Captain Olsen was a native of Sweden and a naturalized US citizen. At the time of his death, he was master of the wooden schooner E.B. Jackson, working for the shipping agents Hind, Rolph & Co. of San Francisco. The E.B. Jackson was built in 1901 in Aberdeen, Washington. Gross tonnage was 682 tons, the ship measured 182' x 38' x 14', and was designed for a crew of 9. The ship was owned by Wilson & Sons of San Francisco. In 1916 the E.B. Jackson made a voyage from San Francisco to Bombay and subsequently to Melbourne. Leaving Melbourne in ballast on December 6, 1916 for Apia, Tahiti, the ship encountered a two day gale and continuing adverse conditions until it grounded on a reef outside Apia on February 7, 1917. The ship was considered a total loss, and was sold for salvage value of 145 GBP. The crew members were apparently safe and were to return to San Francisco on February 26. However, Captain Olsen was reported missing on February 11th. His body was recovered on February 17th, and it was ruled that he committed suicide by drowning. His widow received various insurance payments including a 1/30th share of the E.B. Jackson's insured value, a share of salvage value, and various other small amounts as detailed in the materials.
From the description of Capt. Andrew Olsen papers, 1889-1917. (San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Library). WorldCat record id: 586074814
