Capt. M. Kelly

Captain M. Kelly, of Toronto was born four miles from Enniskillin, in the County Fermanagh, Ireland on the 15 of March 1831. He was educated in a private school and at the age of sixteen emigrated, coming to this country with his parents. On their way to Toronto from Montreal they had occasion to stop over in Kingston, and from there Michael shipped on the schooner W. H. Bolon. After two years he shipped on the schooner Defiance, owned by a Toronto firm, and in two seasons became mate. Shortly afterward he attained to the position of captain, being then 27 years of age. Altogether he was on the Defiance for about four years.

In the spring of 1859 he shipped on the schooner Marco Polo, and remained in her for nearly four years. Captain Kelly subsequently took charge of the schooner Perseverance. In this vessel he had a narrow escape from drowning in a heavy storm. After three years on the Perseverance and a short time on the Beaver scow, he took the Caroline, a square-rigged vessel. On October 1, 1867 he lost her, the vessel going ashore opposite Dunkirk. The Alliance,Albion and John A. Macdonald were his next vessels, the latter being wrecked and Captain Kelly having to swim ashore in icy water. He was then six seasons on the Caledonia and then on the Andrew Stevens, which ended by being the subject of the great bombardment at the exhibition some fifteen or twenty years ago. His last vessel was the Dundee, from which he retired a couple of years ago.

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