The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-02
HOW CENSUS WAS
TAKEN N ALASKA
Men Suffered the Ut
most Hardships
THRILLING ADVENTURES

.tan Travelled Through snow From
Thrc4, to Twenty Fee With the
The Time-The Temperature Rang
cd From 80 to 90 Degrees Below
Iero-AII Survive the Work.
& the Associated Press,)
Washington. July 26.-Temperature
from % TO 20 degrees below zero.
snoD from three 10 twenty feet deep.
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
Assent Mckenzie covering the work in
the fourth or inland district of the
territory has just been received by
Director Durand, and while the story
is simply told it is a wonderful, thrill
ing narrative of adventure, showing
that when Uncle sam starts out to
round UP his children he spares no
expense 10 locate them and satisfy
himself as to their status.
Nr. MckenZie's narrative, made
ru}lit tonight, comes in advance of
his figures, SO that it is impossible to
give the population of the country
covered hy him and his twenty assist
ants For reasons of its own the Cen
SIS Bureau determined to number the
AiaStans during midwinter. Mr.. Nc
kenLie made his headquarters at the
mIniug town If Fairbanks. His first
special agent was appointed on the
7Err .tf last \4Epm her and the work
was completed by the 11th of last
APRIL when Mckenzie left for the
States" His experience in getting out
ut the country was by no means as
thrlliIng as some of his experiences
while rngaged in the work, but it was
stirring enough to arouse interest in
d warm spell. OF it he
rame out on this mail coach ar
rNing d Valdez on the Goth, after a
varied experience consisting Of be-
ms delayed two days by a blizzard,
crossing rushing streams even when
the horses had to swim n 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 county is much
easier at that than at any other sea
son There are no bridges in the
country and as crossing the streams
When not frozen over is a serious
problem, Mr.. Mckenzie avs that to
nave made the enumeration in the
summer would AVE required the ser
wees Of four times as many assistants
Nh-e The cost would have been six
umes as great. He also expressed
a'U9t IS to whether the result would
nav" been satisfactory. AS it is, he
IS of opinion tat it is accurate and
c"mplete"
Much hardship was necessarily in
vowed IN the work Only men Injured
70 the rigors Of the Arctic climate
were employed, and while they suf-
l.Frd none Of them lost their lives.
cumming up the conditions, Mr.. Nc
h'hzle says:
me work was performed during
Hs SaNerest winter known in this part
Alaska by the oldest settlers and
we men kept constantly and con
~Irhuously at it until completed
Inrfe dld not appear to be a man
wy d-d not have a pride in the work
t.'. anxiety to create a record fol
u@\Fithg time; a desire to enumerate
me people in his district and te
n'Ee [" his credit less loss of time be
"45e Of extreme weather than any
me other agents That the service
- none Of the men from freezing
"a "-"Nh and that every man return,
SAFE IS a matter of congratulatior
ono good fortune. There were NOR
Ia't3 rom the weather in his sec
ALI Hurlhg the past winter than il
100 me other years in total-cases
9o m WHICH those who met sucf
Mus oId not begin to go through
od'F'nce and p~rivation that those
NO. OF the service did. All of the
~ covered hundred of miles ovel
fron we ana snow in weather ranging
nov" ,hifty to seventy degrees below
low i"st pelng ABOUT ~ De
Cbn- experience Of the agent il
SrnalIIII"r district is a fair example
~ ~ OF his, the Chief Agent says
haG vas not a scholar bnt q man who
fttaa "ffd there for rpers AMI wei
ESQ., - Chdfr~O the uTi-4+teo~ nee.
hat MS c0c1 ..a-. rvrr