Williams news., 1904-09-17
GOING TO ALASKA
fBY NELLIE J. DODGE.l

for short time each day continue on into the fall. As the sun shines less and the days grow shorter, this little rain turns into snow, and by the time frost begins all the small vegetation has a good covering of snow to protect it. This is on the same principle that winter wheat and rye farming is carried on in the north. The trees remain green after everything is covered with snow, until the frost kills the leaves, when they drop off; that is, all but the evergreens. The beautiful shades of the frosted leaves before they fali, the white snow and bright evergreen is picture worth seeing and is so varied that you would never tire of looking at it,
 Of course, different conditions exist in the different portions of Alaska. That is one reason we hear SO many stories at variance with each other.
 The first hour of darkness that comes, the whole sky is lighted up with the Aurora, which can be seen constantly playing on the sky when clear. It is very fascinating to watch this electrical display and great silent mystery. It is not nec- essary to go to Alaska to see this phenomenon, for I have seen it equally brilliant in the extreme northern states and provinces; but it is worth going to see.
 The Indians of that section are nice looking people. They some what resemble the Japanese, but as rule are smaller featured. The women are especially petite, tidy looking little creatures. and quiet in their manners. They do not beg. and If you gave them anything, wouldgive us something in return, and would feel hurt if we refused
 their offer. They stole nothing, as far as 1 know.
 Many have asked how we man. aged to keep our outfits from being stolen, as we could lock nothing up. ] The honesty among the men was almost phenomenal. Two men on
 the trail had but very little with them, and they evidently went in with the view of taking anything
 they might need as they went along. This meant no work for
 them They were watched and caught stealing from tents, so after miners meeting they were or dered back to the beach and were . driven back over the trail.
 Once a pocketbook containing quite a sum of money was lost on the trail. The first man to find it
 picked it up and laid it on the
 snow; some one else stuck it up on
 stick, where it remained for sev- eral days until the owner came back that way, when he found it's contents intact. During that time many hundreds had passed by that way and none molested it. There was one robber up there that proved very annoying. A bird called the camp robber was very bold; dark ness made no difference, for he stole t at night as we'll as in the day. Mining up there is very uncer- tain industry. We took up two claims, which have since proven : quite rich, but not to us, for we : were called home and never proved :, up on them.
 There seems to be gold in all the <. black sand that lay in the old gla-
 cier beds, but not in sufficient quan-
 tity to pay a man to stay and wash . for it. I could have passed away 3 much of the time washing for col l ors, but the water was so cold and !. rapid and the pans so heavy to ] handle that had to give it up. In many places there seemed to
 be good prospects for gold and t other minerals of value, but at that . time it was impossible to tell what : the result of digging might have : been, on account of the water that