Obituary of Jonathan W. Frow (d. 1918), Miami, Dade County, Florida Obits: The Miami Herald, transcribed April 8, 1996, Miami-Dade County, Florida Copyright 2002 by Deborah Bond Baker. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. IDigRoots@bellsouth.net ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ The following entry has been transcribed from THE MIAMI HERALD, Sunday, April 28, 1918. JNO. W. FROW IS KILLED IN BAY Aged Resident of Miami Struck While In Boat On His Way To Fishing Grounds By Seaplane Driven By M. O. Whitehead. CADET HELD BLAMELESS BY CORONER'S JURY Machine Was Rising From The Water And The Pilot Could Not See The Small Craft Before Him. Struck by a seaplane which was rising from the bay about a mile off the Miami naval air station, shortly after 8 o'clock yesterday morning, John W. Frow, an aged Cocoanut Grove fisherman, was so badly injured that he died an hour later in the city hospital. Although Mr. Frow sustained several broken ribs and other injuries which included a badly lacerated forehead, death was due to shock, according to Drs. Taylor and Jones, the physicians who examined the wounds. The accident was peculiar in that the seaplane was in the act of rising from the water for a practice flight and the aviator was unable to see the little red sailboat which was in the direct path of the machine until the sail was being torn into shreds by the powerful propellor. No blame can be attached to the driver of the machine who slightly swerved from his course to avert a collision with another plane which was flying close to the water, the coroner's jury said. The seaplane which caused Mr. Frow' death was driven by M. O. Whitehead, one of the student aviators attached to the air school, who was thoroughly exonorated by a coroner's jury composed of E. C. Thompson, Samuel Roundtree, John Miller, E. J. Wilson, Henry Welch and J. L. Moon. When he heard of Mr. Frow's death, Justice of the Peace, Irving J. Thomas of Cocoanut Grove, ordered an investigation. Everything possible was done for the injured man who was rushed to the hospital by Lieutenants Stoops and Taylor, naval surgeons, but death ensued within fifteen minutes after reaching the hospital. Mr. Frow was seventy-eight years old, but has shown wonderful vitality. He had been a resident of Cocoanut Grove for many years and while not engaged in fishing he has done other work practically all of his life. It was said yesterday that Mr. Frow was recently employed on the construction of the naval air camp and possessed wonderful vitality. The story of the accident as related by the witnesses at the coroner's investigation yesterday, the machine which collided with the sailboat had left the hanger only a short while before. It had made a short flight, but the presence of another machine in the air at the time caused the driver to drop back into the water. He then swerved his machine as he was rising in the air and the peculiar position of the driver, with the nose of the plane elevated, prevented him from seeing the little boat which was some distance away. As the machine flew over the boat it crashed against the mast which snapped about fifteen feet from the deck while the sail was caught in the propellor. This attracted the attention of the aviator who dropped his machine back into the water. Mr. Frow was apparently struck on the forehead, the blow causing a bad laceration. The accident was witnessed by Lieut. Stoop, who immediately jumped into a machine and went to the rescue. Lieut. Stoop and others attached to the station brought the unconscious man on shore and summoned an ambulance and had him taken to the hospital. Mr. Frow had been a resident of Cocoanut Grove for more than seventy years with the exception of a few years that he spent at Key West where he was connected with the United State custom house. His early years were spent at the old Cape Florida light house where his father, Simon Frow, was the keeper of the light. He later had charge of the old light house and also the new Fowey Rock light. During the latter years of his life he had been engaged in commercial fishing. He is survived by an aged widow, an adopted son, John Frow Hopkins and many other relatives who reside at Cocoanut Grove. Old residents recall that a brother of the deceased was killed by lightning while sailing in a boat at precisely the same spot in the bay about thirty years ago. The funeral will take place from the Church of God, at Cocoanut Grove, at 3 o'clock this afternoon and interment will be in Woodlawn Park cemetery by the Combs company. The services at the church will be conducted by the Rev. J. A. Self, the pastor.