Peter Rasmussen

Peter Rasmussen was born in Stouse, Denmark, April 21, 1853, and there attended the public schools. He worked on a farm until 1874, when he came to the United States, locating in Reese, Mich., where he remained three years. In the spring of 1877, Mr. Rasmussen entered the employ of John C. Liken & Co. as fireman on the passenger steamer John C. Liken, which plyed between Bay City and Sebewaing, Mich. Two years later he transferred to the Mary Martini, owned by the same firm, and was also on her for two years. In the spring of 1882 he received his license as engineer, and was appointed to his old steamer, the John C. Liken, as chief, holding this berth one season, and in 1883 stopping ashore to run a stationary engine for the same firm; he continued thus for four years, being in all ten years in that employ.

In the spring of 1887 Mr. Rasmussen went to Bay City, where he entered the employ of Harry Shaw as engineer of the tug Mildred, closing the season on the Kittie Smoke. He put in two other years on the Saginaw River as engineer of the tugs Willie Brown, Harley, and V. H. Mundy. In 1890 he went to Cleveland and ran the tug John B. Griffin for the Independent Tug line. In the spring of 1891, he was appointed engineer of the fishing steamer Fred King, operating out of Erie, Penn. In 1892 he engineered the fishing steamer Loretta Inglesby, and after she was laid up he made several winter trips as assistant engineer of the Northern King. In the spring of 1893 he returned to Cleveland and entered the employ of the Vessel Owners Towing Company as engineer of the Allie May and Dreadnaught, closing the season on the Tom Maytham. His next berth was on the Marguerite, out of Fairport, from which he transferred the following spring to the tug L. W. Knapp, remaining on her two seasons. In the spring of 1897 he entered the employ of the Cleveland Tug Company as engineer of the Ben Campbell. He has eleven issues of license.

In 1879 Mr. Rasmussen was united in marriage with Miss Marietta Parker, of Grant township, Huron county, Mich. Their children are Georgie Muriel, and Oscar Ralph. The family residence is at No. 1 Whitman Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Fraternally Mr. Rasmussen belongs to the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, the Knights of the Maccabees, and the Arbeiter Verein.

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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.