John C Dows, a seaman from New York lost at sea, off Valparaiso, Chile while on board the famed clipper ship Sea Serpent. He was the son of John Dow, a merchant in New York and Mrs Adriana Dow of Watertown NY.
The Sea Serpent set sail from New York May 4th, 1850 for San Francisco. The vessel had a tempestuous passage around Cape Horn and had been two months 20 days out at the time of the accident which caused Dows death. Dow was aloft with thirty five other sailors, endeavoring to furl the main sail, when mistaking the rope which he held, it gave way and he fell into the sea. The severity of the gale, the state of the sea and the rapidity with which the ship was running at the time, made his rescue impossible.
Captain J.D. Whitmore, in breaking the sad news wrote – "Dows was ambitious and showed a desire from the commencement of the voyage to go where duty called him, and be the first in everything, as he generally was, and bid far to rise to the highest step of the profession, but the Higher Power ruled and saw fit to end his career in this world. He was the favorite of the ship and much lamented by all".
The Sea Serpent set sail from New York May 4th, 1850 for San Francisco. The vessel had a tempestuous passage around Cape Horn and had been two months 20 days out at the time of the accident which caused Dows death. Dow was aloft with thirty five other sailors, endeavoring to furl the main sail, when mistaking the rope which he held, it gave way and he fell into the sea. The severity of the gale, the state of the sea and the rapidity with which the ship was running at the time, made his rescue impossible.
Captain J.D. Whitmore, in breaking the sad news wrote – "Dows was ambitious and showed a desire from the commencement of the voyage to go where duty called him, and be the first in everything, as he generally was, and bid far to rise to the highest step of the profession, but the Higher Power ruled and saw fit to end his career in this world. He was the favorite of the ship and much lamented by all".
John C Dows, a seaman from New York lost at sea, off Valparaiso, Chile while on board the famed clipper ship Sea Serpent. He was the son of John Dow, a merchant in New York and Mrs Adriana Dow of Watertown NY.
The Sea Serpent set sail from New York May 4th, 1850 for San Francisco. The vessel had a tempestuous passage around Cape Horn and had been two months 20 days out at the time of the accident which caused Dows death. Dow was aloft with thirty five other sailors, endeavoring to furl the main sail, when mistaking the rope which he held, it gave way and he fell into the sea. The severity of the gale, the state of the sea and the rapidity with which the ship was running at the time, made his rescue impossible.
Captain J.D. Whitmore, in breaking the sad news wrote – "Dows was ambitious and showed a desire from the commencement of the voyage to go where duty called him, and be the first in everything, as he generally was, and bid far to rise to the highest step of the profession, but the Higher Power ruled and saw fit to end his career in this world. He was the favorite of the ship and much lamented by all".
The Sea Serpent set sail from New York May 4th, 1850 for San Francisco. The vessel had a tempestuous passage around Cape Horn and had been two months 20 days out at the time of the accident which caused Dows death. Dow was aloft with thirty five other sailors, endeavoring to furl the main sail, when mistaking the rope which he held, it gave way and he fell into the sea. The severity of the gale, the state of the sea and the rapidity with which the ship was running at the time, made his rescue impossible.
Captain J.D. Whitmore, in breaking the sad news wrote – "Dows was ambitious and showed a desire from the commencement of the voyage to go where duty called him, and be the first in everything, as he generally was, and bid far to rise to the highest step of the profession, but the Higher Power ruled and saw fit to end his career in this world. He was the favorite of the ship and much lamented by all".
Inscription
The Dows Family obelisk inscribed: "John C Dows, who in the 1850s, while traveling on the clipper ship Sea Serpent fell overboard and drowned"
Gravesite Details
Oblisk cenotaph on the same monument with his parents and sister
Family Members
Siblings
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