Lewis B. Adams

Lewis B. Adams, who did not begin sailing with the purpose of becoming an engineer until he reached the age of twenty-one, soon attained a good position, and at the time of this writing is in charge of the machinery of the passenger steamer Mabel Bradshaw. He was born July 8, 1862, and is the son of Loren B. and Jane (White) Adams, the former a native of Battle Creek, Mich., the latter of Gloucestershire, England. Although both parents died when Lewis was quite young, he succeeded in acquiring a liberal education in the public schools of Saugatuck, Michigan.

It was in 1877 that Mr. Adams began sailing, his first experience being as second cook in the steamer R. C. Brittain, with Capt. Ralph Brittain, holding that berth two seasons. He then stopped ashore three years, and worked in James Houtcamp's meat market. In the spring of 1881 he shipped as fireman in the steamer J. S. Severns, coming out in the new passenger steamer Douglas the next season, remaining in her three seasons in that capacity, and in 1884 he received his engineer's license and was appointed second in the same steamer, holding that office four seasons. In the spring of 1888 Mr. Adams entered the employ of the Williams Transportation Company as second engineer in the steamer H. W. Williams, plying in the passenger trade between South Haven and Chicago, remaining in her until 1891, when he was advanced to the position of chief in the steamer Glenn, which ran between Michigan City and Chicago. This berth he also held two years, when he went to Lake Ontario and joined the passenger steamer Bon Voyage, which had been placed on the Thousand Islands route between Charlotte and Ogdensburg. In the spring of 1895 Mr. Adams was appointed chief engineer of the passenger steamer Mabel Bradshaw, and as he always gives good report of his machinery he is still in that position, his boat plying between Chicago, Montague, Whitehall and Pentwater. Socially he is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association No. 67, of Saugatuck, Michigan.

On December 2, 1886, Mr. Adams was united in marriage with Miss Johanna, daughter of Jacob and Anna Elhart, of Saugatuck, Mich., and the children born to this union are: Oscar Carol; Ethel Nettie, who died young; Loren B.; and Minnie Ella. The family residence is at No. 51 Allen street, Muskegon, 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.