Capt. Robert Cooney

Capt. Robert Cooney, of Port Dalhousie, master or the steamer Garden City, is one of the best-known lake sailors between Kingston and Port Arthur. He it was who, in the Edward Blake, carried off the Chicago boodler McGarigle, and landed him safely in Canada. Capt. Cooney was so written up and pictured in the western papers at that time that he became quite well known to newspaper readers.

Capt. Cooney was born at Port Dalhousie in 1862. He attended school in Port Dalhousie until he was fourteen. His first boat was the barquentine Cecelia, engaged in the grain trade between Toronto and Kingston. Then he was on the schooner Gulnaire and afterwards on the American schooner Senator Blood, of Oswego. On the schooner Jamaica he attained the rank of mate. In 1889 the captain went on the Hamilton Steamboat Company's line and has been at different times on their boats, the Macassa and Modjeska. Five years ago he became commander of the fine side-wheel steamer Garden City, and has been on her ever since.

Capt. Cooney can recall many exciting episodes in his career, not the least interesting of which is his experience on the schooner Comanche when she was wrecked on Lake Ontario during a frightful gale in 1886.

Return to Home Port

The entire file of the Globe and Mail and its predecessors is now online via subscription at Micromedia ProQuest