Captain Bernard W. Morgan

Captain Bernard W. Morgan has been a lake mariner for thirty-eight years in the various capacities from boy to mate and master. At this writing he is with Boutell & Smith as master of the fine steamtug Charlton, a Canadian bottom which that firm operates in their raft-towing business. Captain Morgan was born in Belfast, Ireland, January 14, 1848, and is a son of John and Catherine (McManus) Morgan. The father was a British soldier for twelve years, and was assigned to the East India Company's troops, doing garrison duty at Matamoras, Bombay and other East India stations. He was honorably discharged from service on account of rheumatism, and removed to America in 1851, locating at Penetanguishene, Ontario, where Bernard acquired his primary education.

It was in 1860 that Captain Morgan began sailing as boy in the schooner Wilson, of Goderich, Ontario, with Captain Spence, and the next two years he shipped before the mast in the American vessel Mary Ann Hurlburt, which was chartered by the government and engaged in carrying to the Indians their annuities in money and supplies; General Webb, of Bayfield, Wis., was the Indian agent at that time over the Lake Superior reservations. At the end of two seasons our subject was made mate, and in the spring of 1865 he was advanced to the position of master, sailing the Mary Ann Hurlburt until the expiration of the treaty with the Indians, in July, 1866, when he was appointed second mate of the propeller Favorite, trading between Marquette and Portage Lake. That winter his steamer laid up in Chicago, and he paid a visit to his parents in Canada. In 1867 he came out as mate in the H. P. Murray, which was new, retaining that berth two seasons. The next spring he joined the Delaware as mate with Captain Cotton, and remained in her until the fall of 1871, followed by a season as mate of the tug Minnie Hall, towing out of Bing Inlet for the Georgian Bay Lumber Company. In 1873 he was second mate in the tug Wales, closing as mate in the schooner Maple Leaf; in 1874, was master on the schooner Elizabeth; 1875, mate on the schooner Prince Edward, of Picton, Ontario; 1876, master of the schooner Phoebe-Catherine; 1877, mate of the passenger steamer Magnatawan, plying between Bing Inlet, Collingwood, Midland, Waubaushene and other ports; 1878, mate of the barge Hotchkiss; 1879, master of the Mary Back. In the spring of 1880 Captain Morgan entered the employ of the Collingwood Towing & Wrecking Co., as master of the lake tug Mary Ann, which he sailed three seasons, when she was sold, and he shipped as mate of the schooner Sligo. In the spring of 1884 he was again appointed master of the Mary Ann, and sailed her four seasons for Marks & Coe, of Port Arthur. In 1888 he was appointed mate of the steamer Chamberlin, but closed the season as mate in the schooner Moravia, passing the next season in the Minnehaha, and in 1890 he joined the steamer Charlemagne Tower as mate. In the spring of 1891 he entered the employ of the Saginaw Bay Towing Company as master on the lake tug Charlton, and has continued in command of her, giving the utmost satisfaction, never having lost a raft or put his fine boat into trouble of any nature during the twenty-five years he has been engaged in that difficult branch of lake marine. He is a member of the beneficial order of the Maccabees.

Captain Morgan married Miss Agnes, daughter of Dennis and Margaret Hurley, of Penetanguishine, Ont. The family homestead is at No. 1111 Litchfield street, West Bay City, Michigan.

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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.