Williams news., 1905-09-02
WILLIAMS IS
 PROSPEROUS

Williams is getting back into the old days of prosperity, before the time of the division removal. There is scarcely an empty house in town and it is getting so that old timers hardly know any one. There ere said to be forty families of railroad men residing here now, and as a matter of fact the town is better than before the division moved away. Still. we'd glad to see it re- turned, with the other contempla- ted improvements.
 However, we learned the other day from a reliable source that there is no likelihood of the divis ion being returned to Williams during the term of our natural life, as the distances are now about as equally divided as possible, the time required to make the trips are only from II to 12 hours from Winslow to Seligman and from 9 to 10 hours from Seligman to Needles. With the larger engines there is no difficulty experienced in handling the trains.
 Even though the division may not be returned, there are many things in sight that will tend to add to the prosperity of the town. A new Harvey house will soon be erected. Within the next few months three or four stall round house and outfit for a general re- pair shop will be installed here, owing to the greater increase in Canyon travel.
 At present there are about sixty five men employed here in the vari- ous departments, as follows: Office, s; shop and mechanical depart ment, 12; train service and swing crews, 35; enginemen, 10.
 At present there are nine train crews operating from this point, and our informant states that short ly there will be an addition of two or three more crews, so that in reality there are just as many men here now as there would be if the division were here, with the excep- tion, of course, of the greater shop force.
 The above statement will give the reader an idea of the present conditions in the railroad field, but there are other things doing and in sight that there has so far been little said about.
 Last Sunday evening Engineer James B. Girand, who for the past three years has been connected, as chief, with H. J. Beemer, who has been promoting some gigantic en- terprises in various parts of the territory, came in from Prescott and continued on to the Canyon. It will be remembered that about a year ago the operations that were being carried on in Cataract Can yon by MT. Beemer, as the United Gold & Platinum Mines Co.,, were suspended. At that time no par particular reason was given out, but it now develops that the delay was made necessary by the action of Secretary of the Interior Hitch cock. The company, in addition to their mining projects in Cata- ract, were engaged in the construc- tion of an electric road from Bright Angel to Supai Indian village. They had already secured the right of way over the Indian reservation, but they were denied the right of of way over the Grand Canyon for est reserve by MT. Hitchcock. For that reason the work had to be tenn porarily suspended. Mir. Grand informed us that his visit to the Canyon the first Of the week was to make arrangements for again talk ing up this work. About the first of October he will return with a force of men and perform the an- nual assessment work on the prop critics necessary to hold them. It :. l.a lI L.. xll L. I.