The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-27
Story From Men Who Completed
Enumeration in Alaska Reads
Like a Novel.
FIGHTING AGAINST COLD
OF SEVENTY BELOW
Battle With Billiards, Deep
Snow and Icy Wastes Made
Up Daily Routine.


wind blowing a blizzard most of the
time; no human babitation in sight
no covering at night except tent, and
no Efgrub' that was not many times
frozen. These are some of the condl
tiors under which the recent census was
report of Chief Special Agent McKen.
zie, covering the work in the fourth OF
inland district of the territory, has
Just been received by Director Durand
and while the story is simply told, II
is wonderfully thrilling narrative of
adventure, showing that when Uncle
Sam starts out 10 round up his children
he spares no expense to locate them and
satisfies himself as to their status.
Mr.. Mckenzie s narrative, made pub
lie 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 assistants. For
reasons of its own the census bureau
determined TO number the Alaskans dur
ing midwinter Mr.. Mckenzie made
his headquarters at the mining town of
Fairbanks. His first special agent was
appointed on the tenth day of last No
vembcr and the work was completed by
the eleventh of April, when McKen-
ence in getting out of the country was
by no means as thrilling rs some of his
experiences while engaged in the work.
but it was stirring enough to arouse In
terest IN a warm spell. OF it he says:
Battle With Cold.
fI came ont on the mail coach ar
irving at Valdez on the twentieth after
Il 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.
The bureaus principal reason for a
winter census is found in the fact that
getting about the country is much easier
at that time than at any other season.
There are no bridges in the country
and as crossing streams when not frozen
over is Il serious problem, Mr.. McKen-
zie saws that to have made the cnumcra-
ton in the summer would have required
the services Of four times as many rs.
sistants while the cost would have been
six times AS great. He also expressed
doubt as to whether the result would
have been as satisfactory. AS 1T IS, he
is of the opinion that it is "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 Sc
verely, none of them lost their lives
Summing up the conditions, Mr.. Nc.
Kenzie saws:
Had Loyal Workers.
"The work was performed during the
severest winter known IN this part OF
Alaska by the oldest settlers and the
men kept constantly and conscientiously
at it until completed, There did not
appear to be man who did not have a
pride in the work, an anxiety to create
record for travelling time, desire
TO enumerate all the people in his dis
tTict and to have to his credit less
loss of time because of extreme wealth
er 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 matter Of congratu
latlon and good fortune. There were
more deaths from the weather in this
section during the past winter than in
all of the other years in total-cases
too, in which those who met such
deaths did not begin to 90 through the
sacrifice and privation that these agents
of the service did, All of the men Gov
cred hundreds of miles over the ice and
snow in weather ranging from 30 to. 7t
about 40 below -
The experience Of the agent in Chand
lar district is fair example. Speaking
of him the chief agent says, che was
not scholar, but man who had lived
there for years and well fitted TO under
90 tho privations necessary That hi:
good qualities were put to The severest
test the report shows.
Long, Bitter Gold.
fSevere weather was encountered
throughout all Of, his work. SAYS Nc
Kenzie, "and au no time after he lef
Fairbanks until he returned did tn,
low zero, His long Journey away from
the base Of supplies made it impossible
for him to carry sufficient grub and dol
food, and he was obliged to live Of,
the country. killing moose, mountain
sheep and other fresh meat, Durin.
the work he lost two of his dogs from
freezing to death. He himself frozt
portions Of his face several times, ant
at one time dropped into six feet o.
open water. nearly losing his hfe. II
crossing the Arctic range and return
ing he travelled above timber line eigh
teen hours IN each direction. which, il
Il country where fire is necessary, ca,
be understood to be considerable sacri
fee. He travelled in many places whcr
|
his record is considered unusual, to sa,
the least. -
That the Koyakuk agent e work wa
no Fourth July picnic with straw
berry lemonade on tho side is indicated
by the following extract from the Off
cial narrative:
Difficulties of Travel,
"In this district there is almost n
incessant snow storm from October t
May, and trails are obiterated in TWEEN
tyfour hours. Few men except the mai
carriers will travel in this district j
Continued on Pare Three