Capt. Alex McNeil
Former Local Mariner Dead
News has been received of the death of Capt. Alex
McNeil, formerly a well know master mariner out of this port. Capt. McNeil
passed away on January 8 at the home of his nephew in New York, following an illness of
several weeks. He was 66 years of age, and a native of Nova Scotia.
He came to Gloucester in his early manhood,
and was engaged in the salt fishing branch of the fisheries. As a skipper, he was a
good fisherman, a hustler, and one who was well thought of and esteemed by those who knew
him. He was of the old school, and his friends here will regret to learn of his
passing. He was buried in New York.
Capt. McNeil went for many
years from the firm of Dennis & Ayers, and later from M. Walen's. For along
time, he was master of sch. Flora Dilloway. In 1896 at the
time of the Klondyke god strike, he went from here to the west coast in sch. Louisa
J. Kenney, finally reaching Seattle. He spent a long period of
his life on the Pacific coast and was engaged in trading between Seattle and China at one
time. He spent about 15 years in the Klondyke, where he met with considerable
success.
He returned to the east some years ago, went
to Bedeck, Cape Breton, where he purchased a farm and retired. Last fall, he was
stricken with a paralytic shock. He returned to the States, seeking medical
treatment, and early in the winter went to New York to his nephew's home. Three
weeks after his arrival, he was stricken with another shock, and passed away on January 8.
He leaves a sister, Mrs. Rich
in Lynn, a brother, Capt. Michael McNeil in Pensacola, and a sister, Terese
McNeil at Bedeck, Cape Breton. |
