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Harry Coulby
When Pittsburgh Steamship Company was formed in 1901, Pickands Mather lost its contract to manage the Minnesota Steamship Company. Not willing to let his company decline in prominence, Coulby formed a new fleet called the Mesaba Steamship Company. He also spent much of 1903 as president of Great Lakes Towing Company.
Now, Judge Gary wanted Coulby to jump ship and join the Pittsburgh fleet. As was the case with Wolvin three years earlier, Coulby couldn't seem to decide whether he wanted to tackle such a monumental undertaking. "He has been extremely noncommittal and appears as one who is debating with himself," the trade papers said. After a few days, Coulby made up his mind. He would take the job as president and general manager of Pittsburgh Steamship Company under certain conditions: He would resign as president of Great Lakes Towing but remain a partner in Pickands Mather. U.S. Steel agreed. In January 1904, Harry Coulby began his rule over the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. He was the new colossus of the Great Lakes, running the biggest fleet and wielding enormous influence over the Lake Carriers' Association. He was a complex figure of a man: big and bulky; practical yet reflective. On one hand, he dressed in fine, English-tailored clothes and had a taste for good cigars. On the other, he liked nothing more than to talk of the farm folk who lived near his family's home at Coleby in England. Although he had left at an early age, Coulby never forgot his little village, and in later years often sent money to the church there to be used for charity. Always mindful of his two-week stay in a Catholic charity ward, Coulby reputedly never turned away a nun whenever one approached him for a donation. He liked to joke with the other partners of Pickands Mather, and he frequently stopped business meetings to tell a story. As John Hay's assistant, Coulby had developed a strong respect for Abraham Lincoln. Like the martyred president, he enjoyed telling his associates homespun stories that drove home a point. Coulby wasn't reluctant to leave the comfort of his office to ride the ships in his fleet. As fleet manager for Pickands Mather, he visited loading and unloading docks wherever his ships called. He knew the lakes and rivers well, and used that knowledge to make his fleet ever more efficient and to seek government action on removing hazards and improving navigation. Characteristically, Coulby vigorously attacked his job at Pittsburgh Steamship Company. He quickly became known for two things: Ruthlessly weeding out inefficiency and relentlessly hammering labour unions that challenged him for control of his ships and men. Led by Harry Coulby, the Pittsburgh Steamship Company continued to increase its tonnage capacity by building ships that not only were longer and wider, but which also were easier to unload. In 1913 Harry Coulby hired architect, Frederick W Striebinger to build his lovely new summer home. The exterior of the building is white glazed terra cotta imported from Italy and set in a beautiful 54-acre estate. Construction was started in 1913 and completed in 1915, at a cost of over $1 million dollars. The 16-room mansion featured seven fireplaces, a priceless Tiffany skylight and hand-carved railings among other stunning details. The house was subsequently owned by Fergus B. Squire, Frank Rockefeller, the Corrigan family and a catholic girl’s school.
In 1954 the City of Wickliffe purchased Coulby Mansion for its municipal offices. Thankfully, previous owners did not damage many of the homes’ "original" fixtures, such as chandeliers, skylight, wallpaper, and hand carved woodwork and hardware. Harry Coulby had also served as Wickliffe's first mayor in 1916. Around the mansion are formal gardens, a pond, the former cow barn, a gatehouse and a public park with a nature trail. Wickliffe City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Further details of the interior can be found at the Wickliffe City Hall web site. In 1916, Interlake built its first 600-foot vessel. Six more followed in the 1920s. In 1924 Harry Coulby retired as president of Pittsburgh Steamship Company. Coulby was fifty-nine years old and his wife had recently died. He wanted to travel a bit, perhaps visit his hometown Claypole in England, and become more involved in Pickands Mather & Company, where he remained a partner. No one could dispute Coulby's legacy to the fleet, nor his unofficial title of "Czar of the Great Lakes." When he took over the Pittsburgh fleet in 1904, he began pushing for bigger ships, ordering the first 600-footer in 1906 with the 'J. Pierpont Morgan'. When he retired, the fleet had thirty ships. To honour the man at Interlake's helm, a straight deck bulk carrier named the 'Harry Coulby' was was launched on the 10th September 1927. Larger than any other contemporary lake freighter at 631' x 65', she was the first to carry more than 16,000 tons and at that time was the third largest on the Great Lakes.
In 1989 she was purchased by Kinsman and renamed 'Kinsman Enterprise 2' and was scraped in late May of 2002. On 10th
December 1928, Harry Coulby left on an ocean cruise to England to spend the holidays with his sister
Lucy Milner in Claypole Lincolnshire and two
brothers William and Robert in Newark, Nottinghamshire. He was found dead by his
valet on the 18th January 1929 in the Ritz Hotel in
London while en route to the West Indies and home. During his life Harry never forgot his native village of Claypole in Lincolnshire which he visited regularly.
Among his many generous gifts are the village hall in 1923, the rebuilding of the school in 1929, and completely re-seating the church with oak pews in 1925.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant
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