John R. Schiebel

John R. Schiebel, assistant engineer at the Buffalo railway power house, is a son of John and Anna (Harnish) Schiebel. The father was born in Bavaria and emigrated to America with his parents at the early age of three years. He has been connected with the King Iron Works for the last thirty-two years. The mother was American born.

The subject of this sketch, John R. Schiebel, was born at Buffalo, September 3, 1866, and received his education in the public schools and at Bryant & Stratton's College, in that city. In the spring of 1885, after five years in the employ of the King Iron Works, during which time he was learning his trade, he shipped as oiler on the steamer Juniata, under chief engineer J. J. Kiellee, and remained four consecutive seasons on that boat, the three last, however, as second engineer. For the season of 1889 he was second of the Northern Light, of the Northern Steamship line, and in 1890 was second of the Northern Queen until July 1st when he was made chief of the former steamer, and held that position until the end of 1892. During the month of June, 1890, the Northern Queen collided with the schooner Fayette Brown, of Bradley's fleet, of Cleveland. The accident occurred in the north passage in Lake Erie in a fog off Point Pelee at about two o'clock in the morning; the Brown went to the bottom immediately and four of the crew were picked up by the Queen, the balance by the steamer Robert Mills. Mr. Schiebel was appointed assistant engineer of the Buffalo railway power house on March 28, 1893, and still holds that position. He has been a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association since 1887, of the National Stationary Engineers Association, Keystone No. 50, since November 1, 1896, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Omega Lodge No. 259, for four years.

Mr. Schiebel was married to Emma Ritter on February 17, 1892, and they have two children, Walter and Edwin, aged respectively three and two years. Mrs. Schiebel is the daughter of Felix Ritter, who was with the Tift Iron Works for forty-three years, and from 1850 was foreman of the pattern shop; he is now engaged at times doing pattern work for iron building fronts.

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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.