Historians claim that one of the
reasons that Saba was settled by Europeans was the large fishing grounds
located nearby, known as the Saba Bank.
Since the island measures only
five square miles, the only outlet for growth has been the trek to the sea.
In the Anglican Church in the Bottom one can read on wall plaques tragic
notices, such as:
In loving memory of John Simmons, age 52 years. David W. Simmons, age
40 years, Richard R. Simmons, age 22 years. Isaac Simmons age 16 years.
Lost at sea, September 1918. We cannot, Lord, thy purpose see; but all is
well that's done by thee.
John Simmons was Captain of the schooner 'Blanford', a Danish schooner
from St. Thomas. The vessel and its crew were lost coming out of Miami and
bound for these islands.
Sacred to the memory of E.R. Simmons, Lost at sea, December 1916. Aged
67 years. Asleep beneath the restless waves; Great God, Thy will be done.
And when the sea gives up its dead, Unite us all in one.
Captain Edmund Rudolf Simmons, borne June 30th, 1848, was lost on the
maiden voyage of a schooner named the 'Albatros' which he bought in New York
for Mr. Carter Ray in Anguilla. There were at least two other Sabans known
to be on board who also lost their lives.
The Government archives contain many documents with the same sad tidings
such as the following:
On this the twenty-first day of the month of November in the year
nineteen hundred and sixteen. Before me, Engle Heyliger Simmons, Notary
Public in the Island of Saba, residing in the said island, and in the
presence of the two persons whose names are subscribed hereunto as
witnesses.
Personally appeared,
The persons of Captain William Benjamin Hassell, and John Every, both
mariners by profession, residents of this island, well known to me Notary.
Who declared,
That they were both on board a vessel in the river Demerara in the
eighteenth day of July 1900 and eleven, and are individually sure and
certain that the person Thomas Jones was on board the schooner "Ocean
Rover" in the capacity of cook;
That the said vessel left the mentioned river on that day for Barbados and
that neither vessel or any of her crew have ever been seen or heard of
since.
Whereof this act
Done and passed at my office, in this island in the presence of Anton
Jeuken, Corporal, and Arthur Wallace Simmons, Mariner, both residents of
this island, well known to me Notary as witnesses, who together with the
appearers, and me Notary have signed this act, immediately after the same
was read.
Despite the many tragedies at sea, islanders
still cling to their heritage of rewards reaped from the sea, and often
boast to those who visit Saba of the many captains who were born on the
island, and who rose to prominence in the Merchant Marine of the United
States.
In 1912, out of a total male population of 774,
no less than 530 were listed as seamen in a census taken on Saba. Sabans
then at the tender age of 12 took a man's burden on their shoulders. They
sailed first on schooners throughout the Caribbean. Then at age 16 they were
handed a note and sent to Mr. Hyman (or Herman) Kaliski, a Russian Jewish
merchant who befriended many of the Sabans who roamed the seas. He owned a
clothing store at 27 South Street, New York. His store had a back room where
most of the Saban sailors congregated. He found jobs for them, received
their mail, and supplied them with clothing for more than forty years. He
even loaned them money until they could find a ship.
Mr. Kaliski never allowed drinking in his place,
although his store was located next door to Herman Baum's Rumshop!
In the early days of navigation boats were built
on Saba, at Tent Bay and Wells Bay. Some were as much as 60 gross tons. In
order to launch these large vessels, the planks were greased with the juices
of cactus and other slimy plants which grow on Saba.
Quite a number of sloops, some large, other
small, were built on the island. Among them the 'White Wing', the 'Talent',
the 'Surprise', and the 'Ethel', owned by John Simmons.
One of the famous shipwrights of his day was
Samuel Simmons. He was killed by some slaves at the 'Crosspath' coming up
from Wells Bay. Samuel Simmons had built the well situated there, and was so
annoyed by a slave washing clothes on the well mouth that he kicked her.
This kick cost him his life.
The following is a description of one of the
schooners built on Saba:
We, the undersigned John Simmons and Phoenix
Simmons, shipcarpenters in this island Saba, do hereby certify and declare
that we were employed by His Honor Moses Leverock to assist at the
building of the schooner "Harbinger" in this island in the year 1861, and
we further certify and declare that the master carpenter who conducted in
the building of said schooner is now dead. Saba 22nd September 1871.
I, the undersigned Moses Leverock do hereby
certify and declare that the above mentioned schooner "Harbinger" is owned
jointly with me by my brother Captain John William Leverock and my nephews
Moses Leverock Simmons and James Simmons and my niece Ann Simmons, in the
proportion of one eighth by each of them, the remaining half self. Saba
22nd December 1871.
We, the undersigned Moses Leverock, John
William Leverock, and Moses Leverock Simmons, residing in this island of
Saba, do hereby certify and declare: that the schooner named "Harbinger",
having one deck and two masts, measuring forty-eight sea tons and
commanded by John William Leverock, belongs partly to us in the following
proportions: viz. Moses Leverock one half; John William Leverock, one
eighth; Moses Leverock Simmons, one eight; that the other two eights
belong to James Simmons and Ann Simmons; that we are Dutch burgers,
natives of this island of Saba; that the administration of all that
concerns said schooner "Harbinger" is conducted in this island of Saba;
and that neither by our free will nor consent shall our vessel ever be put
on a war footing in opposition to the authorities of the State or of the
Colonies. Saba 23rd December 1871.
