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The Milwaukee Journal
Tuesday, December 8, 1964


           Old Man of the Sea
            Dies at Home Here
            
        An old man of the sea, whose
      sailing days began at the age of
      14 in his native Norway, died
      of old age Monday night at his
      Shorewood home.
        CAPT. INGAR OLSEN, 94, retired
      in 1921 as commander of the
      Milwaukee coast guard station.
      He had lived with his wife,
      EMILY, and a son, ASTRUP, at
      2501 E. Menlo blvd. since 1919.
        CAPT. OLSEN was not active
      in recent years, but his family
      said he loved to reminisce with
      friends and neighbors and his
      family about the years he spent
      at sea.
      
         Recalls "Catastrophe"
        On his retirement in 1921, he
      recalled that in his 30 years of
      activity and hairbreadth escapes,
      he had responded to 940 calls of
      distress.
        The Milwaukee crib disaster
      of 1893 was his "greatest ca-
      tastrophe," he said.
        It was Apr. 20. Throughout
      the night before, 16 men work-
      ing on a crib at the water-
      works intake two miles out in
      Lake Michigan huddled inside
      an air chamber beneath the
      surface. High winds and waves
      battered the crib and housing,
      finally tearing the structure
      from its foundation.
        "Fifteen men lost their 
      lives," he said. "I rescued the
      only one who survived."
        
          Received Medal
        CAPT. OLSEN was then a coast
      guard surfman of 22. He re-
      ceived a congressional medal
      for the rescue. In 1896 he was
      promoted to captain and as-
      signed to Plum island in Door
      county.
        CAPT. OLSEN entered the reve-
      nue service in Milwaukee in
      May, 1890. A year later he
      joined the lifesaving crew, now
      the coast guard.
        After serving at Plum island,
      he returned to Milwaukee in
      1901 as head of the station
      here.
      
         Tells of 1894 Rescue
        He was born in Holmsbu,
      Norway, near Oslo. He helped
      his family in its fishing busi-
      ness in his early years. He
      went to sea at 14 as a cabin
      boy on a square rigger. At 16
      he came to America, continuing
      his life with ships and the sea.
        The worst assignment of his
      life, he said, was when the M.
      J. Cummings was wrecked 1,500
      feet off Jones island in 1894.
      Six men and a woman cook died
      in the schooner. The coast
      guard boat, attempting a res-
      cue, capsized and was washed
      to shore.
        All of his assignments are re-
      corded in a family scrapbook,
      which remains with the medal,
      a congressional citation, an oil
      painting of the crib disaster and
      a few other souvenirs - memen-
      tos of CAPT. OLSEN'S service as
      a life saver.
        The crib stands off shore, just
      north of McKinley beach, as a 
      memorial to the 15 men who lost
      their lives in the storm.
        CAPT. OLSEN was a member of
      Independence lodge No. 30 of
      the Masons and the Wisconsin
      consistory. He was past honor-
      ary member of the Milwaukee
      Yacht club.
        Besides his wife and son in
      Shorewood, CAPT. OLSEN is sur-
      vived by another son, INGAR,
      JR., San Bernardino, Calif., who
      served as a lieutenant com-
      mander in the navy; a brother,
      ALFRED HANSEN, Holmsbu, Norway.
      A grandson, OMAR, is an air
      force major in the Philipines.
        Services will be held at 1:30
      p.m. Friday at the Fass funer-
      al home, 3601 N. Oakland av.,
      Shorewood. Burial will be in
      Wisconsin Memorial Park. The
      body will be at the funeral
      home after 4 p.m. Thursday.
      
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