Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-17
STAGE DRIVERS LIFE.
Bob. C. Mooers Has Been Knight Of
the Reins Since a Years Old.
Has Covered Many Thousand Miles and
Done Many Thousand Errands.

A man who has driven stage since boy
hood and reaches Augusta every day with
mail, ETC., from Rockland, is Robert C.
Mooers. who can relate to you all the
strange circumstances connected with that
business since he was IA years of age,
and now Mr.. Mooers is nearing the verge
Of the fifties. The little town of Strong
claims Mr.. Mooers as her own. When he
was IA years of age he was so unfortunate
nc to loose both father and mother, which
made it necessary for him to step out
into the world and earn livelihood.
He first began work in Pennington,
where he secured position in livery
and stage stable. Occasionally it fell to
his lot to drive one of the stages when
the regular driver was sick or away. Soon
the scales of good fortune began to tip
in his favor and he was made regular man
on the route from Pennington to Phillips,
a distance of 90 miles, and he loft Farm
ington at 6 P. NJ. for Phillips, doing this
road in the night, and would then leave
far the return trip at A. M. You can
readily imagine the extent of this pleas
ure in the cold and stormy winter days.
His next route was from Pennington to
Starks, New Sharon and Kingfield, covering
90 miles and travelling in the night. This
route he followed three years, after which
he began running from Pennington to
Aupu sta. d distance of SO miles. He had
two stages, one that left here for Read
field and one that continued from there to
Pennington During the time that this
line was in operation many passengers
were brought over to take the boats on the
Kennebcc for Boston and other points.
After Robert had rumbled his wagon and
iingled the sleigh bells over this road
three years, he took the line from Augusta
TO Belfast, A. miles. To give you some
idea of the many" pleasures of stage life
it may not be amiss to mention that Mr..
Mooers left Belfast in the evening and
took breakfast at South China and dined
in the capital city. His sleep was sort
of grab game at times and more than
once he has nursed that sweet repose,
perched in his stage coach box, when the
rumble of the wheels bore the same musi-
cal strains to the knight of the reins as
Washington Post March would to the
more privileged American. 1t may seem
hard to be out in the cold of winter and
the heavy rains Of summer, but Robert
said that it was not for his health that
such vocation was being followed.
Some DAYS he would make s5 and others
sl5 "'<r 'f'd' s'".'
Mr.. Mooers next route was from Liberty
to Waldoboro, 90 miles, and this was
night and early morning line. Or all the
roads he travelled over this was perhaps
the worst, because when we have sleighing
here mud holes may be found in portions
of that road. After enduring the hard
ships of this route and making money Mr
Mooers took the line from Augusta to
Rockland, so miles, and at present IS fol-
lowing this route. He travels from here
to Washington and has another man on
the lower end, Mr.. Barnard. He seems
to have an easier route now than at any
previous time.
During these years Mr.. Mooers has done
thousands upon thousands of errands, car
rying almost every imaginable article used
In household For some old lady ne
would buy package of pins and some
farmer would want a new hoes you Will
see that Bob has been sort OF travelling
store for the accommodation of the people
living on the roads over which he mas
made his daily trips.
To follow this business for SO many years
has brought into service many horses,
wagons and stage sleighs. Mr.. Mooers had
one horse that he became the owner OF when
it was five years of age and when its 2lst
birthday had come around, its leg was
broken when he was driving over his line.
That horse had travelled over 200 mics
Mr. Mooers says, so you will get some idea
from this of the many miles that its own
er has covered. The experienced stageman
of this sketch says that he prefers morse
that is round, we'll built and will weigh
about 1000 lbs. for stage business He
has pulled the lines over more bay horses
than of any other color, yet every KIND Oh
horse has been before his wagons ana
sleighs. Speaking of keeping the wagon
well Oiled Mr. Mooers says that he con-
siders that at the end of every 80 miles a
sufficient quantity of castor oil should be
applied 1t has been Bob's good luck
never to tip over but once during the
many years that he has traversed rough
and rocky roads, and on this time he had
gentleman in the seat with him ana III
the back portion of the wagon lady was
sitting The team was rounding a turn
and Mr. Mooers was telling the man oc-
cupying the same seat what a dangerous
place it was at that point, when quick