Fred J. Hartman

Fred J. Hartman, of the fireboat Detroiter, is one of the younger engineers on the lake, whose devotion to their work has been the foundation for their present success. He was born May 9, 1873, at Baltimore, Mich., a son of John A. and Phillipine (Forber) Hartman, the former of whom has been connected with the lakes for about thirty-five years, twenty-seven of which he has held an engineer's license. Grandfather Hartman was a soldier in the Civil war and gave up his life for his country. His maternal grandfather was a soldier in the Mexican war, and also in the war of the Rebellion, and when, in 1898, war was declared against Spain, expressed his regret that his advanced years would prevent him again entering his country's service.

Fred Hartman was but one year old when his parents moved to Detroit and in the public school he obtained his literary training, but at the age of twelve years he left the school room and began to earn his own way. Previous to this he had carried daily papers. His first employment was in the hotels, and at the age of thirteen he went on board the City of Mackinaw as porter, and there remained one season. The next year he entered the employ of Alger, Smith & Co., going as stoker on the J.W. Wescott. He held similar positions on the T.W. Snook, Nellie, tug Parks, Orleans, Winslow and steamer Gettysburg. The summer he was eighteen he sailed on the Forest City, and the following year served as oiler on the steamer Fayette Brown. He held the same position on the Alex, Nimick, and at the age of twenty-one he took the government examination for engineer's license, on which he received 1,250 tons. He then went on the barge Toledo as assistant engineer, where he remained for one season, then going on the Henry Houghton for a like period. The C.H. Storkie was his next field of operations, and from there he passed to the fireboat Detroiter, where he still remains.

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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.