New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-07
THE OLDEST FRESH WATER S4ILOR

UNCLE DAYY JOHNSON, AGE NlNETH-toUk
rrpov AZ OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENTS OF rHE TRIBUNE
CLEVELAND, Ohio, Oct. 4-Uncle DaVy
Johnson il the oldest fresh water sailor living lie was
a lake cautan seventy years ago lie was S'uEuy Doy
of nine at Wushngtons death; was unity years o. axe
when George III. died. was an old man Wheh grant,
sherman aud Arthur were SchoolDoys DaVy Johlson
lives near tue Lake shore bet gcen this city ana inc VII
I,le of VermillOn. He Is medium-sized man Win
Nv white hair ard beard He born in solom,
Com, June 81, $780, and though in his unely-toHrth
year bas all the vigUr OF man Of forty his IAHe'
carried aint-lock musket in the Revolutionary war.
i memory OF uames and dates is most remarkable ana
he tells IA mighty interesting story OF his he
have been "a good many years on thls ear'h s"'u
Tpcle Davy 10 me, II can remember well Wheh Eeo.se
Washington was President believe mas seven years
a., n,, ma went ou, Of office. IL customary when
the Young folks met together those days to sing songs
about Washington and Continental times After he went
opt OF Office there song the folks used TO sing ta
I'm, epced something uke-well, let me see, And row
ro hos rftired TO Potomacs peaceful shore. lFemeh
% r, well when be died ought TO, for was nearly
tr venrs OF age In those days Jefferson was not as
,onlar IA he is now. When his name was mentioned Ia
,c,t,op with the Presidency he was abused just as
,lv as men who are running for OD'cc now and even
roro 80 At that time the excitement was intense
an ren,rInbeI women running about the streets crying
Oh II Jefferson elected he will burn every bloo IN
hr aud' ana they prayed thht suon d 'u"h'S in.3"'
A., ,rted think that Madison was the hrst President
,oI for That was over seventy years ago. In those
- tho uolitical parties the FedcrGlists anu WINGS
thc former being called Coon0Eins'
otod both times for Jackson consider the death
tcon the greatest National calamity that ever t'oA
loce in the history Of the United states uluh ike
-, TIN Adams. He was an arbitrary Old fellow.
U'' -, Iobr vos different. He was pretty likely. In
r-o- left home to live kwh nce Amos Johnson nc
os d Revolutionary soldier and often showed me MS
-, which WAS kept in an old tin LOx Years
atr Mi. widow received 5000 as bounty from
4' !, ,rn,rept That sum was big fortune III tnOse
1no here we're no schools when was boy. Nos
80 n the school business TO death ana turn out sSots
thty ~ ] scallu WAYS who earn mOneywtbOut doing
OF SrJ yyori, There was no ideness when was
bow II township trustee saM by ny tny ~ some
pGihipg he would catch him ana Dlpd hnl 1uV 10 borJ
trac and for years no would get only NE pV
and clothes. When was G1unA ot , Ell for Ave
,renIc, 10 cooper at Bridgeport Conn una loi ~
hammered away with adze ana driIefaud hu'oEa
3r@w ipe for Just what put IN me ahe on me- N.,nr
Uscd to think that Western New YORK otate U. t
us,u ~ Sarjn was away out West In 1909 | put
iniTtwo pound bundle on my back ana started OF IT
70 Bnanlo. made the sourncy 20 AlDany @ go Sas
p,,t 40 miles In sixteen days That Journey W.
notbing remarkable, as hha % IN money uhs Zane
nffooI MANY poor fellow startsai on inc ,y s az
scns. with nothing but axe. When arfYtu %
STaay found very small town In ISL uelleat t
there were only vessels on the LAKES P soaIs a.
ILL., time was an impOrti ut town. she carried on
td"rabIe trnde with the West by way OF Erie Ing nv
ehsndse wa, carted overland TO Erie anu sneh 'PPN
20 the few ports Oh the great lakes, -, ..r,,
Cleveland Sandusky and Erle were ports VI t az
There were only two ngIt h oahep AZ Erie Buffalo
yas then called Fort Erie and was stf{G Ing @
place until the war OF ISL give y se Eis Uhieh was
then cor sidered quite trip. From Buhalo 70 DeLoie
was looked upon as long voyage ana sfss az
an fine lakes In 1913 was one OF crew OF I0uI
tain Dick oNen IN command that ielt sbanaiO I ~ sne
WbNs heatng along the shore the English rgate Cbar-
lotte bore down upon us and esptfed U.s. H"' 00~'-