 However, their marriage was not a happy one, and it finally ended in disaster on August 27, 1875, when William drowned while swimming in San Francisco Bay.After the settlement of her husband's estate, in December 1875 Elizabeth embarked on a steamer to Europe, intending to settle in Paris with her children.It is reported that she first met John Arthur Chandor on this steamer, and that he soon joined her in Paris, even though he had been recently married in New York City.