The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-11-12
CAPT. r. j. LoWDEN.
a well-Known Citizen of New orlean
Passes Away.

steam vessels for the district of Louis
lana, died at his home in the city o
New Orleans on Sunday last, Nov.
1904, at $40 o'clock a. M, and th,
announcement has carried sadness ant
regret to the hearts of an EXCEPTIONAL,
wide circle of friends, including not ;
few il our own immediate community
who knew the deceased, and knowing
esteemed and loved him.
The death Of Capt. Lowden, says
the New Orleans Times Democrat
i closes an eventful career on land anG
sea, in maritime, theatrical, journal
istic and official circles. A man Of
scholarly attachments, indomitable
will and energy, great personal mag
netism, Capt. Lowden always found
room at the top in the various profes.
sions il which his talent and versatil-
ity launched him, making his success
full mark in each particular sphere and
leaving behind him record Of which
his family and friends are proud.
Born in Nova Scotia, little over a
half-century ago, Capt. Lowden, com
ing from seafaring stock, naturally
took to the sea, and after receiving a
good education at the local schools,
shipped abefore the mast" from Bath,
Me-, then his home port. Nine years
later, when only twenty-three years
of age, his application and knowledge
of navigation earned him the command
of a bark sailing for European ports,
and leading TO the command Of vari-
Gus larger craft and steam vessels. In
1928 Capt. Lowden was attached to
the lighthouse department, as com
manderz OF both steam and sailing yes
sells, and did duty in the second and
eighth lighthouse districts, one of his
notable achievements being in the serv-
ice on the work of construction Of the
Timbalier Lighthouse.
Leaving the government service,
Capt. Lowden entered journalism as
reporter and sketch writer on the old
Times, before its hyphenation with the
Democrat. His writings, particularly
his sketches and sea stories, were ex-
tensively copied ct the time, and read
with interest for their graphic descrip-
tions of sea life, and the manners and
customs of people whom he had met in
hi G yroriouc vovaooc ono,,r5 f}a ,rrn1a
It was while thus engaged that Capt.
Lowden was offered the command of
the steamship sandusky, sailing out
ct this port, owned by A. K. Miller u
CO. of this city. and accepting it, he
returned to the sea, running the San
dusky for seven years as a cotton ship
between New Orleans and foreign ports,
until she was put in the lumber trade
and wrecked in August, 1881, en- route
from Pensacola to Liverpool. Capt.
LoWden and his crew clung to the
Wave-washed wreck for seventy hours
without food or drink, until finally
rescued by the steamship Hudson and
taken to New York. Three Of the
crew of seventeen were swept into the
sea, and the others, frenzied for food
and water, would have followed but
for the heroism of Capt. Lowden, who
cheered and restrained them to the
moment of their rescue. Returning to
New Orleans, he commanded the steam
ships Kate Carroll and Longfellow in
the Central and South American fruit
trade.
Incidental to his sea life, Capt. |
Lowden had written a number Of catchy
little theatrical skits, with more or
less success, developing his early turn |
for theatricals, which led him as boy
to join the then famous Morris |
brothers, Pell and Trowbridge min
strels, IN which. with his clear tenor
voice, he might have made his mark
had it not been for the interference OF
parental authority, which brought
him home and started him out to sea.
Ills love for the stage still elung to
aim, and in 1883 he supervised the
olans and building Of the Pensacola
Opera House for the late millionaire
umberman, D. F. Sullivan. After the
'uccessful management for two sea-
IONS. 10 October, 1885, Capt. Lowden
'eturned to this city and began the
% the Avenue Theatre,
IN the M asonic Temple lot, at the
orner of St. Charles aSenue and
1alliope streets, opening Dec. 6 Of the
anne year, and giving New Orleans
IS frss popular price high-class
heatre in the upper districts. The !
Avenae Theatre was run until Nj arch
!, 1890, when the last performance
Fas given ana the building demolished |
Q make room for the site of the new
otel which is yet to be built.
A final season at the Peoples
'heatre, in Magazine street, which
as since been converted into church. I
losed Capt. LoWden's theatrical ven-f G
Tres, and returned him to the sea ink t
ommand Of various steam vessels,
ntil appointed master of the steamer |
-aderwriter, one Of the fastest sea- q
DING tugboats afoat, and ordered to (
eport for duty to Gen. Skater at r
iboney, Cuba, during the Spanish c
merican war. With q picked crew, b
OF bar pilots, every man of t
1em thorough seaman, the Under a
ritter proved one of the most useful s