G. W. Beers

G. W. Beers

G.W. Beers, the well known master mechanic of the Packing & Provision Co., at the stock yards, Chicago, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1859, a son of David A. and Kate (Conley) Beers, the former a native of Painesville, Ohio, the latter of New York. The father was reared in Ohio and for some years engaged in sailing out of Cleveland as chief engineer for the Northern Transportation Company. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the navy, and after the war he was chief engineer of the Commodore Perry. His entire life was spent in sailing or in working in machine shops. Both he and his wife died in Cleveland, honored and respected by all who knew them.

The schools of Cleveland afforded our subject his educational privileges, and after laying aside his text books, he served his apprenticeship to the machinist's trade at the Cuyahoga works. In 1878 he sailed from Cleveland as second engineer on the old G. N. Brady, remaining on her for one season, and from that time until 1897, he was either on the lakes or connected with shipbuilding. For one season he was oiler on the City of Detroit, a passenger boat, after which he worked in the machine shops for three years, and next went as second engineer on the steamer Atlantic, finishing the season, however, with the Union Dry Dock Company, Buffalo where he fitted out the revenue cutter, William P. Fessenden. He remained with them until the H. J. Jewett was completed, after which he was employed as her second engineer for one season. The following season he came out as engineer as on the tug Protection, of Chicago, and later was on the revenue cutter, William P. Fessenden. The following winter he worked for Hodge & Co., engine builders of Detroit, and then became second engineer of the steamer Pearl, for J. P. Clark, of Detroit, after which he was second engineer in the Anchor line. The next season he was with the Union Dry Dock Company, until the steamer Tioga came out, and on her shipped as second engineer for part of two seasons, spending his winters with the Union Dry Dock Company from 1885 to 1888. The steamer Chemung then came out, and on her he sailed as engineer for one season. He continued with his connection with the Union Dry Dock Company of Buffalo until 1890, when he was made master mechanic and chief engineer under Mr. Babcock of the South Chicago Shipbuilding Company. He was on the steamer Philadelphia, of the Anchor Line, in 1891, as engineer of the Arthur Orr, sailing out of Chicago in 1893, but returned to the Chicago Shipbuilding yards, where he was employed until in 1897 he accepted his present position as master mechanic of the Chicago Packing & Provision Co., at the stock yards. He has fitted out altogether over forty new boats and is a most thorough and competent marine engineer.

In 1886, in Buffalo, N. Y., Mr. Beers married Miss Katie Bradigan, a native of that city, and to them have been born five children: Frances, George A., Mary, Nellie and Katie.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.