The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-08-05
Temperature to Blow Holds
Many Terrors.
Special Agents Report Tells Of
Many Thrilling
Difficulties.

GWtuNy tesI ueep. WlHu DoWMlg Il
blizzard most of the time. No human
habitation in sight no covering at night
except tent, and no grub THAI WAS
not many time frozen. These are some
of the condition under which
the recent census was taken In
the interest or of Alaska. The
report of Chief Special Agent
Mckenzie GOVERN gthe work in
the fourth or inland dfrn,ict OF the
teTritory has just been received by
Director Durand, and while the story
ds simply todd IL is a wonderful tbntl
ling narrative of adventure showing
that when Uncle Sam starts out 10
round up his children he spares no ex
pense 10 locate them and satisfy him
self as to their status.
Mr.. McKenzies narrative, made pub
lie fortnight comes in advance OF mis-
figures so 5het il is impol sible 10 give
the population OF the country COW
cred by him and his twenty assistants.
For reasons of lis own the Census Bu-
reau determined to number One Alias
kans during midwinter. Mr.. Mckenzie
made his headquarters at the mining
town of Fairbanks. His FIRST special
agent was appointed on November 10
last and the work was completed by
April II last, when Mckenzie left for
the States" His experience in ge
ting 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 a warm spell. OF it he
says:
Il came out on the mail coach, ar
irving at valdez on April 20 after "A
varied experience consisting of being
delayed two days by a blizzard, cross
ing rushing Streams even when the
horses had to swim and the sleds float
and travelling day and night the Their
mometer often as low as 40 below
zero.
The bureaus principal reason for a
winter census Is found in the country
is mudn easter at that time than az
any other season, There are no bridg-
es in the counI ny and as crossing the
streams when not frozen over Is a
serious problem, Mr. Mckenzie says
that to have madee the enumeration
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 che result
would have been as satisfactory. AS it
is, he is of opinion that it is "accu-
rate and complete"
Much hardship was necessarily in
volved in the work. Only men tnjur-
ed to the 1igors Of the Arctic caima'e
We're employed, and while they suf-
fered several none of them lost their
lives. Summing up the conditions,
Mr.. Mckenzie says.
"The work was performed during
the severest winter known in This part
of Alaska by the oldest settlers, and
the men kept constant y and conecien-
tiously at 1T until completed. There
did not appear 10 be man who did
not have pride in the work and an
xiety to creale a record for travelling
dit,1a Il oil H.
pie in his district and to have to
his credit less loss of time because
of extreme weather than any of The
either agents. That Ghe Service lost
nome OF The men from freezing to
death and Ihat every man returned sa
is matter of congntulation and
good for tune. There We're more
deaths from the weather than in all
of the other years in total-cases, too,
in which those VINO md, such deaths
did not begin TO go through the sac
riflce and privation that these agents
of the service did. ALI of the men
covered hundreds of mile over the ice
and snow in weather ranging from 80
to 70 degrees below zero, the average
being about 40 below.
The experience of the agent in
Chandlar district is a fair example
Speaking of him the chief agent Gays,
'he was not a scholar, but man who
had lived there for years and well-fit-
ted to undergo the privations Necessary
That his good qualities were put to the
serverest test the report shows
Severe weather was encountered
throughout all of his work. says Nc
Kenzie, "and at no time after The left
Fairbanks until he returned did the
thermometer get above 80 degrees
below Zero. His hong journey away
from the base of supplies made 1t inn
possible for him to caruv sufficient
grub and dog food and he was oblig-