Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-07-27
ALASKAN ENUMERTI0R
TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE
ALASKA HAS MANY THRILLING Ao
VENTURES GETTING STATISTICS FROM THE FROZEN NORTH
-TEMpERATURE DEGREES BELOW ZERO AND
FROZEN

the mail carriers will travel in THU
district in the winter, and even they
make but one trip month Twice NJ
nearly lost his life, and had he no
been accompanied by an Indian guide
probably would have. At one time hi
and the guide and a mail carrier ant
two Indians were lost in the storm
for three days, and were found at thu
end of that time by a rescuing party
which came out to locate the mail.
| OF the Tanana man we are told:
mot less than four times was THU
man found by other travellers in al
exhausted condition and assisted to {
stopping place. He lost three dogs
and several times froze his face. THAI
he survived the work and came back
alive was the wonder of the old in
habitants of the country. Half a doz
en- men refused the job before he was
secured. Six men and two women
| were frozen on the trails in the vicin
ity in which he worked"
All the travelling was done on dog
sleds, from seven to nine animals be
ing used with each sled. The agents
were paid SO day and extra for tie
use of their vehicles. Generally it
was necessary for two men to 60 to-
gether, so that in case of accident to
one the other could proceed with the
labor, for the census must be taken
whatever the cost in life or money.
Especial pains were taken to find
every resident, and we are told that
each cabin was visited unless to reach
it would cost more than two days Of
time. In such exceptional instances
the facts weer recorded from reports.
Trails were unbroken throughout the
vast territory covered, and the emu.
merator or his companion found it
necessary constantly to walk ahead Of
the team on snoWshoes.
Summing up his report, Mr.. McKen.
zie says:
'This constitutes a resume of the
work performed during the period
from August II, in which / crossed the
United States and went up into the
territory of Alaska, experienced
weather conditions the extreme of
which was u degrees below zero, and
during which time in the course of the
work it was necessary several times
to camp in the open where the couch
consisted of the snow and a few
spruce boughs and the roof tent of
the sky. During the months of De-
cember and January the sun shone
from one to two hours per day."
Churches and school houses in the
interior of Alaska are few and far
between. Necessarily they are con.
fined to the towns and Indian settle.
ments. Most of the Indian schools, as
we'll as the church services, are con.
Quoted by the missionaries:
The white people DO not attend
either the Indian schools or the In.
dian churches, SO that those of the
outlying districts get their religion
and their education at home. In the
matter of education Mr.. Mckenzie re.
ports that the home system works
very we'll, the long nights of the win
ter causing an enforced confinement
of children that is conducive to study.
He says that many of them do even
better than students in the schools.
Mr.. Mckenzie also reports that
there is very little sickness among
the white inhabitants of Alaska, and
he says that few of those who are
sick will acknowledge the fact. There
is no fever, but some pneumonia. Most
of the Indians are afflicted with tuber-
culosis and other diseases of civiliza-
ton are prevalent.