Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-07-28


Washington, July 2S.-Temperature
from SO to 20 degrees below zero; snow
from three to twenty feet deep. Wind
blowing a blizzard most of the time.
No human habitation in sight; no COW
ering at night except tent, and no
grub" that was not many times froz-
en-. These are some Of the condi-
tons under which the recent census
was taken in the interior of Alaska
The report of Chief Special Agent Nc
kenzie covering the work in the fourth
or island district of the territory has
just been received by Director Durand
and While the story is simply told 1t
is a wonderful thrilling narrative of adj
venture. 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 comes IN
advance of his figures, so that II is i'm
possible to give the population of the
country covered by him and his twenty
assistants For reasons of its own the
census bureau determined to number
the Alaskans during midwinter. Mr..
Mckenzie made his headquarters at the
mining town of Fairbanks. His first
special 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 it was
stirring enough to arouse interest in a
warm spell. OF it he says:
L came out on the mail coach arriv-
ing at Valdez on the 20 after a
varied experience consisting of being
delayed two days by blizzard. cross
ing rushing streams even when the
horses had TO swim and the sleds float
and travelling day and night with the
thermometer often as low as 40 below
zero"
Why Taken in Winter.
The bureaus principal reason for a
winter census is found in the fact that
getting about the country is much cas-
Ter 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 serious problem. Mr..
Mckenzie says that to have made the
required the services Of four times as
many assistants, while the cost would
have been six times as great. He also
expressed doubt as to whether the re-
suit would have been as satisfactory.
& !, Ac ~ ;rto hot &c
accurate and complete"
Much hardship was necessarily in
volved in the work. Only men Injured
to the rigors of the Arctic climate
were employed. and while they suffered
severely, none of them lost their lives.
Summing up the conditions Mr.. Nc
kenZie says:
Work Well Performed.
The work was performed during the
severest winter known In this part of
Alaska by the Oldest settlers and the
men kept constantly and conscientious
lv at it until completed. There did
not appear to be a man who did NOT
have pride in the work; an anxiety TO
create a record for travelling time; a
desire to enumerate all the people in
his district and to have to his credit
less loss of time because Of extreme
weather than any Of the other agents.
That the service lost none of the men
from freezing to death and that every
man returned safe Is a matter of con-
graduation and good fortune. There
were more deaths from the weather in
this section during the past winter
than in all the other years in total
cases too III which those who met such
deaths did not begin to go thru the
sa crifce and privation that those
agents Of the service did All of the
m en- covered hundreds of miles over the
ice and snow in weather ranging from
thirty to seventy degrees below zero,
the average being about 40 below"
Severe weather was encountered
turnout all OF his work says McKen-
zie. and at no time after he left Fair
banks until he returned did the Their
mometer get above thirty degrees be-
low zero His long journey away from
the base of supplies made 1t impossible
for him to carry sufficient grub and
dog feed, and he was obliged to live
off OF the country killing moose. noun
tain sheep. and other fresh meat. Dur
ing the work he lost two of his dogs
from freezing to death. He himself
froze portions of his face several times.
and at one time dropped into six feet
of open water nearly losing his life.
In crossing the Arctic range and re-
turning he Travelled above timber line
10 hours in each direction, which in
a country where fire is necessary, can
be understood to be considerable sac
rifice. He Travelled in many places
where no white man had ever before
been and his record is considered un-
usual, to say the least"
No Fourth Of July Picnic.
That the Koyakuk agents work was
no Fourth Of July picnic with straw
berry lemonade ON the side, is indicat ted
by the following extract from the Off
cial narrative:
arn ut. 5;,,r;,t +h.ra g., ,1,,,.,+ -,