Thomas G. Simmons

Thomas G. Simmons, mate of the City of Erie, of the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co., was born in Kingston, Ont., March 17, 1868, and when ten years of age was brought by his parents to Detroit.

His career on the Great Lakes began in 1883, when he went as porter on the steamer Riverside, later becoming watchman and wheelsman on the same boat, where he remained for three years. From 1886 to 1888 he was wheeling and watching on the steamers: E.K. Roberts, Atlantic, Flora, A.A. Turner, C.H. Green, and Aurora; from the spring of 1889 to the summer of 1891 he was mate of the tug Swain, second mate of the C.H. Green, Iron Chief, Alcona and Florida. He then remained ashore for three years, engaging in the grocery business in Detroit, but the waters proved too alluring, and in 1894 he became mate of the tug Champion, and for part of the season of 1895 he held a similar berth on the steamer City of Green Bay, the remainder of the season being master of the tug Arthur Jones. He began the season of 1896 as second mate of the State of New York, and then became mate of the new steamer City of Buffalo, which berth he also held throughout the season of 1897, and the next year became mate of the City of Erie.

On December 24, 1889, Mr. Simmons was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie Butwell, of Detroit, and to this union have come three children: Lyster, Hazel and Ethel.

Mr. Simmons came by his love of the lakes naturally, his father, George L. Simmons, now engineer on the Favorite, has been on the lakes for many years, and his brother, John L. Simmons, who died January 30, 1898, was chief engineer on the R.J. Hacket.

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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.