Skip to main content

25 June 1875

Letter to William Clark: 25 June 1875, page 1

 
 

Address
35 South St.
Park Lane, W.
June 25/75

My dear Sir,
I thank you very much for the copy
of your invaluable Report on the Madras
Drainage & for your kind note.
I was very glad to hear that you are
come back: & I shall be still more
glad to hear that you are going out again,
to do it.
When your principles are carried out &

Letter to William Clark: 25 June 1875, page 2

 
 
 

the houses drained, we shall hear little
of high Madras death rates.

The principles are so sound that the question
reduces itself to one simply of engineering
detail.
The only point on which one would wish
for more information is on the “Cooum”
question. It will doubtless be an
enormous improvement to get the Madras
Sewage out of it: but is it not a
nuisance, altho’ the greater part of the
sewage does not go into it, but into

Letter to William Clark: 25 June 1875, page 3

 
 

the sub-soil?

Is not the “Cooum” foul because the
surface washings (rainfall) get into it?
Might I ask how you mean to provide
for this? By some form of catch-
watering the sides was talked of?
In your kind note to me you allude
to this, & trust to keeping out the sewage:
which your scheme, there cannot be a
doubt, will succeed in doing. You have
in view also to keep out the foul
surface water?

Letter to William Clark: 25 June 1875, page 4

 
 

     There is small doubt that Lord Hobart
died of delay: i.e. in carrying out Drainage.
Europeans are under the scourge of Typhoid
Fever in India, for not acting up to our
lights in sanitarily doing our duty.
Some years ago we did not know that
the fatal Indian fever is typhoid.
In 1874, 101 soldiers died of it in India.
And you must seize it by the throat,
please God.
Your estimate appears to be £234,800:

Letter to William Clark: 25 June 1875, page 5

 
 

                          2
certainly not high for so great a work.

Have you seen Sir Bartle Frere yet?
And will your Report come before
the Army Sanitary Comm:?

Pray believe me
ever your faithful servt.
Florence Nightingale

W. Clark, Esq.

Additional Resources: