Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-28
CENSUS TAXING IN ALASKA
Enumerators Work in Snow from
Three to Twenty Feet Deep.
sEvEETY-Two BELOW ZERO
Men Travel Hundreds of Miles in
Dead of winter and Work is
Finished without Loss of
q single Life.

ing a blizzard most Of the time. No human !
habitation In sight; no coverding at night
except tent, and no grub" that was
not many times frozen. These are some OF
the conditions under winch the recent |
census was taken in the interior Of Alaska |
The report OF Chief Agent Mckenzie COW |
ering the work in the fourth or inland |
district Of the territory has just been re- |
ceiyed by. Director Durand. and while the
story is simply told. II is a wonderful
thrilling narrative of adventure, showing
that when Uncle Sam starts out to round
up his children he spares no expense TO
locate them and satisfy himself as to their
status.
Mr.. McKenzie's narrative, made public
tonight, comes in advance Of his figures,
SO that It is impossible to give the popula-
ton Of the country covered by him and
his twenty assistants. For reasons OF Its
own the census bureau determined to num-
Der the Alaskans during midwinter Mr.
Mckenzie made his headquarters at the
mining town OF Fairbanks His first spe-
cial agent was appointed on the 10th OF
last November and the work was completed
by the 18th OF last April. when Mckenzie
left for ''the states" His experience In
getting out Of the country was by no means
as thrilling as some of his experiences
while engaged in the work, but 1t was
stirring enough to arouse interest In
warm SPELL OF II he says:
Il came out on the mail coach arriv-
ing at valdez on the 10Th. after a varied
experience consisting of being delayed two
days by a blizzard. crossing rushing
streams even whenSthe horses had to swim
and the sleds float, and travelling day and
night with the thermometer often as low
as 40 below zero"
The bureaus principal reason for win
ter census is found In the fact that get
ting about the country is much easier at
that than at any other season. There are
no bridges in the country and as crossing
the streams when not frozen over is a
FERROUS problem, Mr.. Mckenzie says that
20 have made the enumeration in the sum
mer would, have required the services Of
four times as many assistants, whes the
cost would have been six times as SVeat.
lie also expressed doubt as to whether the
result would have been as satisfactory. AS
It is, he is of opinion that it Is accurate
and complete" .o
Much hardship was necessarily involved
in the work. Only men Injured to the rigors
OF the Arctic. climate we're employed. and
while they suffered severely. none OF them
lost their lives. Summing up the condi-
lions, Mr.. Mckenzie says:
Men Take Pride in Work.
The work was performed during the
severest winter known in this part OF
Alaska by the oldest settlers. and the mer
kept constantly and conscientiously at II
until completed. There did not appear tc
be man who did not have a pride in the
work and anxiety to create record foi
travelling time; a desire to enumerate al
the people IN his' district and to have to his
credit less loss of time because OF ex,
treme weather than any of the othel
agents. That the service lost none Of th'
men from freezing to death and that ever!
man returned safe is a matter Of con
graduation and good fortune. There wer
more deaths from the weather In this sec
ton during the past winter than in all o
the other years in total-cases, too, il
which those who met such deaths did no
begin TO go through the sacrifice and priva
tan that those agents of the service did
An Of the men covered hundreds of mile
over the ice and snow in weather rangn
from 90 to 70 degrees below zero. the aver
age being about 40 below.
The experience OF the agent in Chandla
district is a fair example. Speaking O
him. the chief agent says he was not
scholar, but a man who had lived ther
for years and we'll fitted to undergo tn
privations necessary" That his good qua
tiles we're put to the severest test the re
port shows.
severe weather was encounters
throughout ali Of his work." says McKenzi
''and at no time after he left Fairbani
until he returned did the thermometer g
above so degrees below zero. His long Jou
ney away from the base OF supplies mao
:. it Impossible FOR him to carry sufficieI
N he nhI
live OFF the country. killing moose, moul
tain sheep and other fresh meatA Durlr
the work he lost two of his dogs fro
freezing to death. He himself froEe po
lions OF his face several times. and at oil
time dropped into six feet of open waite
nearly losing his life. In crossing Il
Arctic range and returning be travel'
above timber line eighteen hours In ea'
direction, which in a country where ii
is necessary can be understood to be CO
siderable sacrifice. He travelled in mar
places where no white man had ever befo
been, and his record is considered unusu'
10 say the least"
snowstOrm l. Incessant.
That the Koyakuk agents work was
Fourth of-July picplc with strawberry lei
onade on the side is indicated by the K
lowing extract from the official narrativ
In this district there Is almost an
eessant snow storm from october to Ma
and trails are obhterated in twenty-fo
hours. Few men, except the mail carriel
viii travel in this district in the wint'
ana even they make but one "trip mont
4 Fvlee he nearly lost his life, and had
not been accompanied by an Indian sui
probably would have At one time he a
the guide and a mail carrier and two
dians were lost in the storm for three ds
and were found at the end OF that time
4 rescue party which came out to loea
the mali" OF the ranana man we 9
told;
mot less than four times was this m
found by other travellers In an exhaust
condition and assisted TO a stopping pla
he lost three dogs and several times fire.
his face. That he survived the work a
came back alive was the wonder of I
ala inhabitants OF the country. Half
aoxen men refused the Job before he "
secured. six men and two women W.
frozen on the trails in the vicinity in Will
he worked"
All the travelling was done on dogsle
from seven 20 nine animals being used "
Zach sled The agents were paid - a
ana extra for the uss OF their vehlcl
generally Il was necessary for two men
- toaether 90 that In case OF accid,
49, athar Gould Droceed with