The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-08-26
GRUFF OLD SAILORS.
Eccentric Old Sea Captains of the Old
School Well Known in .Kenosha.


In write up on good old captains
who ploughed the sea in earlier days
and became known far and wide for
their peculiarities, the Sentinel has the
following about two:fgures we'll known
in and about Kenosha:
If the early steam vessels were Gu
riosities, as judged by the standard to-
day, their masters would lose nothing
by a comparison with the best mariners
of the close of the century. They were
sailors from the ground up, otherwise
they would never have been able to
bring some of the rickety old craft back
and forth on the lake routes for so many
years.
"Capt. John McFaddyn, of the
steamer James Madison, was a sea dog
of the old school. One of Capt Nc
Faddyn's peculiarities was that in a
blow he wanted plenty of sea room and
therefore always headed the Madison
out into the lake to ride it out. The
story is told that just after storm
when the Madison was due and did not
make her appearance some anxiety was
felt as to her safety. Another steamer
came in and the captain was asked If he
had seen anything of the Madison. He
replied, "I guess SO. saw a steamer
out in the middle of the lake with her
funnel gone and rolling considerably,
but she seemed to be all right and |
guess it is the Madison" He was
right in his guess, for the steamer
came in all right after the blow, patch
ed up her broken funnel and started on
her trip, Capt. McFaddyn paying no
attention to so small an incident 80
long as he kept off the beach. He
continued to sail the Madison as long
as she held together and then located
on farm several miles back OF Keno
sha. he was lost from small schoon-
or some years later while on trip to
Green Bay. A storm came up and he
was at the tiller when the main boom
gybed and striking him carried him
overheard. His body was not found
until some1 time afterwards, when it
was discovered on the beach half bur-
led in sand by some Indians.
"The steamer Detroit and her COM
mander, Capt. John Crawford, were
among the earliest recollections of the
early day Milwaukeeans. The steamer
was small craft and ran during the
season of 1887 between Michigan City
and Milwaukee via Chicago, Pike river
and Root river, making connection with
a line of stages from Detroit and
Toledo. Capt. Crawford never took
the trouble to use bell in his c0mmu-
nications to the engineer. The engines
we're on the main deck and the skipper
stood just over the engine room and
when coming up the river, which the
steamer did every trip, landing her
passengers at the foot of Wisconsin
street, the hearts of the small boys
along the river were made light by
listening to Captain Crawford roar his
orders to the engineer, Give her one
turn ahead" "Now a half turn
back" and 80 on the length of the
river, while the small boys aforesaid
jeered the old sailor from the banks
where they were we'll beyond the safety
line. The Detroit only ran one season
and that fall was lost off Southport, as
Kenosha was then called, being caught
in a storm, short of fuel, which pre-
vented Capt. Crawford keeping off the
beach where the steamer pounded to
pieces, though all hands escaped.
Capt. Crawford was familiar figure
along the docks and on the streets for
many years after that"