Captain Charles E. Nash

Captain Charles E. Nash, an experienced tug man of Buffalo harbor, was born at Dunkirk, N.Y., November 9, 1851, a son of Thomas and Julia (Wyzoon) Nash, both now deceased. The father was a Vermonter and a sailor on the Great Lakes for many years before his decease; was also at one time in the United States navy. In the early days he was engaged in fishing at Ontonagon, Lake Superior, and was the first man to introduce gill-net fishing on Lake Erie, which he carried on at Dunkirk, N.Y. He lost his life on the Isthmus of Panama in a railroad accident caused by the natives tearing up the rails, thus throwing the train off the track into a ditch. There were six children in his family, only two now living, however, besides the subject of this sketch: Louise, wife of Emil Barkenoitz, a candy manufacturer, and Henry M. Nash, who is by trade a marine engineer, located at Brooklyn, running a stationary engine.

The subject of this sketch came to Buffalo with his parent when about four years old, and there attended Public School No. 8. He began active life as ferry boy on Buffalo creek at which occupation he remained one year. In 1865 he went upon his first tug, the Old Bull, on which he remained two seasons as deckhand, and he was subsequently cook, fireman and engineer of various harbor tugs at Buffalo, his first experience in the latter capacity being upon the tug R.R. Hefford during the season of 1877. That tug was blown up a year later while coming out of Commercial slip, and the only man saved was George Van Avery, the fireman, who is still living and on the lakes at the present time. Captain Nash was in the immediate vicinity when the explosion took place and rendered the necessary assistance in helping to care for Van Avery. In 1885 Captain Nash first became master of a tug, and for that season was on the T.M. Moore. During the succeeding two seasons he was master, respectively, of the James Adams and John Kilderhouse, and for the seasons of 1888- 89 of the E.C. Maytham. For the next season and a half he was master of the C.L. Chamberlain, and for the last half of 1891 of the Hi Smith. He was then master of the Medina until the middle of the season of 1892, which he finished in the Maytham. During the next two seasons he was on the S.W. Gee, for that of 1875 in the Acme, and for the seasons of 1896, 1897 and 1898 he was also master of the Gee. Captain Nash is a member of Local Harbor No. 41, of the American Association of Masters and Pilots.

On September 14, 1886, at Buffalo, Captain Nash was married to Miss Agnes Logan, by whom he has two children, Grace and Charles, Jr. The family reside at No. 1012 West avenue, Buffalo, New York.

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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.