The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-17
LABOR OF COUNTING,
Hard Work Imposed on the
Census Enumerators.
A DAY SPENT WITH ONE or THEM.
In the workingmen's Loding- House Dis
Enumerator-The Recount.

If there is any fun in taking the re-
enumeration of the census, the enumer-
ators have Jailed to find it. They have had
to visit communities where the people for
three months have been harrassed by
directory men, city, school and United
States census men. assessors and insurance
men until their patience is exhausted.
Under these circumstances the enumera-
tors have had very hard times to secure
names.
To get an idea of the difficulties encoun-
tered in securing names. PosT-INTELLI-
GEScER reporter yesterday accompanied
Mr.. Henning Crowley, who was putting in
his last day In district No. go. in the south
part of the city. Mr. Crowley was the
enumerator OF district No. IS in the first
enumeration. and he is a very active and
capable man, very thorough in his
work and tireless in his efforts
the ground five times before trying to get
complete list OF the names of the residents.
Between Seventh and Eighth and King
and Weller streets there are jumbled to-
gether in all sorts of confusion score or
more of houses and, though buildings in
the block do not look at all inviting, they
persons. In the daytime the community
is comparatively quiet. and not 10 per cent.
of the residents are in their rooms. Here
are found white men and black men.
Chinese and Japanese. Norwegians. Swedes,
Danes and Italians, all living so near each
other that a sharp cry at night would prob
ably wake them all, but who are. in nearly
all cases. totally ignorant of the identity of
their neighbors.
Mrs. Adrian on Eighth street. near King,
said she had sixty lod gers in her house.
but she only knew the names of
three of them. The enumeratcr went to
all their rooms but only found one in. He
had previously, however, by getting up at
5 O'Clock in the morning for several days,
secured the names of all but five of these
dodgers.
AT the Washburn house on South Sew
enth and King streets, Mr.. Crowley was
very unceremoniously told to get out Tie
landiady EXPRESSED it as her opinion that
the enumerator should be thrown into the
bay. He hung on though, and finally got
all the names.
AT the next house adjoining on Seventh
street there were porches running along
both sides of the building on the second
twenty doors and as many small rooms.
Not one of the forty or more dodgers was
in, but Mr. Crowley had on previous trips
gotten all but three or four of the occu-
pants names. Some of these names were
secured after nine O'Clock at night
In a barn in the rear of the next house
the enumeration had found seventeen peo-
pie
At the next, small one-story lodging
house, two negroes were found. They gave
their names and those of five companions
who slept in the little room also. They
were very good natured and told the emu
merator that he could get the name of a
japanese family if he would climb through
the window. This Mr.. Crowley did, fol-
lowed by the reporter. and after stumbling
through dark hall found the little room
of the Japanese roomers. and two names
were secured.
Further up on the hill and nearly facing
on Eighth street, is large terraced build
ing in which are fifty or more little,
cramped rooms. about 6xS feet in size. All
of these rooms are occupied by laborers at
night, but in the daytime there is no one
around. The enumerator had been to this
house six times. early in the morning and
late at night. and had secured all but one
name.
Close to this house is another smaller one
of three rooms in which the enumerator
found eight persons. They all slept on the
floor and there was not bed in the
house.
Back of the Washburn house is lodg-
ing-house in which fifteen men sleep. The
enumerator had succeeded in getting eight
of their names and went around yesterday
to get the others.
II have found out one name for YOU"
said the landiady. 1T is Willie
"What is his other name?''
81 don't know. He comes in late at
night and goes away early in the morning.
There is an old caudy-man and little
young fellow here too. but 1 don't know
where to find theni.'
Going back up the hill the snumerator
and the reporter then visited tifty-four
houses or rooms, but only found three of
the occupants at home. At one place two
women were found washing. They could
not understand word of English. and the
enumera,or was getting along very poorly
when 6-year old youngster ran around
the corner and he was brought into use as
an interpreter. He did his work well and
seven names were secured. There were six
other roomers IN the same house, but
neither the women nor the neighbors knew
who they were
Eight heads of families were found in a
small one-story frame on Ninth street.
but only one person was in at the time of
the reporters visit.
Down The hill a small lodging-house had
been visited time and again with indifTar-
ent success. onthis trip the girl in chsrge
said that two men were asleep upstairs.
They always slept all day she said and
went away about o'clock. Mr.. Crowley
went up. woke up the two men and Sc
cured the information he desired amid
much grumhling.
At the next house two Germans were
found. They did not want TO give up their
names because they feared draft for the
army.
The sixth visit TO a lodging-house in the
same vicinity resulted very Unexpectedly
to the name-taker. He found a man in
charge who gave him the names OF seven
of the twenty dodgers, whom he had been
unable previously to secure. He had been
there five times before. bu. never got more
than three or four names at a time. There
was only one man in the house that the
er.umerstor did not get and the only thing
the proprietor knew was that the man wore
corks in mis- shoes.
Supervisor Jenkins has received from the
enumerators several thrilling stories of
their adventures in the performance of
their duties. One of these came 10 him
yesterday. P. J. Grimes. who is enumer-
ating the Twenty-uinth district .eompris-
ing Pert Gamble Dogfish bay Port Wash