Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-07-28
CENSUS DONE
IN FROZEN
ALASKA
HAZARDS AND HARDSHIPS
BRAvED BY ENUMERAT0RS
Temperature Seventy Degrees
Below Zero, Snow Twenty
Feet Deep, Billiards and
Floods Overcome IN Count

Fl0D0S DNtlCOllls ~ GUulits
lBs MorninE Ion rnAi special Lsased Sirel
Washington July 1-Temperature
from 50 10 20 degrees below zero
snos from three q twenty feet deep.
WIND blowing a blizzard most o. the
time. No human %habitaton n sight.
no covering at night except a tent.
and no grub" that was not many
times frozen These are some Of the
conditions under which the recent
census MAS taken ia the Interior Of
Aiaska, The report Of Chief Special
Agent Mckenzie covering the work IN
tho fourth or inland district Of the
TERRITORY has just been received by Di-
rector Dufaad. and whlle The stoFY Is
simply told. Il - q wonderful thrilling
narrative OF adventure. showing that
when Uncle sam starts out 10 round
up his children he spares no expense
- locate them and satisfy himself az
70 their status
Mt. Mcksnzie's narrative. made
public t6nieht, comes In advance ~
his figures. 80 that It IL impossible 70
give the population Of the country
covered b. him and his twenty as
sisiants For reasons Of its own, the
census bureau determined to number
the Aiaskaue during mid-winter. Mr.
AcKenzie nude hts headquarters a,
the mining town Of Fairbanks Ili-
first special agent was appointed on
me 10Th OF last November. and the
work was completed hs the nth Of
hast April. when Mckenzie left FOR
.thc states His experience in get
ting out Of the country was by no
means az thrilling ss SONS OF his OK
pefieuCes while engaged IN the work.
but Il was stirring enough 10 arouse
interest "a q warm spell OF il he
says
= can't aat on she mail coach. ar
riving ~ Valdez on the s0th after a
varied experience cousisting OF being
aeiaye q two days hy d blizzard. cross
Ing rushing streams even when the
horses had 90 swim, ana the sleds float
and travelling day and night with The
thHrmometer often Hs low as 40 below
aero"
The bureaus principal reason lot
n winter census ia found len the fact
that getting about the country f.
much easier az thas time Than at any
ether season There are no bridges
IN the country. and az crossing thg
streams when not frozen over is a
serious problem. afr Mckenzie saws
that q have made the enumeration in
the summer would have required the
services Of fOur times as many az.
slsiauis. while the cost would hav,
been six times as great Re also ex-
pressed doubt as 90 whether the res
Huit would have been ss satisfactory
A. Sc g, be ~ % tho opinion that b
b accurate and complete
Much hardship was necessarily In.
volved ga the work only men Injured
20 the reors ~ enc arctic climat,
were employee and while they SUI.
fefed severely, non % them lost theii
lives summing un ihe conditions
Mr. Mckenzie sava
The work was performed durinl
the aeFerest winter known ia this par.
of Alaska bX che oldest settlers. ans
the men Kept constantly and con.
scientluusly az 81 until completed
There 90 uoi appear az be- q mar
who dla not have q nfide in the work
un anxiety a. create a record fal
tratflinE time. q dosira to- euumerat,
all fhr people in his district. and 4
hove te hs credit less loss Of time 30
cause 81 extreme weather chan ans q
th~ other agents That the %sefslc.
lost lone nf tne men from freeTin.
60 death and that every man returned
sale IS "a matter ~ con~grauliation ans
good fortune There were NOR
deaths from thf weather iu This aa
tion during the PAST winter than il
az of the other years ln totsl-nse.
too IN which thusr Whn met meN
deaths did % begin to go throuf.
the sacrifice and prvstiou that thes
agents Of the sefth~ did AT nf gl
men covered hundreds OF miles owe
the bee aud snow in weather rauEln
from 80 % 20 degrees below zero. OBJ
averaging being about 40 below
The experience Of fhe Ken
Chandlar district j. "a fair example
Speaking ~ him. the chief agent slls
He was not o scholar. hut e mau vii
had lived there Tor years and ue
lited 90 FnderEo ihe priyations necc.
ur That hts good quaiitles Wer
pnt ~ abe srserest test Ia rarai
shows
~scfe weather was encounter
throughout al Of hi- Uork SAYS 80
kFnzle. rand ai no time aaer De lei
Fairbanks uutl be retained did th
theFmemfter Eet above 90 degrees b.
low zero. HIS lonE Journey away fror
The base ~ supplies made q impos
6lble Tor him % carfg sufficient sru'