John F. Kalb

John F. Kalb is one of the popular marine engineers sailing out of the port of Cleveland. He was born in Vermilion, Ohio, in 1867, a son of Joshua and Mary E. Kalb, who removed to Cleveland from Vermilion in 1878. Joshua Kalb is a ship carpenter, and was in the employ of Capt. Alva Bradley as a jobber, doing all the repair work to his vessels for thirty-six years, and since Captain Bradley's death he has worked for the Globe Ship Building Company, and has made all the spars for the steel boats built by that firm. In the spring of 1863 he enlisted in Company G, 67th O.V.I. and served till the close of the war, participating in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged in the Army of the James, and was present at the surrender of General Lee. He is now seventy-three years old, but is still full of vitality.

John F. Kalb found his first experience as a lake-faring man in the employ of Capt. P. Smith. In the spring of 1880 he shipped as fireman on the tug Charles Henry; in 1881, transferred to the tug Maggie Sanborn, remaining two years; followed by like service on the tugs James Amadeus, Patrick Henry, S.S. Stone, Peter Smith, L.P. Smith, and N.B. Gates. In the spring of 1885 he took out a pilot's license, and sailed the tug Starkweather. The next season he took out an engineer's license, and was appointed chief of the tug N.B. Gates. In the spring of 1887 he was appointed engineer of the tug Thomas Monson; in 1888, was appointed first assistant engineer of the steamer Fred Kelley; in 1889, shipped as assistant engineer of the steamer Minneapolis, but finished the season in the same capacity on the Albert Y. Gowan. The year following he stopped ashore and ran the engine for the firm of Likely, McDonald & Rocket. In the spring of 1891 Mr. Kalb shipped as assistant engineer on the steamer A. Everett, remaining until August of the following season, and finishing on the steamer German. In 1893, he engineered the steamer John B. Ketcham. The following year he entered the employ of William Bailey & Sons, wall paper manufacturers, in Cleveland, as engineer, remaining two years. In 1896 he returned to the engine room as first assistant of the steamer Cambrian, laying her up at the close of navigation. He was retained as first assistant of the Andaste for the season of 1897 and 1898. He is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and of the Order of Eccentrics.

In 1886 Mr. Kalb was wedded to Miss Marcella Fay, of Cleveland. The children born to this union are: Mabel Frances, John F., Michael Leo and Marcella May. The family residence is at No. 162 Liberty Street, Cleveland, 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.