Captain S. C. Allen

Captain S.C. Allen was born January 1, 1867, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he still makes his home, and in the public schools of that place received his education. At an early age he had a strong inclination for marine life, with which his father had always been identified. The latter was Thomas Allen, a native of Ireland, who during his youth came to America, and made his home in Cleveland for forty-eight years. Our subject has four brothers who are also in the marine service: William being captain of the tug Joe Harris; George, second engineer on the Masaba; Charles, watchman on the Germanie; and John, who has served in minor positions on the lakes for years.

As a boy Capt. S.C. Allen first went on the William McGregor, where he served for some time, and then shipped as second cook on the Oscar Townsend. The following season he served in the same capacity on the Vienna, and was then wheelsman on the tug Constitution one season, after which he was on the V. Swain for two seasons, and later on filled a like berth on the John M. Glidden, and the Samuel Mather, and the Republic, now called the Marquette, on which boat he was promoted to second mate. Subsequently he was mate on the Secular, City of Glasgow, the John F. Eddy, the Gladstone and the Alva, of the Bradley line. In 1896 he was given command of the E.B. Hale, and this was followed by a season on the George H. Corliss, one of the large Bessemer barges; then came his promotion to another of their steamers, the Henry Cort, and he is still in their employ. He has never been shipwrecked, nor connected with a boat when it met with a serious accident, so that in many ways he has obtained the confidence of his employers.

The Captain is married, and resides at No. 127 Twenty-third avenue, Cleveland; socially he is a member of the A.A.M.P., No. 42, of that place, also of the Shipmasters Association, No. 4.

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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.