The daily Alaskan., 1913-12-12
MEMBER OF THE YUKON
 COUNCIL PASSES THROUGH
 ENROUTE TO CHIsANA
Continued from Page 1.)

wise related, but he is an old friend If mine, who has been long time in the north, and is thoroughly re liable so far as my knowledge of him goes.
 "Dr. Williams came out over the Mccarthy trail in company with seventeen other men. The first thing they struck after leaving the roadhouse at that point was 47 mile glacier which there is no way of evading, and in going over which 0 man simply takes his life in his own hands. The trail over this glacier is unmarked, and Crevases of unknown depths have frequently to be crossed. One of the party of which Dr. Williams was a member, went through the crust of snow coy ering one of these dangerous places and had it not been that he had on a pair of snow shoes which caught on the ice walls on the side and stopped his descent he would have fallen to an unknown depth and in all lklihood have lost his life. After this experience the men roped themselves together, and had no further mishaps from this cause, al though they had to pass over an eX- t~emely dangerous section of the glacier, at one place, which is about two miles across and is known to all the travellers over it as "Hell's Half Acre..
 When Dr. Williams reached Cor dova he was in exceedingly bad shape from the rigorous weather they had encountered and as re suit of the hardships through which they were compelled to pass in or der to reach their destination. pr, Williams chest was badly frosted and since reaching Seattle he has lost all of his toe nails from the same cause.
 Continuing, MT. Williams said: l made inquiries of Dr. Williams as to the reports that were being cir culated in Seattle as to the cost of transporting freight from Mccarthy into the diggings, and told him that had been informed that freighters were charging 15 cents per pound. His first reply to the question was Iuridly emphatic and one which I do not care to repeat for publication. After his temper had somewhat cooled down he said there was no truth in the report whatever. That while he was in Mccarthy the best rate that was offered was $1.OO per pound, and 1t was his belief that conditions in this respect had not improved since he was there. Oscar Freedman, a Mccarthy freighter, was responsible for the story of a good trail and cheap rates, but the fact of the mat ter is that owing to the bad shape in which the trail really was he had never been able to haul enough over it to make money ta even $l per pound.
 The mail service also is poor, and there were dozens Of small sacks lying at Mccarthy when Dr. Will Hams was there which will remain a long while before going for ward, as the carriers only received $50 per round trip which was not enough to pay them for their trouble.
 It was Mir. Williams opinion that the Skagway, WhitehOrse, Klu- ane route will eventually become tn favorite one in winter and that dur ing the season of navigation on the rivers pc pie will prefer to take the water route down the river from WhitehOrse to the mouth of the White and up that stream to the Snag river from which point it would only be a matter of few miles overland to reach the diggings
 Mir. Williems said that as the James discovery was reported after the last meeting of the Yukon cOun- ciI no steps could be taken until the next session, which will take place in March, in regard to apprOpri- ation for trails, but as it had al- ways been the policy of the govern ment to afford every assistance in it power to the miner and prospectOr he felt assured that the matter would taken up and funds fur rished for any road work which it would be found necessary tc do."
 In speaking of affairs in the Yu- kon territory Mir. Williams sad that the present Commissioner, MT. Black has proven himself the best and most popular official that has ever filled the office. He is thorough in sympathy with the miner and prospector," said Mir. Williams. land is always ready to listen to their petitions and requests for roads and +raiI, ,D5 tho Firsr fo odvOoofo o,,