Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-04

Wf0dc. CdlQ NE:
How. How many oysters do you catch in yearT
Don't you know how many bushels"
mo, bosa
We'll, what did you sell them for7"
"What they were worth, boss"
"But what we're they worth?"
whatever Icould get for them, boss"
"Come, now, what did you get for them?
Bive me some idea"
''Hsin't got no ideas, boss"
well, what was paid you for themr'
Enough 20 pay al my debts, boss"
"How much did you owe?"
lowed everybody, boss"
That was all the agent was able to elicit from
this subject, who was fair specimen Of oys-
terman. To get the facts as TO his case il was
necessary to go around to every one whom he
had dealt with during the year and make an
estimate accordingly.
The fisheries division Of the Censu came
scross all sorts Of funny things. Among other
things. 1t desired to know the value Of the carp
which have been introduced into this country
and the profit represented by them. One man
70 whom a schedule was submitted wrote back
that the carp in his pond had been worth
$1,000 TO him IN the past six months. His wife
had been sick and he had fed her during that
period exclusively upon carp. to which diet he
attributed her recovery. She was worth to
him, he said, at least $1,000; therefore, he
estimated his gain on the investment at tn at
Sum
Some OF the fish schedules ran astray in the
mails and a response from arid west Kansas
was received saying: I'VE have no fish here,
- We have not yet succeeded in finding q
variety that could live on prairie grasa {"
Another man replied that he owned no carp.
but that, having heard that there were ever SO
many pretty young women In the Census Office
st Washington, he would be glad il Superin-
tendent Porter would place him in correspond
ence with three or four Of them.
The taking Of the census in some parts Of the
country was attended with extraordinary diff
euIties. Geographical hindrances rendered it
most hard in eastern Oregon, southern Utah,
southern Nevada aud Florida. In eastern Ore
gon there Is such lack Of mail facilities that
many enumerators were more than 200 miles
from any railway, so that the schedules had to
be transported by stage and horseback. The
population Of southern Utah and southern
Nevada Is exceedingly sparse, so as to make
enumeration eorrespondingly expensive and
difficult Florida Is mostly swamp, its people
over BY far the greater part Of its territory
widely scattered, and transpor tation being al
most out of the question Perhaps the most dra-
matte incident Of the census occurred in thegreat
Nevada desert. One enumeratJr was only able
TO get his blank schedules from the supervisor
by having them conveyed TO him across the
desert, q distance of Ito miles, by an Indian.
The copper-colored messenger took with him
only fask Of water. He did not arrive when
he was expected and the enumerator, alarmed
NJ the delay set out to look for him Starting
across the dreadful waste from the opposite
side, he found, after days journey along the
trail the corpse of the Indian half buried In
the sand. The unfortunate messenger had
died Of thirst.
A CYCLONE rNTERFERHs
Ali sorts of difficulties were encountered BY
snumerators, some OF them Of very surprising
nature. For instance, the house OF one such