Captain Daniel Wall

Captain Daniel Wall, whose first United States license as mate and pilot dates back to 1888, received his first maritime experience on the Atlantic ocean, where he became a thorough seaman, and is well versed in all the mysteries of the craft. He was born in Richibucto, Province of New Brunswick, on May 10, 1858, and is a son of William and Jane (Beattie) Wall, natives of that Province also. Both the paternal and maternal grand- parents of the Captain were Scotch, James Beattie being an old resident of Lockmaben, Dumfriesshire, and both families came to America about the same time, locating in Richibucto, New Brunswick, but the Walls afterward removed to Marinette, Wis., where the father worked at his trade as a ship carpenter. He died in 1896, since which time his widow has resided in Marinette, Wisconsin.

After receiving a public-school education in his native town, Daniel Wall shipped, in 1872, as boy on the bark Annie McNairn, bound for Liverpool with a cargo of deals, and upon that vessel he made several voyages across the Atlantic, taking oil on the last passage and returning to Richibucto in ballast. The next year he joined the full-rigged ship Wacissa as seaman, spending almost a year on her. In 1874 he shipped on the bark Winona for Charleston, S. C., to load cotton for Liverpool, making two voyages on her. While on the second passage out the mate was murdered by one of the seamen, and Captain Wall was appointed second mate to fill the vacancy. His next berth was on the barkentine Erema, bound for Prince Edward Island with salt and iron.

On his arrival he crossed the straits of Northumberland, and paid a visit to his parents. He then shipped on the bark Tacoma, having been appointed second mate. On arriving in Liverpool he left his boat and went to Dublin, where he joined the bark Romanoff, bound for Philadelphia. He then sailed on the schooner Bell Russell as mate. After some months in the coasting trade, he shipped in the schooner Hattie Paige, of Bridgetown, N. J., going thence to his home in Richibucto.

In the year 1880 he was appointed mate on the new brigantine Wawbeck, bound for London, England, with canned lobsters. On the way out they had to put in at St. John's, Newfoundland, and discharge cargo on account of foul pumps, there being four feet of water in the hold. The return passage was very rough, the brigantine was disabled, lost her canvas, and was driven out of her course, fetching up on the island of Bermuda after a lapse of five months, the crew subsisting eight weeks on bread and water. Captain Wall then went to St. John's, Newfoundland, and was appointed master of the Alice, passing one season in fishing on the Banks. His next office was mate on the schooner Dasher. This vessel was wrecked on Magdalene island in the St. Lawrence river, and proved a total loss. The crew remained on the island three weeks, when they were taken off by a lighthouse tender. The Captain then passed some time on various small craft, after which he went west and assisted in constructing bridges on the line of the Milwaukee & Northern railroad.

In the spring of 1884 Captain Wall began sailing the lakes as seaman on the Butcher Boy, of the Marinette Barge line, going as wheelsman on the steamer Favorite the next season, and in 1886 as second mate of the same steamer. In 1887 he shipped on the schooner S. A. Wood, and in 1888 he received his license and shipped as second mate of the steamer Michael Groh, closing the season as mate on the S. K. Martin, coming out on the same vessel the following spring, but closing the season on the Ida M. Terrent. During the seasons of 1890-91 he sailed as mate of the steamer Joys. In the spring of 1892 he was appointed mate on the steamer Edward Buckley, holding that berth three seasons. In 1895 he was appointed master of the steamer Frances Hinton, and sailed her two seasons, when she was sold under him. His next boat was the steamer I. Watson Stephenson, of which he was mate. In the spring of 1898 he was again mate on the steamer Edward Buckley.

Socially, the Captain is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On August 14, 1880, Captain Wall was married to Miss Annie, daughter of Cornelius and Caroline (Ward) Turner, of Richibucto, New Brunswick. Their children are William Garfield, David Turner, Bertie Childs, Ruthie, and Harry. The family homestead is at No. 1446 Garfield avenue, Marinette, Wisconsin.

Return to Home Port

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.