Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2015 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== THE IRON TRADE REVIEW December 31, 1908 [1086 - 1087] DEATH OF JAMES CORRIGAN. JAMES CORRIGAN, head of the firm of CORRIGAN, McKINNEY & Co., died at his home, 8115 Euclid avenue, Cleveland, on Dec. 24, of periton- itis. He was stricken with the disease in his country home in Wick- liffe last September and was critically ill there for several weeks, but later appeared to be well on the road towards recovery. He suffered a relapse at the city home, however, from which he found it impossible to rally. The history of JAMES CORRIGAN's life is that of a man who succeeded in business through the possession of a bold and original mind though denied every advantage of early training and education. He was born on May 1, 1848, at Morrisburg, Ont. His mother died when he was 11 years old, leaving five children. His father married again shortly thereafter, and JAMES, with his elder brother, JOHN, finding the home not congenial, left it to make their living together. They went to Oswego, N.Y., where they made their living sailing on the lakes. JOHN CORRIGAN later went to Cleveland and engaged in the oil busi- ness. JAMES had meanwhile purchased the little schooner Trial, and, after sailing her on the lower lakes, took her to Cleveland with the intention of entering the fruit trade. He, however, abandoned this for the more lucrative business of oil refining. In this business he thrived, winning huge profits, and conducted it as an independent re- finery until 1881 when he entered the Standard Oil combination. In the interim, however, he had not suffered his lake interests to lapse, continuing to add to his fleet of vessels as the commerce of the lakes increased. His early investments were in schooners. Among those which he owned were the Niagara, Lucerne, Polynesia, Northwest, J. M. Hutchinson, Halleran, Michigan, Marion Page, Charles Foster, Frank D. Owen, Iron Cliff, David Dows, George W. Adams and many others. As the trade grew and schooners became too slow, he added steamers to his fleet and at one time or another owned the steamers Raleigh, Aurora, Roumania, Australasia, Bulgaria, Caledonia, Italia, J. Emory Owen, St. Paul, M. M. Drake, Quito, Minnesota, Iron Age, Iron Duke, Iron Chief, Wallace, Australia, Amazon, Polynesia, and Aurania. JAMES CORRIGAN was one of the earliest to recognize the limitless possibilities of the Lake Superior iron country for the creation of wealth and it was a natural step from the carrying of ore to the min- ing and smelting of it. He became a consistent buyer of Lake Superior ore properties and at the time of his death was the most extensive independent operator on the ranges. On the Mesabi range the firm owned the Admiral, Commodore, Jordan, St. James, St. Paul, Stevenson and Wallace mines; on the Gogebic, the Colby, Colby No. 2, Ironton, and Ironton No. 2; on the Menominee the Armenia, Baker, Basic, Crystal Falls, Dunn, Fairbanks, Genesee, Great Western, Groveland, Kimball, Lamont, Lincoln, Paint River, Quinnesee and Tobin; on the Marquette the Star West mine. One illustration alone will suffice to show MR. CORRIGAN's daring temper as an operator in iron mines. When the steel corporation was formed the Stevenson mine was passed over as a doubtful asset. CORRIGAN, McKINNEY & Co. acquired it and poured thousands into explor- ation and development, with the result that in the second year of the new ownership the mine produced nearly 1,500,000 tons at an average profit for that year of about $1 per ton. His firm's furnace interests embraced the Genesee Furnace Co., at Charlotte, N.Y., the Scottdale Furnace Co., at Scottdale, Pa., and the Josephine Furnace & Coke Co., at Josephine, Pa. At Josephine, the firm founded a town as well as a furnace. He had also planned to build a new furnace on the Cuyahoga river at Cleveland under the name of the River Furnace & Dock Co. This is expected to be in operation in 1910. MR. CORRIGAN also held extensive copper interests in Mexico. Of late years he had gradually abandoned the operation of vessels, the existing fleet of CORRIGAN, McKINNEY & Co. consisting only of the Australia, Amazon, Polynesia and Aurania. In personal character, JAMES CORRIGAN was a plain, blunt, straight- forward man. In all his dealings, he never beat about the bush. His method of attack was direct and everyone knew precisely where he stood. He was a fearless, earnest man, who took great losses and great gains with equal composure. He was one of the group of giants who as young men in the 70's began to develop the latent natural re- sources of the country. He was associated in business with many men now recognized as industrial captains. Considerable newspaper space was given to his controversy with MR. ROCKEFELLER regarding the pur- chase by MR. ROCKEFELLER of some Standard Oil stock which had been offered as collateral for loans made to develop Lake Superior iron mines. Whatever may have been the morality or ethics of the trans- action, successive courts held that MR. ROCKEFELLER was well within his legal rights. The case attracted national attention, owing to the fact that MR. ROCKEFELLER's brother, FRANK, was associated with MR. CORRIGAN in the mining enterprises and both felt that they had not been fairly dealt with. It was largely through JAMES CORRIGAN's influence that the Cleve- land Vessel Owners' Association was consolidated with the old Lake Carriers' Association in 1892 and in 1894 he was elected president of the Lake Carriers' Association. His life was strenuous from beginning to end. Everything about his career was uncommon. Both fortune and fate dealt largely with him. The severest blow of all was the almost total extinction of his family by the capsizing of the schooner yacht on Lake Erie about six years ago. He had been on a cruise with his family and, not having further time to spare, had left the yacht in Detroit, taking the train to Cleveland. The yacht proceeded down the river to Lake Erie and was capsized near the islands. In that disaster, he lost his wife and three daughters, a grandchild and a niece. MRS. JOHN CORRIGAN was the sole survivor. She happened to be on deck and was rescued by a small boat that was near by. All the rest were in the cabin when the Idler capsized and had no chance to escape. The only surviving child of JAMES CORRIGAN is his son, JAMES W., the only member of the family who was not aboard the Idler at the time. =========================================================================== If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access more of our growing collection of FREE online information by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/ ===========================================================================