Captain Vanterpool also owned the 'Thelma' and
the 'Mary C. Santos'. In 1909 he owned the 'Dreadnought', the 'Priscilla'
and the 'Estelle'. These vessels brought much wealth to their owners.
Captain Reuben Simmons who commanded the 'Mayflower' for Captain Vanterpool
between 1928 and 1930 states that in 1929 he left St. Kitts with 375
passengers and arrived 48 hours later at Curacao. Once he carried 460
passengers with the 'Mayflower' to Curacao. On return trips from Curacao he
carried as many as 100 people. The least amount of passengers he ever
carried to Curacao was 110 from Dominica. Every fifteen days he would make
the run to carry workers for the oil refinery there.
These passengers paid Fls. 25,-- first class, and Fls.12,-- for a passage on
deck. When one considers that in those days a Captain was paid Fls. 250,--
per month, an Engineer Fls. 100,-- per month and the cook Fls. 100,-- per
month, and that the 'Mayflower' only carried eight in crew, the profits made
by Captain Vanterpool were rather large.
The 'Mayflower' was built in Glouchester, Massachusetts to compete in the
'Bluenose' races, but was not allowed to compete because she was built in
the style of a yacht.
The old Administrator's house which was later rebuilt in the same style,
belonged to Captain Vanterpool. His daughter was married to the late Mr.
W.F.M. Lampe who was Administrator of Saba in the Nineteen-Twenties, and who
later became Minister Plenipotentiary to the Netherlands from the
Netherlands Antilles. Captain 'Tommy' died in 1950 and was buried in St.
Thomas.
B. Captain William Benjamin
J. Hassell
Year
Vessel Name
Tons
Length
1898
'Lovely Lila'
37.38
--
1899
'Columbia'
48.50
--
1928
'Maise Hassell'
59.47
88 feet
1929
'Dutch Princess'
124.62
86 feet
1907
'John H. Hassell'
48.89
--
1927
'Three Sisters'
190.76
115 feet
Other Schooners owned by Captain Hassell were:
'Margie Turner', 'Olympic', 'Love and Loulou', 'Indusrie', 'Carib', 'Daisy',
'Wild Rover', 'Edward 7th', Nathaniel L. Gordon', 'Priscilla', 'Nicola', 'Zurah',
'Mary Love', 'Rhode Island', 'Peerless', 'Delphine Cabral', 'Mona Marie',
'Agnes', and the 'Lasca'.
The 'Lasca' was a yacht owned by the German
Kaiser Wilhelm's son and was purchased from the British after the German
capitulation at the end of World War I.
The 'Mary Love Hassell', owned by Captain Ben,
sailed from St. Kitts on April 28th 1896 bound for New York, and made it
there in twelve sailing days. His 105 ton 'Esther Anita' made a record run
from New York to Saba in nine days.
The 'Zurah' was navigated from Rhode Island to
Saba by Bernard Leverock during the month of May 1919. Captain Ben owned
more than twenty schooners during his lifetime. He died in 1933 and was
buried in Barbados.
C. Captain Richard Austin
Barnes
Year
Vessel Name
Tons
Length
1909
'Arensaita'
59.01
--
1911
'Marie Agatha'
63.73
110 feet
1912
'C.A. Paulina'
59.27
--
1913
'Lillian'
69.02
--
1931
'Diamond M. Ruby'
67.22
69 feet
Barnes at one time or another also owned the
'Nuevo Altagracia', 189.71 tons, the 'Lena Hassell', 50.44 tons; the 'Rhode
Island' and the 'Juliana.'
Registration of vessels, as far as we have been
able to ascertain. began on Saba around the year 1860. To give an idea of
the many vessels owned by Sabans in the past, we here list some of the
schooners registered between 1868 and 1880.
Registered Schooners: 1868
- 1880
Year
Schooner Name
Tons
Captain
1868
'Constance'
49
John W. Johnson
1868
'Seaman's Pride'
60
Issac Simmons
1869
'Gezaghebber Leverock'
49
H.A. Simmons
1871
'Ella'
41
Benjamin R. Hassell
1872
'Marie'
39
William James Hassell
1872
'Esperanza'
33
Henry J. Hassell
1879
'Sir Carl'
48
I.M.D. Simmons
1880
'Nettie'
49
J.D. Johnson
1880
'Adelia'
81
Richard Hassell
1880
'Camelia'
46
Engle H. Simmons
1880
'Julie'
48
John L. Johnson
Between 1881 and 1930:
Registered Vessels: 1881 -
1930
Vessel Name
Tons
Length
Captain
'Pompidour'
2
--
Thomas Simmons
'Matela'
2
--
Eliah B. Hassell
'Gazelle'
40
--
Abraham Burton Simmons
'Annie'
68
--
John Leverock Johnson
'R.H.'
46
--
Richard Hassell
'Yankey Lago'
48
--
John W. Johnson
'Volunteer'
52
--
Eliah B. Hassell
'Edna'
111
--
John Leverock Johnson
'Ida A. Johnson'
34
--
George W. Johnson
'Anna'
63
--
E.B. Hassell
'Lady Jane'
28
--
William S. Simmons
'J.E. Hooper'
49
--
Edgar Hassell
'Mary A. Williams'
54
--
Allan H. Peterson
'Mary L. Hassell'
49
--
Owner: Lovelock Hassell
'Gracie'
48
--
Owner: John James
Peterson
'Nicola'
69
--
Owner: Thomas N.
Windfield
'Esther Anita'
71
--
David Hassell
'Thelma'
--
--
Aldric Dowling
'Agnes'
102
82 feet
Abram Hassell
'Rita II'
65
152 feet
--
'Margaret'
157
--
Peter J.H. Dowling
'Vivian P. Smith'
64
80 feet
Uldaric Hassell
'Holetown'
34
65 feet
Kennith Johnson
'Florence Douglas'
3 masts
140 feet
Peter Hassell
For many years the mail service to and from
Curacao was taken care of by Saban vessels. Among them were the 'Priscilla',
the 'Dreadnought', the 'Estelle', the 'Ina Vanterpool', the 'Georgetown',
and the 'Three Sisters'. All but the 'Three Sisters' belonged to Captain
Tommy Vanterpool.
The last of the Saban vessels to run the mail
service was the 'Three Sisters'. After that, steamships took over the run.
Communications between Curacao and Saba by boat fifty years ago was much
better than it is today.
