William M. McDonald
William M. McDonald, one of the sons of Donald and Hannah (Doyle) McDonald, has, like his brothers, A.J., I.K. and F.C., adopted a sea-faring life. He was born at Buffalo, N.Y., October 8, 1863, and began his sailing career at the early age of thirteen by shipping as boy on the schooner Edward Blake, on which he remained for a term of four years. During the next four years he served before the mast on several vessels, among them being the Leadville, Cortez, J.J. Wurtz, and Jesse Drummond.
Mr. McDonald began steamboating in 1884, as wheelsman on the Boston, and was on the Vanderbilt, in a like capacity, for the season of 1885, going back to the Boston for that of 1886. In 1887 he was second mate of the Hudson, when she was brought out new, being on her about two months when he transferred to the Harlem for her maiden trip, and remained on her the balance of that season. The season of 1888 he divided as second on the Vanderbilt and Tioga, and the two succeeding ones was second of the Russia, after which he spent one season each as second on the Scranton, Russia, Wyoming, and Florida. For 1895 he was mate of the Lackawanna, and during 1896 of the F. & P.M., No. 5, for about two months, leaving her to go on the Grand Traverse, on which he was only eight days, when the Livingston ran into and sunk her off Colchester, Lake Erie. He finished the season as second of the Scranton, and for the season of 1897 was mate of the Wyoming. Mr. McDonald is a member of local Harbor No. 41, Buffalo Harbor, and Lake Pilots Association. He is a single man, and resides with his mother at No. 326 N. Division street, Buffalo, New York.
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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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