The above declaration has been compared by me
with the certificate of tonnage and proof of property, which documents I
have found conformable to the above declaration, and it results by the
examination of those pieces, that the said vessel answers to the
requirements stipulated by Article 2nd of the Royal Decree of the 28th May
1871 No 18 published in the colony by decree 10/12 July 1871. Publication
No. 12. The declaration found in form in the presence of the recording
Secretary has been affirmed by His Honor Moses Leverock, Capt. John
William Leverock and Mr. Moses Leverock Simmons, residing in this island
of Saba, and confirmed before me under oath, according to the religious
creed of the declarers. Saba, 23rd December 1871. Substitute Canton Judge
William Mitchell. Recording Secretary H. Hassell.
The 'Harbinger' was sold in 1890 in Columbia and
renamed the 'Segunda Maria'. As late as 1930 she was seen in Curacao by
Capt. Randolf Dunkin, loading goods for Columbia.
In later years, coming into the twentieth
century, schooners were purchased in the United States, and sailed back here
to ply the Caribbean trade. Saban Vessels took care of most of the trade
between St. Thomas, Barbados,, Trinidad, and Guyana. Later, with the advent
of the oil refineries in Curacao and Aruba, Saban vessels carried most of
the workers from other Caribbean islands to seek work there. This trade was
very profitable, and owners of vessels on Saba became very wealthy.
Captain Thomas Charles Vanterpool, always
considered to be the wealthiest man of his time on Saba, paid Fls.
162.500,-- for the 'Ina Vanterpool'. This three-masted schooner was built by
Captain Lovelock Hassell in Jamestown, Barbados. She was 105 feet long and
26 feet wide, with a gross of 191 tons, and was capable of carrying 300 tons
of cargo. She was wrecked on St. Eustatius on September 15th, 1926.
Captain Vanterpool used to carry as many as 200
passengers to Curacao at a time, and was paid Fls. 2.500,-- per month by the
government to transport the mail between the Dutch islands. Naturally wages
were low in those days, about Fls. 35,-- to Fls. 50,-- per month for a
deckhand, so that huge profits were realized by the owners of such vessels.
Some of these vessels were known for their speed, and the old sea dogs on
Saba still talk about the time that the 'Dreadnought', also owned by Captain
Vanterpool, did the 495 nautical miles from Curacao to St. Maarten in 48
hours under sail. The 'Dreadnought' was 80 feet long, with a gross tonnage
of 61.80. She was commanded by Captain Sammy Simmons.
On another occasion the 'Lena Vanterpool' saved
the life of her master, the same Captain Vanterpool. As the story goes,
Captain Tommy use to smuggle escaped convicts who paid their passage in
gold, gathered from the rivers of French Guyana, to Trinidad. An old black
woman on shore used to signal the Captain by lamplight when prisoners were
ready to board. On that particular night, the old lady signaled imminent
danger. Captain Tommy did not wait to pull up the anchor, but ordered it
cast away when he spied a French Man-of-War rounding the point and coming in
his direction. It is said that the 'Lena Vanterpool' sailed so fast that
when she reached Barbados the oakum had been washed out of her seams.
At one point, when the French Man-of-War was
getting too close for comfort, the Captain ordered more sail and pleaded
with his ship: 'GO, Lena, go, your master is in trouble. Spread your wings
and fly like an eagle'. He had ordered his crew, if the French caught up
with them, to put him in a barrel and throw him overboard. After that narrow
escape Captain Tommy did not bother doing the Cayenne run again.
Sabans became harbourmasters and pilots in such
ports as Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican
Republic, and after World War II a Saban, residing in the United States, is
reported to have been harbourmaster of Tokyo in occupied Japan.
Captain William Octavius Simmons, born November
16th, 1876, was in charge of harbour duties in the Dominican Republic when
the U.S. Marines occupied that country in the early 1900's. He later moved
to St. Thomas where he was Harbourmaster and pilot. Sabans demonstrated
close bonds of kinship, and as they migrated to new lands, they invited
their countrymen to join them. Soon Capt. Engle Simmons and his brother
Capt. Jim Simmons also found employment in Santo Domingo and moved there
with their Saba brides. In 1918 Capt. Will invited Capt. Engle to join his
staff in St. Thomas as harbour pilot. When Capt. Will died on December 31st,
1931, Capt. Engle Simmons became Harbourmaster. Soon after this Capt. Jim
Simmons became increasingly disillusioned with life as Harbourmaster in
Santo Domingo under the dictatorship of Trujillo. In 1937 he took his family
'on vacation' to visit St. Thomas, and instead of returning, accepted the
post there of harbour pilot. In turn, he became Harbourmaster when Capt.
Engle died in 1972. Capt. Jim subsequently retired and lived in Florida for
several years, but was buried on St. Thomas after his death in June 1977.
In addition to the seafaring contributions of
Saba men all over the globe, it is of interest that the maritime skills of
Sabans have played such a major role in the very important harbour
facilities of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to those already
listed above, in the 1800's James Anthony Hassell ('Jamesie') was a pilot in
St. Thomas, and married a local girl, Rebecca Haddock. In the 1900's another
pilot who joined Capt. Will's staff was Capt. Edwin R. Simmons, son of Moses
Simmons ('Pa Modie') and who had served in the U.S. Navy in World War I.
Capt. Edwin died of a bone tumor in 1943, believed by many to have been
caused by an earlier accident when he slipped off the Jacob's Ladder in a
rough sea and fell between the vessel and the pilot boat, bruising his leg.
