The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-10
SPENT MANY
YEARS IN HARNESS
The Long Service Of "UucIe Pete
RowIett, the MOtOrman.
EVERY KIND OF MOTIVE POWER.
Once "UncIe Pete" Drove Mules. and
Now He Handles Electricity WIN
the Same Ease and Grace-ifis
Interesting Experiences.

| In Richmond lives one of the Oldest
stroet-car men in this country, possibly
/ the Oldest in tine world i'm point Of ser
/ vice. lie IS weu-known to all the con-
duclors and motormen Of the different
lines Of the city, and few have so many
friends or are so highly thought Of in
/ their line % business as Mr.. Peter Row
| Lett. motorman. on car No. q, on the
Main street line. lie is known TO the boys
Of the car service as "Uncle PETE and
as DE is good natured Jolly, and can take
A joke, he is a prime tavorite with them
/ all
Uncle Pete Is now in his dfty-drst year,
with iron gray beard and hair and. merry
/ blue eyes which continually twinkle
| with laughter. lie IS OF medium height
/ strongly built, and handles his ear ass cas-
/ fy and with as much skill as the young
I err men.
"I-ucls pete" started IN the car busi-
ness as driver on the Old mule cars on
the FIRST line ever put down in Richmond.
/ He IS now one of the original drivers
/ who are alive and the only one who mas
| continued in th, business.
/ I1I4 llEl LINZ
| The first ear line in the city ran from
| First street down Broad TO Ninth. thence
| 20 Main, down Main % Twenty-eiehth
/ street. and was completed about 1850.
| This line did "A great bu7.ness. and other
/ horse-car lines We're built until the city
/ had a good service
I'm 1886 the Cisy-street electric line was
! built, and after that the Main-street line
I and the other electric lines OF tae city,
] until the only remaining car line now -
[ on Broad street line. with connections.
/ Uncle Pete has been an exceedingly for
tunate man. In bis thirty years OF ser-
/ vice. he has never had a serious accident,
/ and has never cost the company cent
| for damages. lie has had some very i'm
! teresting experiences I'm the business, and
/ can tell them Ga his original manner. lie
says that the greatest difficulty with
/ which they had % contend while rum
| ming mule cars was the ice on Ninth
street On the winter lie received "a severe
/ fail one day by being thrown from his
car when the ice was heavy. When inc
| reached the head Of Ninth street, the
mules were taken from the car and led
down the HILL he followed with the car.
! coming down the bill like q forecast Of
! the electric cars. AS he nelreI The bottom
! OF the hill and tie curve at tho corner
/ Of Main street, has cir. which had gain
/ ed some speed. rather got the better OK
/ him and struck the slippery curve with
| cons. Iorablc velocity.
A TERRIBLE FALL
Uncle PETE says chat he was thrown
! from the front platform nearly 20 the
! Sidewalk and for several months ala uOr
| know what had occurred.
when Doc reganed his feet and looked
/ for his ear, De saw it standing down
| Main street near the corner of Eleventh,
a. though nothing had happened
Another one of "Unc'o poles' expert
enee was the caboose riot ON Seventeenth
street. The cars had just commenced
running ON the line and when the riot cc.
CURED the car did not stop, but kept
| on by the Old market.
Uncle Pctc's' was one of the cars
| which passed this point durme the exc
| element. and one of his horses was shot
| in the foot As he pa ssed the market the
firing began. and "Unc'e Pete" says ,hat
! be could not tell whether they were dr-
ing 40 each other or 40 his car. Sudden
ly DE saw ono Of his horses stumble. hOb-
bile for a few steps and stop short. I'm
spite OF the exciting time De q0t down
from his car and found that his horse
| had been Shot I'm the fore,oOt TIE had tO
| mhitch the lame animal and watt until
another horse could he brought down.
lie says chat the excitement during the
| time De waited was very intense.
"Uncie Pete is fun ol these remnis-
cences and tells them in AN interesting
manner. ie is sian hale aud hearty
and does not seem to pave gone through
thirty years of ariu0us Labor.