George Oldman

George Oldman, an engineer of much practical experience, came to the United States in 1886. He was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, July 13, 1868, where he received a common-school education, attending until 1881. He then served five years with the Clyde Shipbuilding Company as machinist, finishing with that company in 1886. After his arrival in this country he took a three-months course in an engineering school, and then shipped as oiler on the Clyde Steamship line, between New York and Jacksonville, Fla., remaining eighteen months. Later he shipped in the same capacity on the steamer Philadelphia, of the Red D. line, plying between New York and Venezuela, South America, remaining fifteen months. In the spring of 1890 he received his license as chief engineer of harbor tugs, and was appointed to the tug Fred B. Dalziel, out of New York. He came to the lakes in 1891, and served one season as fireman on the steamer Tacoma, and six months on each of the following steamers: Tuscarora, Saranac, Wallula, and tug Brockway. In the spring of 1894 he shipped as oiler on the steamer Sitka, and in the fall of 1894 he received engineer's license as first assistant and shipped as second engineer on the steamer Alcona, closing the season with her. He then went to work in the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company's shops as machinist, remaining four months, after which he shipped as second engineer on the steamer A.A. Parker, where he remained three months, closing the season of 1896 as stationary engineer with the United Salt Company at Cleveland, Ohio, and in December following took charge of the G.C. Kuhlman Car Works, of Cleveland. In January, 1898, he obtained chief engineer's license of lake steamers and took charge of machinery of steamer Louisiana in March of that year.

Mr. Oldman was married in 1895 at Sandusky, Ohio, to Miss Flora Diew, of that city.

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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.