Daily Kennebec journal., 1878-06-06
History OF the Old stage Line between
Augusta aad Bangor.
The Great Changes made In few Years
Int~resttng Incidents.

since, convention oil TWO oil the olu WhlPs,
who, in the halcyon days Of stage driving, used
to make the hills and valleys of Maine resound
with the snap of their far-rea ching whips and the
toot Of the familiar horn. At that meeting were
Mr. AMOS ROLLINS OF Belgrade, 1o years old,
ald Mr.. CALVIN llAMLEN of China, IN his 'Jth
year Tune has touched these old stagcrs with
very gentle hand. We have several times alluded
to Rollins; he is as straight as an arrow, and IS
seen often on our streets, in the active pursuits OF
business. Even the day previou. to the "conven-
ton" he was in town perched on the top Of load
of hay, As good a ton of we'll cured gta's as ever
delighted farmers eve or went inside of stage
horse. Amos is compactly built, has jolly
round face " ith "A rosy complexion, aud penetrat-
ing grey eyes, one of which he keeps closed
when he is narratins Incident, in his staging eN-
perence. The grey hair upon his round, we'll
formed head, is still quite thick, no bal place yet
appearing. Wnile Rollins has the air of busy,
stirring, Yankee tiller OF the soil, Hamlen has
more the appearance of a retired gentle enan OF
leisure, who doesn't care about going abroad
without his gloves, aud sports acsne made from
the tooth Of a whale. lie i, slightly built and
rather angular in person, but why and active "a
a high Intellectual f)rch, a |, are the thin whiteu-
ed locks that toretell the comm: OF the winter
of old age. You will think hun older than Rb'-
lins. lie chews tobacco AMI votes the democratic
ticket these being the only two bad habits he
has. The memory of each of these old veterans
is remarkably retentive. They were the first To
drive the stages running between the kennebec
and Bangor. The proprietors of the line have
taken their last journey their colleagues in that
pioneer business have stepped into the narrow
"box," which awaits us all at the last stopping
place. and even the most OF the Younger fry in
the business have .huffled off the stage of mortal
existence. Aud vet these two old veterans re-
main-relics of former age, their words com
ing down 10 us through the telephone Of the past.
While may peak of their experience IN the
old stage days, we shall be obliged to glide rapid
" from one to the other tn detriment,
trust, to the general interest OF the narrative.
Amos Rollins is still an active farmer on his
broad acres in the goodly and prosperous town of
Belgrade, where he is greatly respected. He has
only one son, and he lett home to seek his fortune
when one and twenty. Calvin Hamlen i, living,
contented AMI happy, 10 China, with his second
wife, an old flame" Of his youth, who i, now
receiving ample recompense TO, "hope long de-
ferred," which didn't make 1.-The heart sick. 3"
"Shes the best cook in town, if do say it," says
the old man, rubbing his hands in high glee. He
is living on the same farm in China that his father
took up; and the grant of the place given by the
king of England l0i years ago. is now shown by
Mr. Hamlen with CONNIE mendsble pride He has
FIVE sons, all msrried and settled in California
(some marry ing eastern girls and they wouldn't
come back to Maine for the world The father
visited that golden land several times and was in-
strumental 10 his childrens selecting il for their
future home. ITS no reason, because had
hard row to hoe, that my boys should. feel just
as young aud kinky as ever did. The boys
to it that the old man doesn't worry about money.
My taxes became due last year, AID forthcoming
was a gold draft for twice the amount Only the
other day, went to the post office and got
check for one hundred dollars. SO the old mans
well provided for"
Rollins began the business of stage drivin. be
tween Augusta and Bangor, in 1925 the year the
Kennebec journal was started, be being then 2j
years old He drove the first daily mail
ever driven out of Skowhegan. Burleigh
& Arnold were the contractors for
carrying the mails between Augusta
and Bangor, they having in that year bought out
Gilman, the former contractor. A little later the
same year IIamlen went on to the route, he hsv
ing previously been employed by Col. Alfred Mar
shall, in his stables at China village. The mail
was then driven three times a week between the
two places, driver going over one day and back
the over, Sundays being excepted The first part
of Rollins driving, and when Hamlen entered the
service, four teams and these two men were
quired to do the work. Soon afterwards they
made the trip seven times a week, not even rest.
i,g over Sundays, taking care of their own teams
feeding, watering, harnessing, and in fact car
ing for their steeds look ing up passengers at the
ends of their routes, and otherwise performing all
the duties Of agents. They were allowed but four
teams and one set of harness. The route led
from Augusta through China, Unity, Diymont
and Newburg, to Bangor. The state of the roads
was so bad that they often had to abandon the
numbering old stage for a mud wagon aud tan
dem. 1t was pretty music. when every joint and
marrow of the harness were frozen stiff to take it
of from one horse and put it on to another-trans
ferring it, perhaps, from a long horse to short
one. Amos sticks to it that Calvin had natural fac
of making the same harness fit a 1900 pound or
800 pound horse, without changing the gear.
Hamlen retorted by saying that Rollins carried
with him some three bushels of pads, which he
used under the harness, for adjusting them A
marlin spike was very handy tool for emergencies
in making the transfers. After the cold, weary
drive of 81 miles, they Obliged to distribute
their newspapers from house to house, as was
the custom in those days, take of their horses
and look up their passengers. For instance, the
night previous to starting from Bangor, the driver
would take the mail from the post Office at 9
O'Clock lock up in the safe at "Chick's tavern"
and then start off by starlight the next morning
at 3, or before, if the passengers were ready the
mail being due at Augusta at o'clock in the af
ternoon, so as to connect with the mail west-the
arrival and departure of the Portland mail always
regulating the timetable here. In the five or six
years that Hamen drove on the route, he never
had anyone to take care of his horses. The logs
with which the road was constructed in many
places, were enough to thump the life out of even
q healthy driver The Dixmont hills were a ter
ror, especially to the ladies, who would become
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