George Alfred Collinge

George Alfred Collinge, a young marine engineer, and who rapidly attained to the responsible position of chief, is a son of Capt. Samuel and Harriet W. (Harvey) Collinge. He was born in St. Clair, Mich., June 18, 1871, but was educated at Wallaceburg. His father was for many years a lake captain, and has sailed many vessels in the years that have passed, but retired from active life on shipboard and removed to Wallaceburg, where he went into the harness and saddlery business. He was a native of Clayton, Jefferson County, N.Y., but moved to St. Clair, Mich., when a young man. The mother was born on Peckham Road, London, England, and came to the United States with her parents, locating in St. Clair, Mich., where she met and married Captain Collinge. Both are living in Wallaceburg, and James Collinge, one of their sons, is mate on the steamer John Glidden.

The subject of this sketch, after working in the harness shop with his father for a time, concluded to follow the lakes, and in 1886 entered the employ of the Detroit and Windsor Ferry Company, as fireman, and served as such on the steamers Sappho, Victory and Fortune, remaining with that company two years. During the season 1888 he fired the tugs Marion Teller and William Parks, followed by a season on the steamer Houghton, and shipping in the spring of 1890 as oiler on the steamer Colorado, holding that berth two seasons. From this time forward his life episode has run almost parallel with that of his friend, Capt. Robert R. McLeod, and both are engaged on the same steamer, one as chief engineer and the other as master.

After a season as oiler on the Toledo and Ann Arbor car ferry steamer, Ann Arbor No. 2, Mr. Collinge, in the spring of 1893, secured engineer's license, and was appointed first assistant on the same steamer, retaining that office two seasons, after which he transferred to the steamer Colorado as first assistant. In September, 1895, he was appointed chief engineer of the car ferry steamer Shenango No. 1, operated by the United States and Ontario Navigation Company, plying between Conneaut, Port Dover and Port Stanley, and he has run her without casualty to machinery three years, summer and winter, this period taking in the season of 1898. In fact, Engineer Collinge has sailed the year round in most of his steamers since he entered upon a marine life.

Socially, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias.

On January 9, 1897, Mr. Collinge was wedded to Miss Rachel, daughter of William and Truey (Foster) Elliott. Mrs. Collinge's father has been a prominent marine engineer for many years, and now has charge of the engines of the steamer Shenango No. 2. The family residence is on Harbor Street, Conneaut, Ohio.

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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.