Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-13
CABLE PARTY SURVIVOR DIES
Commodore" John A. Lynch Passes
Away in This City
LAST OF PIONEER WATER BAND
One Of Men Who Assisted ~ PiRcinH
First Metal Link Between I've
ContIRcnts--served In
Navy Also.

AT the age OF 50 years. Commodore
John a. Lynch. the last survivor OF the
hand Of men whoelaid the first Atlantic
cable died at 4 O'Clock Thursday afternoon
in the county hospital
The last ten years OF his life the octO
genahan had been an invalid and resi-
dent Of the OLD Soldiers home at Grand
Island Neb. His death came as a result
OF a more serious illness. contracted four
months ago when he was returning from
the New York home of his daughter, Mrs.
Max Hart vino is known on the vaudeville
stage as N1sdge Fox.
Mrs Hart had taken her father from the
Old Soldiers home to New York, thinking
that the change Of climate and the new
environment would benefit his health. But,
as the daughter says. the aged man pre-
ferred the companionship Of the soldiers
and insisted upon going back. He was so
obstinate in this preferment that he re-
fused to come to the home Of his wife, who
lives in Omaha. Enroute to the Odd Sol
diers home he was taken III on the train,
from which he was taken when he reached
Omaha to the county hospital. There he
gradually grew weaker, mentally as well
as physically, until bis death.
Mr.. Lynch was born in northern Ireland
| in 1880. He ran away from his home at the
!
As a boy he made his living in New York
by selling newspapers. Making his way by
that and other occupations until he was q
years old. he enlisted in the navy.
He worked four and half years in the
| Brooklyn navy yards. There he learned to
| love the mariners life and, when his time
was up, he went upon a whaling expedi-
ton in the northern seas, which lasted
about five years
! IL was shortly after the end of this ex-
| petition that he returned to New York
and Joined the mariners and engineers who
crossed the Atlantic in laying the first ca
BILE.
Laying the First Cable.
In his older years, "Commodore" Lynch
was fond Of telling stories Of this expert
ence.
Get him to talking of that trip" his son,
James Il. Lynch, said to a reporter for The
Bee and he would talk FOR hours. The
climax Of his story came when he described
the breaking Of the cable in mid-ocean.
That was before the invention Of the diving
suit and he told OF their sending men down
into the depths in one Of those ancient div
ing bells to fish for the lost end OF the
cable-far below and back In the wake OF
the ship. do not remember all Of the in
Before the outbreak OF the civil war
Commodore Lynch helped in the capture
Of the ships which brought slaves to the
southern states.
He was a marine Of the ship. North Caro-
lima when the first shot OF the civil war was
fired on Fort Sumter. When that shir
locked in New York TO spend the second
winter Of tina war Commodore Lynch met
Johanna Kennedy. whom he married De.
cember o. 1852 at Port Jervis. N. Y. From
Port Jervis they went to Meadvile. Pa
where "Commodore' Lynch began work IN
the railroad shops He came to Omaha ir
1854 He was one OF the builders here OF
the first Union Pacific bridge.
Commodore" Lynch is survived by his
widow, who Is Is years OF age. two sons and
a daughter, James =. Lynch. a department
manager ct the Lee Glass-Andreesen Hard
ware company; John NJ. Lynch, housemar
for the o. BlatEky Commission company
and Mrs. Max Hart Of New York.
The funeral services are to be held at
O'Clock Sunday afternoon ct the home Of
his son, James Il. Lynch. teF Burdett,
street. Father Harrington will Officiate
Burial will be In Holy Sepulchre cemetery