C. E. Stacy

C.E. Stacy, for many years a prominent marine engineer sailing out of Chicago, is now the efficient and popular engineer at the Lincoln avenue cable station of the North Chicago Street Railway Company, which responsible position he has held since 1889.

Mr. Stacy is a native of Michigan, having been born January 10, 1849, at Port Huron, a son of Benjamin and Christine (Stevens) Stacy, the former of whom was a native of Manchester, England, the latter of Pennsylvania. They were early pioneers of Michigan, where the father opened up and developed a good farm, making his home in that State until 1851 or '52, when he removed with his family to Canada, there passing the rest of his days. He and his wife both died near St. Thomas, Ontario, the father in 1886, the mother five years later. They were the parents of thirteen children, our subject being seventh in the order of birth.

Mr. Stacy, whose name introduces this sketch, was about two years old when the family moved into Canada, where he was reared and educated up to the age of fifteen years, at which time he was sent to Detroit, Mich. Having a burning desire for a life on the lakes, he, in 1867, went on the tug Kate Moffatt, of Port Huron, and sailed out of that port with her one season, then acted as wheelsman. Coming to Chiago in 1868, Mr. Stacy first worked in Robert Tarrant's machine shop, and the following year sailed as engineer from that port on the tug S. V. R. Watson, remaining on her three seasons, or until she capsized in Lake Michigan in 1871. Our subject became entangled in the tow line, but was fortunately soon picked up. For the following six years he was engineer of the tug M. Shields, belonging to A. Burton; was next in the employ of the Vessel Owners Tug line as engineer; later was in the employ of J. S. Dunham, and was afterward captain of the Uncle Sam. In 1889, however, he retired from the lakes and accepted his present responsible position, which he is now so ably filling.

Fraternally, Mr. Stacy is one of the original members of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, No. 4, and also belongs to the Tug Association, No. 68, of which he has been president. With the Independent Order of Foresters and Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611, F. & A. M., he also holds membership.

Mr. Stacy was married in Chicago, in 1896, to Miss Rose Lawrence, of that city. They now live at No. 1318 Wellington avenue, Lake View.

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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.