21 knot JOHNSON

Life and Adventures of

Captain E.A. Johnson, Saba N.A.

Index of book

Captain Earnest Alfred Johnson, also known as "Twenty-one knot Johnson" was born on Saba on June 15th, 1884. After a long and eventful life at sea, he retired to his native island. He passed away in ___, and was buried close to his home on Booby Hill.
In 1950 W.J. Goslinga, inspector at the Department of Education on Curacao, released a mimeographic edition of Captain Earnest´s reminiscences, spanning 1900-1920¹. The book is entitled Life and Adventures Captain E.A. Johnson, Saba Netherlands Antilles. Known as Twenty-one knot Johnson.
By saying "Part I", the editor of the book brings the ambition of publishing a second part. This, however, was never carried through. Reasons of age were marking Captain Earnest².

The following index of the book Life and Adventures .... is listing names of persons, ships and places. Besides major events in the life of Capatin Earnest (in short EAJ, below). The place names are mainly grouped under country names, in order to give a better understanding of the various places.
This index is dedicated to a dear friend - Louise Westermann-van der Steen in Hilversum. Louise gave me the reading pleasure to follow in the wake of Captain Earnest Alfred Johnson.

It should be noted that the second edition of Will Johnson´s book Saban Lore (1983:64, 49), brings photos of Captain Earnest and one of the many ships he mastered, the T.N. Barnsdell. This will also be found in a third edition (1989:32).
A short biography by Johnson, including some rare photos, is awailable on the Internet. Click here to enter the site of Captain Earnest written by Will Johnson and made available on the net by Richard Holmes.

Quoting Will Johnson in the Saba Herald (187:6):

On Tuesday January 31st, 1984, Mrs Mary Mildred Hassell
born Johnson, who was born in New York on February 4th,
1922 died quite suddenly of an apparent massive heart
attack at her home on Booby Hill.

She was laid to rest, in the presence of her children and a
large number of people from Saba, Statia and St Maarten,
on Sunday February 5th in the Anglican Cemetery in Wind-
wardside.

Mary was a daughter of the wellknown Captain Ernest
Alfred Johnson and had been married twice. To Gerald
Hassell who died and then later to Jones Hassell who also
died. Mary had to work very hard under difficult circum-
stances to raise her children. To her children and other
relatives we tender our deepest sympathy.

Index of Life and Adventures ...

back to index

Grace

back to index

⁴

back to index

Balboa 131, 132, 152

Callao 110, 112-114, 132, 151

back to index

⁵

back to index

U.S.A.

back to index

⁴

88
pier at foot of Wall Street, N.Y.C. 104, 128
Saratoga, S.S. 89

⁶

Notes

S.R. Criens in Literatuuroverzicht van de Nederlandse Antillen (1985:364).
Mrs Louise J. Westermann-van der Steen, secretary of Natuurwetenschappelijke Studiekring voor het Caraibisch Gebied in Amsterdam, informed me that any second part was never published (phone 1994.10.04).
Probably Montauk Point, Long Island, U.S.A.
Craton (1962:259), says the Ward Line maintained connection between the Bahamas and New York from 1879 to 1917, when the Munson Company took over.
From 1917 the Munson Company operated the vital connection between the Bahamas and New York by a ten year contract. The company were to provide a weekly service from January to April and a fortnightly service for the rest of the year. In return they gained an annual subsidary of £35,000.
Johnson (1989:16), brings a photo of the schooner Prisilla (also spelt Priscilla and Priscella) at anchor in Fort Bay, Saba in 1923. Compare note Priscilla, below.
A Saban captain of St John´s, according to Johnson (1989:107). He mastered the schooner Daisy.
S.S. Morro Castle at Cramps Shipyards in Philadelphia. The photo belongs to the American Memory Collections in the U.S. Library of Congress.
These collections are focusing on the American culture and history. Click here for further presentation.

About a schooner, the Priscilla

Priscilla

Saba Herald

On June 21st 1911, the first of the Saban owned mailboats entered the scene, namely the schooner "Priscilla", as it appears from the following agreement:

1st
Albert Land temporary Administrator of Finances, as appointed by government

2nd
Samuel Augustus Simmons, captain of the Dutch schooner "Priscilla" with 69 registered tons and belonging to Saba,

do hereby declare to have made the following contract with regard to a voyage to the Islands St Maarten, St Eustatius and Saba and return, under the following conditions:

1st
That the schooner is perfectly seaworthy, properly crewed and in every respect equipped to leave on this voyage on the 23rd instant with destination to the abovementioned islands.

2nd
That the schooner must call twice at each of these islands, once to land the mail and once to take the mails.

3rd
That the government will pay to the contracting party Simmons on his arrival at Curacao, the sum of three hundred and seventy five guilders for the transport of mails and other government goods.

4th
That for government passengers of Curacao to one of the islands abovementioned, shall be paid to the contracting party Simmons: for each first class passenger, with luggage the sum of fourty guilders and for each second class passenger, with luggage, the sum of twenty guilders.

5th
That the feeding of the government passengers shall be at the expense of the contracting party Simmons.

contents | PREVIOUS | TOP | NEXT

This page was revised on September 25th, 1998.
<P><CENTER><A HREF="subject.html"> Back to home page</A></CENTER></P>

Life and Adventures of

Captain E.A. Johnson, Saba N.A.

Introduction

Index of book

Notes

Links: "Captain Earnest", S.S. Morro Castle⁷

Life and Adventures of Captain E.A. Johnson, Saba N.A.

Introduction

Index of book

Notes

Links: "Captain Earnest", S.S. Morro Castle7

Life and Adventures of

Captain E.A. Johnson, Saba N.A.

Links: "Captain Earnest", S.S. Morro Castle⁷