William M. Farrell

William M. Farrell, one of the self made young men of the Great Lakes, is a son of Michael Farrell, who for many years was freight-house watchman at Buffalo. Our subject was born at Buffalo October 28, 1868, obtained his education in the public schools of that city, and began his seafaring life with a couple of trips as oiler on the steamer Rochester during the 1887, finishing the season in the same capacity in the E. P. Wilbur. For the season of 1888 he was oiler on the steamer North Star. During the first six months of the season of 1889 he was engaged as second engineer of the Alexander Nimick, and for the remainder was second engineer of the Charles Stewart Parnell, occupying the same position on the side-wheel steamer Pearl for the season of 1890. This steamer was formerly owned by the late John P. Clark, of Detroit, and for many years plied between Cleveland and Put-in-Bay, under the command of John Edwards, who was master of the new steamer City of Buffalo, for the season of 1896.

In 1893, Mr. Farrell purchased an interest in the United States Laundry, No. 66 to 70 Broadway, Buffalo, which he still owns, and to which he gave his attention during the year 1893. The United States Laundry is a firm consisting of E. Farrell and Wm. M. Farrell. In 1891 he was made chief engineer of the steamer Gazelle, which preceded the Pearl on the route to Crystal Beach; but he remained on this steamer only half the season, transferring to the steamer Corona, running to Woodlawn Beach and back. In the same capacity on this boat he spent part of that season, and with the exception of 1893, continued to serve on same, during the succeeding years up to and including 1895. From August 1896 to the end of that season, he was chief engineer of the incline side wheel steamer Shrewsbury, which was run on excursions from Buffalo to Niagara Falls, connecting with the trolly [sic] route at Slater Point, running to Queenston and connecting there with the fine Toronto steamer Chicora. During the season of 1897, Mr. Farrell gave his attention exclusively to the laundry business and has been very successful. The United States Laundry is one of the largest in the city, and is the product of the push and energy of the two brothers just named.

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.