Daniel F. Rice

Daniel F. Rice, now engineer of the fire-boat Geyser, of Chicago, has been a trusted employee of that city for the past fourteen years, and has the respect and confidence of all who knew him. He was born there in 1855, at No. 29 Wolcott (now State) street, and is a son of Patrick and Mary (Sloan) Rice, natives of Ireland. During his boyhood the father crossed the Atlantic, first locating in New York City; but at an early day, prior to his marriage, he came to Chicago, and for several years sailed out of that port. During the Civil war he enlisted, in 1861, in the Mulligan Brigade, and was wounded in the service of his adopted country. He died from the effects of his injuries in 1867; the mother survives, and still makes her home in Chicago.

Daniel F. Rice was reared and educated in his native city, and in early life learned the machinist's trade. He commenced sailing from Chicago, in 1872, on the tug J.L. Higgie, of the Vessel Owners Towing Company, and remained on her for two seasons. For the two following seasons he was engineer of the Bench No. 2; and for a part of the season was on the tug Protection, closing it on the tug Flossie Tilkey, and remaining on her the next season. He was on the tug Ed. L. Anthony and the J.H. Hackley the next season, the latter still being in commission. After serving as engineer on the W.H. Warfe, he held a similar position on the propeller Cuba, of the Commercial line of steamers, sailing out of Buffalo in the grain trade. Later he was engineer of the Colorado for the same company and in the same trade. He again engaged in tugging as engineer on the Robert Torrent one year; then on the tug Alpha; and later on the firetug William Hallee, Mr. Rice was next with the fire engine company stationed at No. 40 Franklin street, was subsequently transferred to the firetug Chicago, and in 1892 to the fireboat Geyser, where he still remains. Since 1873 he has been an honored and prominent member of M.E.B.A., No. 4, and had held office in the order.

In 1884 Mr. Rice was married in Chicago to Miss Minnie Schnaitman, who was born on Chicago avenue, that city, and well known on the North Side, and they now have an interesting family of five children, Walter, Joe, Florence, Daniel and Beatrice.

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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.