Captain Edward Carr

Captain Edward Carr is the son of Captain Michael and Anora (Schoehenze) Carr, and was born in Buffalo, March 18, 1864. His father, who is in command of the tug Conneaut at the present time, has sailed the lakes for many years; and it was with him that the subject of this sketch obtained his first experience in marine affairs. At the early age of twelve years his strong desire to be a sailor was manifest, and accordingly he shipped on the schooner Chisholm and served as "boy." In this capacity he spent the following two seasons, at the close of which time the boat was wrecked near Erie. In the same position he then shipped with his father on the schooner Ellington, and there remained five years, acting as seaman after the first season. The boat was wrecked in a severe snowstorm at Buffalo, and the crew escaped by jumping from the main boom to the breakwater. The next season he acted as mate on the schooner H. D. Root, and afterwards went on the schooner Almeda, which went ashore at Port Glasgow in a storm. In the spring of 1885 he shipped as mate on the schooner Anora Carr, which was named after the Captain's mother and owned by his parents, and remained until November 1, when she went ashore at Rondeau. In this disaster Captain Carr had a narrow escape, remaining on the boat, over which the seas continually broke, until November 3, when the storm abated and the crew took to the yawlboats. The following season another thrilling experience awaited him, and one that was attended with greater peril than the first. The boat having been released and laid up at Rondeau, he took command in the spring and sailed her until September. In that month he left Buffalo and proceeded as far as Long Point in safety. When at this place the boat sprang a leak during a storm, and Captain Carr, striving to avoid all danger possible, turned about, making an attempt to enter Port Colborne, but the night was dark, and the storm became so severe that little headway was made in entering. When off Port Colborne she foundered, the Captain and crew making their escape in a yawlboat. They were picked up by the tug Ennis, and taken to Port Colborne, whence they returned home. The next season Captain Carr shipped in the schooner Journeyman, after which he returned to Buffalo, and accepted the position of assistant harbormaster, which position he held during the season of 1893. In 1894 he commanded the yacht Galivin, of Buffalo, and in 1895 took command of the State tug Queen City, the position which he holds at the present time.

Captain Carr is a member of the Masters and Pilots Association No. 41, and the Buffalo Tug Captains Association. The Captain is a member of the order of Select Knights, an insurance order. On April 28, 1897, he was married to Miss Nellie Crowley, of Buffalo. The Captain has been very successful in his sailing, and is one of the most reliable captains about the harbor. The Captain has always been a Republican in politics, and has taken an active interest in both city and State politics. He resides at No. 118 Michigan street, Buffalo, New York.

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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.