Person:Melville Wardwell (1)

Living in Cleveland at 1900, 1910 and 1920 census. Living on East 115th Street in Cleveland at 1930 census, owns home valued at $10,000. Secretary of the Great Lakes Towing Company in 1909.

"Trust Busting Suit Now On Great Lakes Towing Case is Called Government Scores Heavily Today When M.H. Wardwell, Secretary of Towing Company, Admits That His Concern is Holding Company for Four Other Towing and Wrecking Companies

Cleveland, Jan. 3 - Joseph C. Gilchrist, former head of the Gilchrist Transportation company, today, testified in the government's trust busting suit against the Great Lakes Towing company that in 1901 he signed a contract with the Great Lakes company to use their tugs exclusively in doing all his towing for his fleet. This contract, he said, followed the sale of a tug owned and operated in Cleveland harbor to the Great Lakes company for $10,000. The tug he sold was worth $5,000, he declared. Gilchrist got out of a sick bed to testify in the government's suit. His fleet for years was one of the biggest and most powerful on the Great Lakes. Gilchrist took preferred stock of the Great Lakes Towing company in payment for the tug and made another agreement that his fleet would do no towing of its own for a period of five years. The government scored heavily today. M.H. Wardwell, secretary of the Great Lakes company, was the only other witness. Wardwell admitted under questioning of the government representatives that the Great Lakes Towing company is the holding company for four other towing and wrecking concerns in other Great Lake ports. The four concerns in question are the Union Towing & Wrecking company, Chicago; Thompson Towing & Wrecking association, Port Huron, Michigan; Hand & Johnson Tug line, Buffalo. 'The Great Lakes company owns all the stock in the four companies except the qualifying shares in the name of directors of each,' Wardwell admitted. 'Officers of the Great Lakes company and four other companies are practically the same.'" -Marion (Ohio) Weekly Star 07 January 1911

1. ↑ Eliakim Wardwell of York, Maine With an Informal Collection of His Descendants through the 7th Generation, Majorie Wardwell Otten 2002.