The Washington times., 1913-08-20
OLDEST RESIDENT
OF DISTRICT DEAD
Was Rover in Early Life, Later
Connected With Georgetown
GasIight Company.

Death, in summoning Capt Jonathan
D. Cathell at 1890 o'clock last night,
has taken fro mthe District its oldest
resident Watched over by his wife and
a granddaughter, Mrs. Julian P. Dodge.
the venerable inhabitant, who would
have attained the ninety-sixth milestone
next month, passed away quietly at his
home. 1884 street northwest after two
weeks illness. His end came about
through a general breakdown due for
the most part to age.
Under the roof OF the Congress Street
Methodist Episcopal Church OF George
town, of which he was a stanch men,
Der for more than sixty years, funeral
services will be held for Captain Cathell
tomorrow afternoon at 2:S0 o'clock The
services will be conducted by the Rev.
]. W. Balderston. pastor of the church.
Delegations from the Association Of
Oldest Inhabitants Of the District, of
which the deceased was one Of the
oldest members both in years and point
of service, and from the Odd Fellows
lodges OF the District, will attend the
services. Interment will be made in
Oak Hill Cemetery.
"Grand Old Man"
Virile, and looking a quarter of
century younger than he was, the
Grand Old Man of the District" as
Captain Cathell was known by many
of his friends and admirers, I'D to the
first part of the month declared he
would live until he was a hundred
he complained Of feeling sick, and be-
came SO weak that he had to take to
his bed. He gradually grew weaker,
and about noon yesterday. lost con-
seriousness, which he did not recover.
Sea rover and trader. captain of YES
sells in the days when ships were pro-
PEELED by sails alone, Captain Cathell
Travelled from zone to zone and wealth
cred many climates and many gales
during the early part of his life. He
was born in Sussex county. Del, during
the first year of President Madison's
Administration. The first political fight
he remembered, he used to tell his
friends, was the one between John
for the Presidency of the United
States.
Our Eighth Indian.
On his maternal side, Captain Cathell
was one-eighth Delaware Indian, his
great-grandmother being a full-blooded
member of the old Delaware tribe. 1t
was at the age of fourteen that he was
caught in the popular whirl of the time
and embarked on his first sea voyage.
1t was on the brig Arago, of which mis-
father was captain, out of Vienna, Nd.
He served as ships cook until the YES
Sci reached New York, where he was
commissioned ordinary seaman and
started on a voyage to Marseilles.
Fer nineteen years thereafter he fol-
lowed the paths OF the deep. In the
trade on the Atlantic coast he made
every port from Galveston. Tex, to the
MerrImac river, with the lone excep-
don of Wilmington, n. c. During the
last six years OF his life as a sailor,
Captain Cathell was master of the
schooner Statesman, belonging to a
packet line, which had offices in
Early in the SOS. Captain CatheITs ship
is said to have made what was then
considered the record trip from George
town, D. c., to the Barbados Islands.
In forty-two Gays from the time she left
the dock at the local port she was moor
ed there again.
With GaSlight Firm.
After giving up the sea life. the rover
became superintendent of the George
town Gaslight Company, in which ca
pacity he remained for nearly forty
years. 1t was prior to being employed
BY the gas company that he brought the
FIRST load Of anthracite coal into the
District. He was retired by the gas
company when he was seventy five
years old on pension of 5000 a year.
Never during the seventy-five years he
use the ballot.
His second wife. Mrs. Anna Cathell,
and three daughters. Mrs Hettie
Schmidt. Mrs. Sarah E. Brewer, and
Mrs. Maggie Fuller, survive. They had
all waited at his bedside until about a
half hour before death claimed him. but
not apprehending the end so soon had
departed to their homes.