Captain Alexander P. Gallino

Captain Alexander P. Gallino is a master mariner of long experience on the lakes, never having lost a man or a vessel; and during the many years he has followed the lakes he has never been ashore but three months during any season of navigation. He was born in Courtright, township of Moore, Lambton Co., Ont., on April 5, 1848. His parents, Peter and Elizabeth (Frazier) Gallino, were of French descent, spelling the name Gallarneau, but natives of Canada, the father being born in Montreal and his mother in Penetanguishene. His father was a captain in the British army, and during the latter part of his service was stationed in Penetanguishene. He served through the Indian wars and during the war of 1812, and reached the rank of major in the regular army.

Capt. Alexander Gallino, the subject of this sketch, who moved to the States, and located in St. Clair, in 1863, adopted his lakefaring life that same year as second porter on the steamer Susan Ward, remaining on her in that capacity till August 11, 1863, when he joined the steamer Meteor as decksweep, which position he held until the close of the season. During 1864 he filled a like position on the side-wheel steamer Cleveland under Capt. J. Hallaran, till the 3rd of July, when he went as wheelsman on the Dispatch with S. R. Grummond master and owner, and served under him till the close of that season. In 1865 he operated the entire season as wheelsman on the steamer Comet, running between Hancock, Houghton and Marquette, and the following three seasons was on tugs plying the St. Clair and Detroit rivers; while in 1869 he acted as mate on the schooner Liberty, with Capt. T. Lemay, and the following season, 1870, accepted the office of mate on the propeller Burlington, running between Buffalo and Saginaw.

In 1871 Captain Gallino, or Captain Pet, as he was more familiarly known to the lake craft, having been dubbed this epithet ever since babyhood, shipped again as mate on the schooner Liberty, and in 1872 acted as second mate on the propeller Wenona, filling this position till September 1873, when he served as mate on the same vessel till the close of the season. During the seasons given below he shipped as mate on the following named vessels: 1874-75, steamer Concord; 1876-77, on the Emma E. Thompson; 1878, steamer St. Paul, and in 1879 on the Salina, on which he sailed as her master during the season of 1880; and in 1881 again assumed the office of mate on the Porter Chamberlain, officiating in like capacity on the C. H. Green in 1882; filling in 1883 the same berth on the B. W. Jenness. In 1884 he sailed, as her master, the tug John Martin, engaged in towing barges between Saginaw and Buffalo; joining the Huron City as mate during the season of 1885; while those of 1886-87 saw him acting as mate and pilot on the A. A. Turner.

In the spring of 1888 the Captain was appointed master of the Don M. Dickinson, and during the seasons of 1889 and 1890 he sailed successively as mate and pilot on the steamers Lowell and Belle P. Cross. The spring of 1891 found the Captain in charge of the steamer P. H. Birckhead as her master, and which he sailed between Chicago, Oswego and Duluth the following seasons of 1892 and 1893. In 1894 he became master of the steamer Charles A. Street, retaining this command for four consecutive seasons - from 1894 to that of 1897. On December 12, 1898, at the close of navigation, Captain Gallino was acting as master of the W. R. Stafford, having assumed this position at the beginning of the season. He has twenty-eight issues of first-class papers, granting him the privilege of operating as master and pilot on boats plying between Ogdensburg, Chicago and Duluth, and on all connecting waters. He is a man of many friends, and has always enjoyed the respect and confidence of the owners of the vessels that have been under his command.

Socially he is a member of the Ship Masters Association, and carried Pennant No. 986.

On April 8, 1875, Captain Gallino was wedded to Miss Susan St. Bernard, of St. Clair, daughter of Alexander St. Bernard, who was one of the old-time lake masters and pilots of the United States gunboat Michigan many years. He also sailed for John Jacob Astor, in the interests of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. The children born to this marriage are Bernard A., who is boatswain's mate on the steamer North Land; Florence F. and Hugh H. The family homestead, which they have occupied since 1863, is located in St. Clair, Michigan.

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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.