Albion Macadams
Albion Macadams, engineer of the steel steamer Ericsson, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1847. His father, Samuel Macadams, who was a lifelong follower of the sea, served thirty-four years in the British navy and reached the highest rank attainable by an ordinary seaman, that of sailing master of a man-of-war. He was raised to the life of a fisherman, and was impressed into the navy during his youth, receiving his last promotion at the battle of Navarino, when he was made sailing master of H.M.S. Ramellies by Admiral Sir John Codrington, for conspicuous bravery and ability. This position, which is now known by the title of navigating lieutenant, was held by him for fourteen years.
Albion Macadams served his apprenticeship as machinist on the Clyde, afterward sailing with the Cunard and Anchor lines. For three years he was engineer in the secret service in England. Coming to the United States in 1874, he worked seven years in the establishment of William Cramp & sons, Philadelphia, and while there became a citizen of the United States. He sailed with a number of their vessels during that time, among them the Mascotte, Arcadia and Tropic, and for one year he was on the Lorenzo Dow Baker, sailing from Boston, Mass., to the West Indies. Through ill health he was forced to leave the coast, removing thence to Buffalo, N.Y., and in 1889 he engaged with the Northern Steamship Company as superintending engineer. He remained in this employ until December 1894, having charge of the machinery in vessels belonging to this line, and those of the Lehigh Valley line and the Union Transit Company, after which he returned to the coast, sailing on various vessels south and to the West Indies. Returning to the lakes he joined the steamer John Ericsson in the summer of 1896, Mr. Macadams has sailed on many vessels, and he declares that the Ericsson is as stanch a seagoing ship as ever he set foot upon. He makes his home in Buffalo.
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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.
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