Edward F. Meeh

Edward F. Meeh, one of the most reliable engineers in the employ of the Lake Michigan & Lake Superior Transportation Co., is quiet and steady in the performance of his duties, and a thoroughgoing mechanic, having learned the trade of machinist and finisher before he adopted a lake-faring life. He was born in Urbana, Ohio, February 12, 1863, a son of John and Christiana (Gloss) Meeh, natives of Wurmberg, ober amt Maulbronn, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany. The Meeh and Gloss families emigrated to the United States about 1854, and Mr. Meeh located on a farm near Lancaster, N. Y., which he cultivated one year. It was at this time that he married Christiana Gloss. He was a marble cutter by trade, and in 1856 removed to Springfield, Ohio, where he started in business along that line, carrying on operations there for four years, and then removing to Urbana, Ohio. In 1872 he went to Chicago and made that city his home until his death, which occurred in 1885, when he was fifty-six years of age. His widow now lives with her daughter at No. 765 West Twelfth street, Chicago, Illinois.

Edward F. Meeh attended the public schools in Urbana and Chicago, and after leaving school became an apprentice with the Consolidated Fire Extinguisher Company, in Chicago, where he learned the brass finishing trade, serving four years. It was in the spring of 1880 that he shipped as fireman in the steamer Menominee, holding that berth three seasons, after which he joined the passenger steamer John A. Dix, owned and sailed by Capt. David M. Cochrane, as oiler, and remained on her until the close of navigation in 1885, the last year filling the office of second engineer. In the spring of 1886 he was appointed engineer of the Duncan Robertson, operating out of Grand Haven. The next season he held the office of second engineer in the passenger steamer City of Ludington; in the spring of 1887 was appointed second engineer of the steamer Bessemer, and remained with her three seasons. He then passed a season in the steamer Jay Gould in the same capacity. During the year 1893 he stopped ashore as engineer in the West Chicago Street cable station, after which he again sailed as second engineer in the steamer Jay Gould two seasons. After passing another year ashore in the employ of the link Belt Machinery Company, of Chicago, as engineer, he was appointed chief engineer of the passenger and freight steamer City of Traverse, with Capt. John M. Twichell, plying between Chicago and Duluth. This steamer was running between St. Joseph, Mich., during the winter of 1897-98, and he took an active part in saving the passengers and crew, numbering forty people, of the steamer City of Duluth, which was wrecked near the mouth of that harbor that winter. He is a member of Chicago Lodge of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association.

On December 12, 1888, Mr. Meeh was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Philomena Chuchra, of Black Rock, N. Y. The children born to this union are Tillie C., Victor W., Hazel Elizabeth and Frederick Edward. The family residence is at 1323 Newport avenue, Chicago.

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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.