The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-07-27
Alaska Census Enumerators Do
Hard Work, and Some Mar
rowly Escape With Their Lives

ICWIy Escape WIN lnelf Lives
WASHINGTON, July 26.-Tempera-
ture from 80 to 70 degrees below zero
Snow from three to twenty feet deep.
Wind blowing a blizzard most of the
time. No human habitation in 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 was taken in the interior of
Alaska. The report of Chief Special
Agent Mckenzie covering the work
n the fourth or inland district of the
terri tory has Just been received by
Director Durand, and while the story
is simply told it is a wonderfully thrill
ing narrative of adventure, showing
that when Uncle Sam starts out ~
round up his children he spares no
expense to locate them and satisfy
himself as to their status.
Headquarters at Fairbanks.
Mr.. Mckenzie'S narrative, mace
public tonight, comes in advance Of
his figures, so that it is impossible to
give the population of the country
covered by him and his twenty as
sstants For reason of it's own tho
census bureau determined to NUMBER
the Alaslians during midwinter. Mr..
Mckenzies made his headquarters at
the mining town or 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 get
ting 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
il he says:
Delayed by Billiards..
"I came out on the mail coach, ar
irving at Valdez on the goth after a
varied experience consisting of be-
ing delayed two days by blizzard
crossing 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 A.
below zero
The bureaus principal reason for
winter census is found in the fact
|
easier at that time than at any 9TH
er season. There are no bridges in
the country and so crossing the
streams when not frozen over is a
serious problem. Mr. Mckenzie says
that to have made the enumeratioH
in the summer would have required
the services of four times as many
assistants, while the cost would have
been six times as great. He also ex.
pressed doubt as to whether the re-
suit would have been as satisfactory
AS it is, he is of the opinion that it
is accurate and complete
Much hardship was necessarily in.
volved in the work. Only men in
ured to the rigors of the Arctic CHI
mate were employed, and while they
suffered severely, none of them lost
their lives. Summing up the condi
tions, Mn. Mckenzie says:
SevercSt Winter.
IRE work was performed durin
the s"verest winter known in this u
of A asslta by the oldest settlers anC
the men kept constantly and con-
scie7tiously at it until completed
TheHe did not appear to be a man
who id not have a pride in the work.
an anxiety to create record for trav-
elIr e time, a desire to enumerate all
the people in his district and to have
to- \ : credit less loss of time because
OF extreme weather than any of the
OIL" ct agents. That the service lost
noLe of the men from freezing to
des'h and that every man returned
SAFE is a matter of congratulation and
! COCO fortune. There were moro
| deatHs from the weather in this seq
ton during the past winter than in
all of the other years in total-cases.
! too. in which those who met such
deG'hs did not begin to go through the
sacrd1ce and privat.on that those
agents of the service did. All of the
men covered hundreds of miles over
| the Ice and snow in weather ranging
| frog. thirty to seventy degrees below
zero. the average being about 40 be-
| low '
Undergo Privations.
The experience of the agent in the
CFandlar district is a fair example.
Speaking of him the chief ascent saws
n" was not scholar. but man
| Wl.0 had lived there for years ana
1 We fitted to undergo the prIvatIons
necessary" That his good qualities
Were put to the severest test the re-
por- shows.
Severe weather was encountered
/ thr Dughout all of his work." saws Nc
I koazie, land at no time after he left
/ Fairbanks until he returned did the
| Thermometer get above thirty degrees
| bel W 2ero. His long Journey awav
trc" the base of supplies made il
! rsss IN La 'ttp hit