The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-06-17
CENSUS STATISTICS ON
THE LENGTH OF LIFT

Washington. ID. c., June 10 -
Chief Statstician DR.. Cressv l., Wi
bur of the division of vital stats
tics, Bureau of the Census. in hi;
latest annual mortality report sci.
the longevity OF man, or the extreme
span of human life, somewhere be,
tween 100 and 40 years. The rc-
port affirms that is undoubtedly
true that the age of 100 years is oc.
casionally attained but suggests that
it is doubtful whether the age OF
no has ever been rea he'd or e:s-
ceeded.
Doctor Wilbur declares that il
would be fact of great Importance
and interest to the world it, by SCI
entific observation. it could be deter
mined that human being could live
100. 40, 1870, or even 100 or lit
years. The organs of the human
system could be tested and it might
be found that with better hygiene
and more attention to proper meth
DDS of living the extreme limit or
age might be reached and moreover
that after many generations the AZ
erage longevity of man might an
proXimate the limit
From time to time reports are
made public of the most incredibln
instances of longevity. AS an exam.
pie, the case of the oldest reported
decedent is cited. The man was
Noah Raby. known as "the Oldest
man in the country" whose death
occurred in 1904. The origina,
death certificate, shows that Rahv
died in Middlesex county, New Jers,
ey, on March /. 1904, at the age Of
l31 years and 1 months. The is
sue of the New York Medical Record
of March 5, 1904. contained the fol-
lowing item:
Sophia Cab, probably the oldest
woman in Chicago, died there last
week. She was supposed to have
oeen l29 years old. Born a slave,
she spent most of her life on plant
alton near Richmond, Va. A still
more remarkable story of longev1t.,
contained in the notice of the
1eath of Noah Raby, in New Bruins
Wick, N. j.. on March l. It assert
"a with much circumstantiality. thar
he was born in Gates county, North
carolina, on April -(signifiacant |
iate), 1872. so that had he lived one
month longer he would have been
32 years old. He entered the Unit.
d States navy as soon as the United
states had navy. and after serving
or number of years was honor,-
ly discharged in 1909. lie never
1arried. but had smoked and chew
d tobacco for 122 years and had a,
ne time been heavy drinker."
The enumerator's returns Ct I'll,
"elfth census show that Rabv was
zen an inmate of Piscataway aim
ouse. and his age at last birthday
2S) and the month of birth "Apr
I12' corresDonded with the inform
lion contained in the certificate Of +,
cath. {: .
Going back farther it is found that !,
aby was an inmate of the almhousa +
tho Tina Nf ~.
$40, but the returns state his age T
SO years and not SO years which a
would have been if SUBSEQUENT Ii
atements as to his age were cor
ct. If the statement made in 1870 +
as correct. at the time of his death
was ~ years and II months. and
Vt a centenarian at all. much less H
g "oldest man in the country"
The report later on states that
would be impracticable for the
lreau of the Census to determine u
e truth in regard to all unusual, c,
es as received from the of1cla, D,
anscriDts of deaths. It Is wei, q,
lown that many statements of e1- h,
t age, even in the middle PERIOD II
life and in youth. are not strictly
rect. v
In old age. Unmarried memory an,
e well known tendency of man,
ed persons to exaggerate. in the B
most good faith the number Of fe
ars they have lived. makes It nor NJ
all surprising that many unfonnd tn
claims to extreme longevity arise. sa