on slightly sloping ground at north-
east end of the old cantonment. They consist of parallel rows of double huts with bye-
streets running from north to south, intersected by a main-road running from east to west.
The huts of each row are placed back to back, not as in Madras lines with an interval
between the backs of the houses, but there is a single partition wall separating them, the
roof being continuous over the whole row of huts, its highest point over the separation wall.
The huts face east to west.
On the west of the lines are the Cantonment Magistrate's and Agency bungalows, both
with well-wooded compounds; on the north-east and east, open ground, that nearest the lines
being used as the parade ground of the regiment.
In front of each hut is an enclosure 20 feet broad, 11 feet 7 inches long, shut in by a
kutcha wall 5 feet 3 inches high; a private latrine is built in a corner of this enclosure for the
use of the sepoys' women and children.
The hut itself is divided into two rooms—(1) a back-room, used for sleeping and living,
in length 20' , breadth 11' 4", mean height (sloping roof) 10' ; (2) front room, used for cooking
and household purposes 20'x4'8".