Peter D. Bauld

Peter D. Bauld, chief engineer of the Morrison estate, Chicago, sailed for several years upon the lakes, and is a worthy representative of a family which has been prominently connected with marine affairs. He was born in Chicago, in 1860, a son of David and Jennette (Houston) Bauld, both natives of Scotland and early settlers of Marine City, Mich., where the father was for some time chief engineer of the Ward line of boats. After coming to Chicago in 1854, he was made superintendent of the Hanna, Lay & Co. line of boats, and superintended the construction of all their boats, including the Traverse City and Grand Rapids. He remained with them for the long period of twenty-eight years. He was an expert machinist, and well known all over the Great Lakes. He died in Chicago, in 1889, and his widow still resides in that city.

There our subject was reared and educated. During his boyhood he commenced his business career as oiler, and at the age of twelve years began serving an apprenticeship to the boiler making trade in the Rock Island railroad shops. In 1872 he commenced sailing out of Chicago as oiler on the City of Traverse, and remained on her some years, being made second engineer in 1875. She belonged to Hanna, Lay & Co., was engaged in lumber and passenger trade, and made Buffalo and nearly all important lake ports. On leaving her in 1878, Mr. Bauld was made second engineer on the City of Grand Rapids, which was engaged in the passenger trade, and in 1881 became chief engineer of the T.S. Faxon, a fast passenger boat, which is still in commission and is now running on the Great Lakes. Later he was chief engineer on the John A. Otis, engaged in the iron trade between Chicago and Escanaba, Mich. As second engineer he was then in the employ of the Union Steamboat Company, and was first assistant on the Avon and later on the Starrucca, engaged in the freight trade between Chicago, Buffalo and Detroit. She is a very large boat, and is still in commission. For the following season Mr. Bauld was chief engineer of the City of Traverse, but in 1887 he quit the lakes and accepted a position of engineer for the Western Electric Company for one year. He was then assistant engineer for the city hall for the same length of time, and remaining in the employ of the city he had charge of the Jackson street bridge for a time, and was engineer of the Holden school building one year. The following year he was chief engineer of the Union League club, for a time was assistant engineer of the Royal Insurance building; and for six years was chief of the Commercial National Bank building. His next position was as superintendent of the Van Buren street bridge, but for the past year and a half has been chief engineer of the Morrison estate. Socially he was at one time a member of the Marine Engineers Association, and is still widely and favorably known in marine circles.

In 1889, in Chicago, Mr. Bauld was united in marriage with Miss Anna Riewald, and they have one daughter, Dorothea.

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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.