San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CAPTAIN JOHN T. CURREY
A pioneer master mariner, who has
seen many years of service on San Francisco Bay and its tributaries, Capt. John
T. Currey is widely known in the Delta district and a familiar figure in
shipping circles. Jack Currey, as he is
familiarly known by his friends, was born in Lebanon, Kentucky, February 5,
1868, a son of James Edward and Mary Ellen (Hayes) Currey, natives of Ontario,
Canada, of Scotch and Irish descent.
James E. Currey was the superintendent of the Louisville & Nashville
Railroad, and made his home meanwhile in Kentucky. During the Civil War he served as a
non-commissioned officer in the engineering department. Contracting a disease during the service he
passed away soon after the war. His
widow afterwards moved to Minnesota, where she passed away. Jack Currey received his education in the
public schools and St. John’s Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1882 he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, and
entered the railroad business with the Northern Pacific Railroad, working in
the various departments and gaining an extensive knowledge of the
transportation business. For some time he was traveling auditor for the company, but
resigned in 1892 to come to California.
Locating in San Francisco, Captain
Currey was for five years engaged in the coal and grain brokerage
business. In 1897 he entered the employ
of the California Navigation & Improvement Company, and since that time he
has been prominent in transportation circles of the Bay. He ran on the steamboats from San Francisco
to Stockton for about ten years, occupying various posts, as mate, purser,
pilot and captain, and so became familiar with every development of this part
of the Bay. The last boat of which he
was captain was the Leader. In 1907 he
became associated with Capt. Ben Walters in the organization of the Island
Transportation Company with headquarters at Stockton. The officers are among the best-known men in
shipping circles on the Bay and Captain Currey is the efficient traffic
manager. The splendid service rendered
by this well-organized company has been a great aid to the steadily expanding
Delta country.
The plans for the development of
Stockton Harbor, giving it advantages comparable in many ways with that of San
Francisco, will add millions of dollars’ worth to the freight and passenger
traffic of Stockton, and the Island Transportation Company will keep pace with
this development by increasing the equipment and efficiency of their passenger,
express and freight service, constructing larger terminal facilities and
expanding their service into new territory.
Operating throughout the Delta and surrounding sections of Stockton and
other points, this company has provided a rapid and regular service, which is
giving general satisfaction. The
Stephens Brothers’ Shipyards of Stockton have built for them a number of new
boats, among them being the Delta, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, elegant and
comfortable boats constructed for passenger service. They are twin screw motor vessels, costing
about $15,000 each, with a speed of 22 miles an hour and having a passenger
capacity of 125 each. Six powerful tug
boats, the Island Emperor, Island Empress, Island Count, Island Countess,
Island Duke and Island Duchess, each of 100 horsepower, enable the company to
handle any contract in this line with efficiency and expedition. The fleet is headed by the well-known
steamer, H. E. Wright, and commodious offices are maintained by the company on
Stockton Channel. No small degree of the
success this company has made is due to the popularity of Captain Currey, whose
years of thorough experience in the field of transportation and his special
knowledge of the demands of this section have made him an invaluable
asset. Popular in fraternal circles, he
is a member of Stockton Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. Elks, and of the Yosemite Club,
Country Club, and Kiwanis Club of Stockton, and the Merchants Exchange Club of
San Francisco.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1016-1019. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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