William Bullock

William Bullock, chief engineer of the Garfield building in Cleveland, was a silk weaver in early days. While following this occupation he studied the science of mechanical and ornamental draughting, and later followed that pursuit, and this led to his becoming a marine engineer. Mr. Bullock was born in Macclesfield, England, in 1860, his father, who bore the same name being a prosperous silk weaver. For some years he worked with his father, but not being satisfied with this calling, he entered an evening school to learn mechanical draughting. He removed to the United States in 1879, and pursued his studies on this side of the water, becoming decorative designer and draughtsman for the wall-paper house of William Campbell, 41st street and 42nd street, and later for the Smith Wall Paper Company, 10th avenue, both in New York. He was in the employ of these two firms for three years, removing west in September, 1882. For four years he was employed in shops at various places, and as fireman on a number of different vessels, among the latter being the Peck, the Mystic of the Sault, and the Seymour. During two winters he was assistant deputy clerk of the courts at the Sault, and during another winter had charge of the boats. Then he secured an engineer's license and in 1886 went as second engineer on the Minnie M. During the next two seasons he was engineer of the tug Seymour, lighter M.S. Trempe, and second engineer of passenger steam Ossifrage.

In the fall of 1888 he removed to Cleveland and accepted a position as draughtsman at the Variety Iron Works No. 2, and in the spring of 1889 fitted out the famous Doan Baths and Natatorium, afterwards resigning in order to accept a position as engineer at the Cleveland Water Works. He retained this position until 1891, when he became second engineer of the steamer Norman of the Menominee Transfer Company, assuming a position in the machine shop as engineer for the Walker Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, during that winter. The next two seasons he was chief engineer of the steamers Saxon and German, putting in the winters at the works of the Walker and the Globe Manufacturing Companies. In the spring of 1894 he fitted out the wall-paper factory of William Bailey & Sons in Cleveland, expecting to become draughtsman and engineer in charge. Shortly after taking charge here, however, he resigned in order to accept a position as chief engineer of the Garfield building, which position he still holds.

In 1889, at Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Bullock was married to Miss Louisa Moseley, daughter of Editor S.S. Moseley, of the Cleveland Examiner. They have one daughter living, Laura, born October, 1892. Their first daughter, Lillian Irene, died in 1891.

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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.