Karl A. Hallberg

Karl A. Hallberg, a popular and well-qualified marine engineer, owes his present responsible position as chief of the passenger steamer Nyack to his own merit and close attention to his machinery. He was born in Forshaga, Sweden, On June 30, 1865, and is the son of Anders and Katrina (Fourslund) Hallberg, both natives of Sweden. His father was superintendent for a lumber concern in Karlstead for many years, but in 1873 removed to Bjorneborg, Finland, where he had been called to take charge of the lumber concern of a firm in that city, and it was in Bjorneborg that Karl acquired his fundamental education, attending school until he reached the age of sixteen years.

Soon after leaving school Mr. Hallberg determined to try his fortune in the New World and came to the United States, going direct to northern Illinois, where he found employment on a farm and where he learned the English language, which he soon learned to speak with the purity of a native American. He then went to Muskegon, and entered the employ of the railroad company to learn the boilermaker's trade, remaining three years. It was in the spring of 1887 that Mr. Hallberg first shipped on a steamboat, going as fireman on the steamer Third Michigan, joining the steamer Mark B. Covell the next season, and remaining until September, 1889, on the same, when he shipped on the tug William L. Ewing, of the Dunham Towing and Wrecking Company. In 1890 he received his license, and on July 18 was appointed second engineer of the steamer Sachem. The next spring he became second engineer of the steamer Parks Foster, and, after retaining that berth two seasons, transferred to the steamer Cadillac as second.

In the spring of 1894 Mr. Hallberg was appointed second engineer of the passenger steamer Nyack, of the Crosby Transportation Company, plying summer and winter between Muskegon, Grand Haven and Milwaukee. He filled this office to the satisfaction of the company until January 3, 1898, when he was made chief engineer of the Nyack, his merit thus finding appreciation. He has eight issues of marine engineer's license. Socially he is a Master Mason, Knight of Maccabees, and a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association.

On December 17, 1892, Karl A. Hallberg was wedded in Chicago to Miss Ida Person, of Muskegon, a native of Sweden. One son, Karl Ernest, has been born to this union. The family homestead is in Muskegon, 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.