George A. Dingman

George A. Dingman, a popular and competent marine engineer, who has made Duluth, Minn., his home for a number of years, was born in Watertown, Jefferson County, N. Y., April 7, 1860. He is a man of fine physique, of good qualities of mind and heart, and genial in his intercourse with his fellow man. His father, Jacob Dingman, was an old time lake captain, and for many years sailed between Ogdensburg and Marquette, and he was also a patriot of the Civil War, from which he was honorably discharged, in 1864, after three years' service, taking an active part with his regiment in many notable engagements. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Martha Roach, was a woman of rare gifts, and emulated so many other young wives in self-sacrifice during those dark days of the Rebellion. Both were natives of Jefferson County, N. Y. On his return from the army, Capt. Jacob Dingman removed with his family to the Sault, where George acquired a liberal public-school education.

In the spring of 1876 Mr. Dingman, the subject of this sketch, shipped as fireman on the steamer E. M. Peck, of the Trompf line, transferring to the steamer Mary, owned by the same company, three years later. He remained on the Mary two seasons, and in 1881 joined the tug W. D. Cushing, followed by a season on the tug Grace. He then went to Port Arthur and was appointed to the tug Riter, which he ran two years for Mr. Barker. It was in the spring of 1885 that Mr. Dingman went to Duluth, where he took out an American license, and was appointed engineer of the tug Upham, owned by the dredging firm of Williams, Dougherty & Upham. The next season he entered the employ of Capt. B. B. Inman as engineer of the tug Cora B., closing the season on the Walton B. In the spring of 1887 he was appointed engineer of the ferryboat Curry, plying between Duluth and West Superior. This was followed by a season in the employ of Porter Brothers as engineer of the sand pump, and then was in the employ of the Smith-Fee Company until the spring of 1892, when he shipped on the steamer Pillsbury, of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Buffalo Steamship Company. That fall he assisted in putting the machinery in the new passenger steamer Christopher Columbus, and was appointed first assistant engineer, coming out with her in the spring of 1893. The next season he was appointed engineer of the iron tug Record, followed by two seasons as chief engineer of the steamer Belle Cross. In the spring of 1897 he again joined the monitor Christopher Columbus as first assistant engineer, and in 1898 he entered the employ of the Duluth Dock and Dredge Company as engineer of the tug Effie L.

Socially he is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and of the Knights of the Maccabees.

On September 13, 1897, Mr. Dingman was united in marriage to Miss Lura Roush, the ceremony being performed on board of the passenger steamer Christopher Columbus, and which was followed by a time-honored marine charivari. Mr. Dingman and his bride have already acquired a pleasant home at No. 902 Lake Avenue, Duluth, Minnesota.

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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.