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Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott
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Ludington Daily News
Tuesday, September 25, 1917


           CAPT. L. STERLING, PIONEER LAKE CAPT.,
              ANSWERS DEATH CALL.
              
           Lake Career Began at Age of 10 Years
            As Cabin Boy on His Father's Boat;
             Was Capt. at 18 Years.
             
           RETIRED LAST SPRING BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH.
           
           Widow and Three Small Children Left to
             Mourn Loss of Husband and Father.
             
           Capt. LOUIS HENRY STERLING, Ludington's
         pioneer of the Great Lakes, died yesterday
         afternoon at 4:30 at his home, 310 east
         Melendy street. CAPT. STERLING had been
         failing in health for the past year but
         took to his bed only last Friday. Death
         was due to a stroke of apoplexy.
           LOUIS HENRY STERLING was born in Chi-
         cago in 1858. At the age of four years 
         he removed to Lincoln with his parents.
         About 1865 the family moved to Ludington
         where the lumbering industry was in its
         infancy and working in the woods, saw
         mills and sailing were all the means of
         livelihood open.
           The father of LOUIS STERLING was a lake
         captain and under him the boy began his
         life career as cabin boy at the age of 10
         years. His skill in the art of the seaman
         grew with his love for the life on the sea
         and at the early age of 18 years, he had
         secured his captain's papers.
           During the days when the lumber industry
         was at its height, CAPT. STERLING command-
         ed many of the lake schooners which ran in-
         to Ludington and carried lumber from this
         point. For a number of years while Butters-
         ville was a center of lumbering interests
         he piloted the ferries across the channel
         between there and Ludington. He commanded
         in succession the ferries Helen Taylor,
         Rival and Cooper.
           Later in life CAPT. STERLING was employed
         on the carferries and with the Pere Marquette
         steamers as mate and second mate. Still later,
         until obliged to give up his life's work be-
         cause of ill health, he commanded tugs oper-
         ating from this port.
           His career on the lake completed, early
         last spring he bought out the old Hub rest-
         aurant property on south James street and
         opened what is now known as the Eagle rest-
         aurant. Although suffering much from poor
         health he personally looked after the busi-
         ness of the restaurant until a few days be-
         fore his death. 
           With the passing of CAPT. STERLING Luding-
         ton loses one of her oldest and best known
         lake captains. Although only 59 years of age
         at the time of his death, yet his career, in
         the making of Ludington, had been a long one
         witnessing many changes because of his early
         start in life. As master of the stately schooner
         of that bygone day, CAPT. STERLING was in his
         prime and glory, and, when the faster steam-
         boat replaced the sailing vessel he was not
         left out of the race by followed his chosen
         life work advancing with the time in which
         he lived. Many friends of those early days
         unite with the friends of today in mourning
         the death of one loved by all who knew him.
           His widow and three small children, AGNES,
         aged 9, FRANCIS, aged 7, and JAMES, aged 2,
         are left to mourn his loss. He is also sur-
         vived by two brothers, FRANK STERLING of
         Milwaukee, and EDWARD STERLING of Ludington
         and one sister, Miss KATHERINE STERLING, of
         this city.
           Funeral services will be held from the home
         on Thursday afternoon under the auspices of
         the local lodge of Eagles of which the de-
         ceased had long been a member.
         
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