Captain S. Crangle

Captain S. Crangle is one of the oldest lake navigators to be found around Toronto, and during his lifetime he has had opportunity for observing wonderful changes not only in the city of Toronto but in the marine world as well. He is one of those hale old mariners who have "grown right up," as they say, on the inland waters, and there is not a port, harbor or shoal on the Great Lakes with which Captain Crangle is not acquainted. He was born in Ireland in 1839, and was "imported" by his parents to Canada in 1845. Being exceptionally bright, he developed early, and had already laid a good foundation for and education before he left the schools of Ireland at the age of six years. His knowledge was further augmented by a course in the public schools at Mimico, a small port on the north shore of Lake Ontario a few miles west of Toronto.

Captain Crangle seems to have taken naturally to the water. At twelve years of age he shipped on board the coasting schooner Mary Ann, under Captain Williams, whose son, Capt. George Williams, of Toronto, eventually sailed in the same vessel, a small craft, capable of carrying twenty-five tons of freight. The place at Small's wharf, where the Mary Ann used to put in at Toronto, is now covered with buildings. >From that unpretentious beginning Capt. Crangle gradually advanced until, having had charge of several vessels, he became owner and master of the California, one of the largest propellers on the lakes at that time. During his ownership he found that the strides being made toward size and capacity in marine construction were so great that his vessel was rapidly becoming a back number, and he accordingly rebuilt and enlarged her in 1887. In October of that year she foundered in Lake Superior, while under command of another captain, was raised by the underwriters, rebuilt and renamed the J.S. Pease. Having disposed of the California because he recognized that she was fast getting out of date, Captain Crangle went into a wider venture, and, in company with J.H.G. Hagerty, had the iron steamers Rosedale and Algonquin constructed in Scotland, taking the position of superintendent of the St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam Navigation Co., with headquarters at Toronto port, which owned those two vessels. Afterward he became a stockholder in the Toronto & Montreal Steamboat Co., of which he is also superintendent, the propeller Persia, under command of Capt. J.H. Scott, belonging to that concern. Although Captain Crangle has been in different vessels on the lakes for nearly half a century no serious accident has ever happened under his hand. He has been extremely fortunate in this respect, for not a man in his employ ever had a limb broken or was otherwise hurt, and the Captain justly prides himself of his record.

Another proof of Capt. Crangle's ability for his chosen calling is the fact that for three successive seasons, 1892-93-94, he was elected president of the Canadian Marine Association. Truth is, he might have occupied that position for a longer term had he so desired. Notwithstanding his active life, or perhaps on account of it, he is still hearty, and performs his onerous duties in connection with the superintendency of the two steamboat lines with an energy which would do credit to many a younger man. The Captain is an enthusiastic cyclist.

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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.