Captain Paul Howell

Captain Paul Howell was born at London, England, August 20, 1854, a son of Valentine Frederick and Hannah Howell. His father at that time was in the wholesale confectionery, which is now conducted by a younger brother, Owen A.; his brother, Walter J., is private secretary for one of the members of the British cabinet.

Captain Howell was educated in the private schools in England until twelve years of age, when he was sent to College Cibot-Melin, in Paris, France. This was during the reign of Napoleon III, in whose palace of the Tuileries his brother was employed. At the age of fifteen years he went to sea in the bark Naparima, 347 tons burden, of London; and from one vessel to another finally drifted into the United States navy, serving on board the frigate Minnesota, and gunboat Michigan; also serving in the revenue cutter Perry as boatswain, also as master-at-arms, and on the lighthouse steamer Haze as quartermaster. In the spring of 1876 he went on a whaling and sealing voyage to the Antartic ocean in the schooner Flying Fish, of New London, Conn., whose registered burden was 87 tons, a trip which seems extremely hazardous in a vessel of that size. She was owned by Lawrence Brothers of New London, and on this expedition made a very good catch. Returning from this voyage Captain Howell again came to the lakes, and after serving as mate on several vessels and steamers took charge of the coal docks at Port Arthur and Port William. At that time these ports were in their infancy, and the great Candian Pacific railway was in course of construction. In 1884 he took command of the passenger steamer City of Montreal, plying between Port Arthur and Michipicoten river, for Marks & Co., of Port Arthur. From 1884 until 1888 he was mate on the steamer Vienna, Havana and Superior, respectively, and in 1888 and 1889 sailed the schooner S.H. Kimball. In 1890 he sailed the schooner John Martin; in 1891 the steamer Superior; in 1892 the steamer R.P. Ranney; in 1893 the steamer Henry Chisholm; in 1894, '95, '96 and '97 the steamer Hesper; and in 1898 the steamer Gladstone.

Captain Howell's home is at Erie, Penn., where he married, February 2, 1876, Miss Annie Hart. He has five children living: Hannah; John, Frederick, Paul and Annie. Captain Howell is a member of the Shipmasters Association, and carries Pennant No. 1022.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.