The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-16
ONE HUNDRED AND SIX.
APalk with Barney DOran, The Cantsaarian Jan
ltor Of !ha Baxter Street Public School.
A REMARKABLE OLD MAN
Still Able to Dance and Sing and Attend
to His Regular Duties.

At the left OF the door Of shop which occupies the
first floor of four story brick tenement at No. l26
Mott street is the entrance to narrow blind alley,
which leads almost tho foot of rickety flight of
stairs in the back yard. These stairs are of
wood and so is the two story and attic dwelling. 10
the second floor Of which they ascend. piazza
runs along the face of the building midway be-
tween the ground and the roof and door and two
windows look in upon room Of small dimensions,
meanly furnished and apparently but little cared
for. 1t was here that reporter of the HERALD, en-
tering from a pouring rain one night last week.
found old Barney Doran just finishing his supper.
The centenarian, when told that the Intelligence or
his extreme old age had led to the reporters VISIT
received his guest cordially and readily submitted
to the ordeal Of an interview. He is of
less than average height. slender and bowed
in form. but his blue eyes. though faded. are not
oull. and his face though somewhat wrinkled
is by means withered. Moreover. the crown Of
his head is covered with shock of hair which time
has whitened but not thinned. And exemption from
badness. though it may trifing matter. IL
OF the blessings for which Barney feels most
heartily thankful. bald head he despises. mot
hair" he exclaimed with pardonable pride. 'has ever
moved from the top O. me forehead But there is
one thing which displeases him much as the alb
of hair the head and that is its presence
the face. His own has always been kept smooth
the palm Of his hand. and when one Of his grand
sons coming of age. attempted to raise mus
tache he had very narrow escape from the old
mans wrathful hand.
YOUTHFUL TRAVELS
II am told that you hundred years old.
Mr.. Doran.' said the reporter, drawing his chair
to that Of his benignant host lis that factT
But the old gentleman is q little hard Of hearing.
aud the question had to be repeated. Then he re-
piled. in voice from which the vigor of his youth
and the accent OF his native land have not departed
"Ay. that am. 106 years old this winter"
'And may ask where and when you were borny'
'1n the county Tyrone sure, and there lived for
many year. The date is in the Bible. up to me
brothers. in Norfolk strate."
did you ever live anywhere but in Ireland before
coming to this country?'
THAT did. There me and anither yoong
Teller used to hang about the harbors, and
day the two of us made up moinds ter leave and
did. For a bit O. seven year made me way in
England and Scotland. workin' about from place
to place. There Dover and London, and Man
chester and Liverpool. and Leeds and Newcastle
onTyne and plenty more, all good cities for work.
but Newcastle the best O. the lot. Thin the
days for the workin' man. Wages good and
ivin cheap. Why yer cud buy loaf O. bread, too
big to get yer around it. for thripence, and
twenty-four of cheese for half much.
Then when tired of England, made me way
ter Scotland and there the Kings brother. but
don't moind his name. One noight party Of us
COON to Anneck and they wouldn't tax us in. But
be good luck had me recommend wi me from Sir
John Stuart, Parliament man. and sent it CUP to
the castle. and down they COON and took up all of
us an CIV us good nights lodgin. BUT scotland
in Ireland afore took wolf. That moost have been
when was twnty foive or SIX year old; in 80 it
Wal att ttuGt In abnnk fort
year more sold every thing and com to Ameriky.
There me wolf ana eight children in the party.
me oother daughter havin' marrit man named
Mexican and settt in St. Louis"
TOO OLD WORK.
GLOW old were you when you came to American
well. it was the year '3s. and they all sed was
too old to work any moor. But proved the 10y on
popes in broadway. Then. after that. had job in
coal yard. and one hot sooner day we was all u
film the wagons; the sun was enoof ter raise a
blister on mans hat and the poor divs were takin
bit o. grog to keep the heat out O. them. Well be-
twain the heat and the grog there was eight o. thin
lyin out ON the ground wi the sunstroke. vol 1
shovelled away till shutdown without drop Finally
got to be janitor i'll school, and have kept on at
that here in this ward. thirty -foive year. had
three schools to tend at tonne and seldom the
noght slept after three o'clock They didn't have
derricks then to raise the coal and had to carry it
all up stairs besides spiittin the wood But now I've
one school and it's easier work"
When asked about the sanitary condition of his
charge, Barney pronounced it the best heated school
'in the State OF Ameriky, and said that not single
child had met with an accident during the term of
the Board OF Education to have certain public schools
kept open throughout the year. and denouncedit
miscellaneous proposition. Ever since Barney came
to this city, fortyone he has occupied the
same humble apartments, now in the rear of No. l26
Mott street. but then standing almost alone in that
neighborhood He built shanty tor his brother in
the vicinity of what is Eleventh street. and says
that he could then stand little hill there and
look in all directions without seeing another house.
Those were golden times, tor the brother for whom
he had provided home could 80 through the streets
and collect enough swil for forty hogs" which was
IN "
Barney was well known TO the Irish population of
this city. and letters from the ''od country were
generally distributed from his house, that his
yard as his grandson says, always filled after
the arrival OF mail steamer with 20 crowd Of
Mickies wi their little hats and shiclahs."
THE OLD MANS pANAcEA
Barney has hardly ever known what IL is to be
He once, when gay young man. caught cold from
dancing till ovorhcatcd aud then sitting in cold
draught. The village doctor told him he had con-
sumption and would never tread green grass again.
.dreen grass, is it2 exclaimed Barney; Indeed but
III tread green grass and withercd, too. whom every
doctor in the land Is rotten in his grave" French
surgeon who cured the ccntenarian of u super
fetal injury told him never to go to pothecary's
s s.p they'll % %Sisef You Sf better to-day and
worse Tomorrow" Wax il the remedy the sur.
man considers universal cure-aII. HIS grandson,
atrncknan, Twenty-Five years OF age. who lives next
a ' crazy man The blood flowed copiousIy, but
Barney would not have doctor in the house.
Melting quantity of beeswax and rosn he applied
in week or two the lacerated flesh had grown to-
gether At another time the young fellow had
his finger badly cut. and told by doctor that he
could have 1t amputated at the Chambers Street Hos
pital. But again Barney stepped In and with his
inalliblc application of melted cured the cut
without further ado. AN isn't nil the doctors get
tin to use 1t nowadays. an sellin' Of it in little
boxesY he asks.
NO NEED OF DANCING MASTER.
In the days of his youth Barney was q cowhcrd,
and never attended dancing school with his more
favored brother. But" says he, II skinned the
sward of a square bit in the held and when the cows
was MIXED wud dance be the hour. When the day
came It and not brother that led
the ball. An sure. what's the good Of q dancin'
MASTER fer cant dance ten reels to his one? When
COON ter this country cud dance with glass o.
water me head and ncvir spill drap, and me up
ward o. sixty years ould" And even now Barney
trip the light fantastic, IL occasion TO
mand it, and at the picnic of the Fourteenth Ward
st. Patrck's Mutual Alliance last year, he showed
them the step al Excelsior Park Nor has hn fnr.