Frank Dresbach

Frank Dresbach, chief engineer for the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, located on Market and Huron, Sedgewick and Superior streets, Chicago, is a native of Minnesota, born September 15, 1863, in Dodge county. He is a son of M.R. and Louise (Fulton) Dresbach, the former born in Pennsylvania, and the latter in New York. They are well-to-do farming people, and early settlers in Dodge county, having a fine farm there, whereon they are still living.

Our subject was reared and educated in Dodge country, Minn., thence removing to Minneapolis where he learned the trade of machinist, which he followed for a time in that city. In 1886 he came to Chicago, and for a time worked on West 12th street for Greenlee Bros., going from there in 1888 on the lakes. He first began sailing from Chicago on the old steamer Peerless as oiler, and then filled a similar position on the Tuscarora, after which he was third engineer on the steamer Seneca. On this vessel he remained part of the season, then became second engineer on the steamer Jay Gould, finishing the season on her. During a portion of the next year he was second engineer on the steamer Fred Mercur, of the Lehigh Valley line, finishing that season as second engineer on the Parks Foster, being with that vessel until June 20, 1893, when he left the lakes, and became night engineer in the New York Life building, Chicago. From there he went to the "Wellington Hotel," same city, as night engineer; later returned to the New York Life building, and remained there until his appointment to his present position with the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company.

On June 18, 1895, at Rockford, Ill., Mr. Dresbach was married to Miss Lena Spencer, and to them has been born one daughter, Florence Elizabeth. Mr. Dresbach is a member of the M.E.B.A. No. 4, and of the Progressive Engineers Association. In politics he is a Democrat.

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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.