John O'Brien Williams (d. 1939)

John O’Brien Williams was a native of Newfoundland. He moved to British Columbia in 1893 and obtained his master's papers. He sailed for several years in the sealing trade and, in 1898, joined the Bennett Lake & Klondike Navigation Co. as master of the river boat //Ora.// In 1901, he started working for the White Pass & Yukon Co. and continued there until he retired in 1926. He was the pilot of many famous ships, including the //Dawson// and the //Casca.// ((//The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 10 March 1939.))

In July 1920, Captain Williams arrived in Whitehorse after taking a tourist excursion down to Fort Yukon. The eighty-five passengers aboard the sternwheeler //Casca// spent several hours at Fort Yukon to watch the midnight sun make a complete circuit of the skies above the Arctic Circle.((//The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 2 July 1920.)) 
Because of the light snowfall in the winter of 1928/29, J. Williams had his ice yacht running on Lake Bennett at Carcross much earlier than previous years.((//Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse, 22 February 1929.))

Captain Williams died in Vancouver.((//The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 10 March 1939.))