J. H. Forrester

J.H. Forrester, an engineer who has attained both prominence and popularity among marine men in general, is a comparatively young man, although he has already twelve issues of license.

Mr. Forrester was born at Buffalo, October 27, 1863, son of Henry Forrester, who was a plasterer by occupation. He attended Public School No. 18, and after serving his time in David Bell's shop, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of the machinist's trade, he worked as a journeyman at the old King Iron Works. He began his sailing career in the year 1885 by shipping as oiler on the steamer Gordon Campbell, of the Anchor line, on which he remained a season and a half, finishing the season of 1886 as second engineer in the steamer Conemaugh, of the same line. After two seasons and a half on the latter steamer, he was made chief engineer on his first boat, the Gordon Campbell, continuing in that berth during the seasons of 1889-90-91 and the early part of the season of 1892, when he transferred to the same berth on the Juniata. He has held this position continuously since, until the close of 1898, and very much to his credit be it said, for it is a fact which speaks highly for his competence. It will be noted that Mr. Forrester has been in the employ of the Anchor line ever since he began marine life, and his advancement has been both rapid and permanent. He is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, Local Harbor No. 1, of Buffalo.

Mr. Forrester was married, in 1887, to Miss Alice Skinner, of Oswego, N. Y., by whom he has three children, namely: George, John and Harold. The mother died July 4, 1897. The family reside at No. 78 Pooley Place, in a very pleasant home. F. FORY

F. Fory, the second officer of the fine side-wheel steamer Empress of India, was born in Clinton, Ohio, in 1874. His father and mother are both natives of Germany. Mr. Fory attended school in Toronto until he was eighteen years of age, and a year later began his career as a sailor on the lakes, his first employment in this line being on the old Turner Ferry Company's steamers Luella, Prowett Byer and Ada Alice, he being the first to run the Luella after she was launched. He was also on the ferry steamer St. Jean Baptiste, afterward called Sadie, and now known as the Shamrock. Mr. Fory subsequently went to the upper lakes to fit out two small propellers, the Butcher Boy and the Butcher Maid, which were used to carry provisions to the men engaged in the construction of the Canadian Pacific railway, and was engaged one long season on these boats, from March to Christmas. Returning to Toronto he shipped on the fine side-wheel steamer Lady Rupert, which ran between that port and Charlotte, and also carried excursion parties to Long Branch, a pleasure resort near Toronto. This boat was owned by W. E. Cornell, of Toronto, and still exists as an old hulk, being now utilized as a boathouse on the eastern water front. After leaving the Lady Rupert Mr. Fory went on the side-wheel steamer Carmona, which had formerly been known on the upper lakes as the Northern Belle, and at that time ran between Toronto and Charlotte, and also on excursion service to different points. She is at present running on the upper lakes. His next service was with the Hamilton Steamboat Company, on the fine twin-screw passenger steamer Macassa, which plies between Toronto and Hamilton, calling at the half-way port of Oakville, and Mr. Fory remained one season on that boat. The season following he went aboard the paddle-wheel steamer Hastings, formerly known as the Rochester and now called the Eurydice, which at one time ran between Cobourg and Charlotte, but has of late years been engaged in the excursion business between Toronto, Charlotte and Montreal, and various other ports for which she has been chartered. Then the Niagara Navigation Company built a new boat to run with the Chicora, called the Cibola, and Mr. Fory was on her the first four seasons that she was in service. Unfortunately she was burned at the dock at Lewiston, N. Y., in 1895, her hull and engines being so badly damaged that they were rendered unfit for reconstruction, and this necessitated the building of a brand new boat which was christened the Corona. Mr. Fory was also on the Canadian Pacific railway's palatial steamer Alberta, which with the Athabasca runs from Owen Sound to Port Arthur. After leaving the Cibola, he shipped again on the Carmona, which has become an excursion boat between Toronto and Lorne Park. On June 8, 1896, Mr. Fory became second officer on the Empress of India, and has been retained on that boat ever since.

Mr. Fory is married, and has a pleasant home at No. 145 Gerard street, Toronto, Ontario. He is a brother of the late Mr. Chauncey Fory, well-known as the chief bartender in the "Queen's Royal Hotel", Niagara-on-the-Lake, and who has been sadly missed by his family and friends. He was quite an athlete and a splendid swimmer, and on a wager he dived from the cross-trees of Mr. George Gooderham's yacht, the Oriole, into the swirling current of the Niagara River. He never recovered from the effects; concussion of the brain followed, and after suffering great agony for several days he passed quietly away in his brother's arms.

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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.