Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-10
POSTAL SERVICE In PINCH
Times When Government Cannot Fulfill
It's Commercial Contract
SIEGE or PARIS AFFORDS An EXAMPLE
Interest of the PhiIatelist Extends to
the Legitimacy of the stamps
Issued Under he Cir
cumstances.

The recent discovery of a letter mailed
in Paris during the siege OF 1871 and it's
delivery to the person addressed has in
vited attention to the part performed by
postage stamps during sieges and the In
senious methods and devices employed by
persons in communicating with officials and
their friends outside the walls and boun-
daries.
During the siege OF Paris many schemes
were tried to get letters in and out OF the
city, but all failed except the pigeon post
system, which succeeded only occasionally.
Nearly every courier dispatched with let
ters was captured and the mail destroyed.
Numerous and persistent efforts were made
to convey mail by means of balloons, but
in practically every case there was failure.
Every conceivable device was employed to
get mail out Of Paris by means Of floating
bodies on the Seine river, including logs,
corks, glass and metal balls and cylinders.
The French Postoffice department actually
went so far as to give notice that letters
wouli be received bearing stamps of the
value of about 81, for transmission under
water in alright globes about the size Of
a small foot ball. OF this sum l franc
went to the government and so cents, or
francs, to the inventor and operator. But
few of the globes ever reached their desti-
nation, but stamps which were affixed to
such letters are in existence today, as
shown by post marks, and are regarded as
very valuable, especially by French col
lectors.
MafekinE Stamps.
The most recent "besieged'' stamps were
those issued in 1900 by the British army in
South Africa during the siege of Mafeking.
These stamps are known among collectors
as the 'Mafeklng stamps" There were
two types OF these emergency postal labels,
one known as the Baden-Powell stamp, in
which the bust OF that famous general APP
pears on a piece of bluish-white paper
with the words: Postage, 1 penny" be-
meath The second type is somewhat more
elaborate, representing a messenger on
bicycle with mail bag over his shoulder.
These stamps were used several days be-
cause Of the exhaustion Of regular issues
and the inability of General Baden-Powell
to obtain more, and because of this actual
necessity they are listed in stamp cata-
logues as legitimate, although their issue
was never authorized by the British gov
eminent. They are extremely rare and
readily sell at from SO to $50 each.
Bicycle Post Service.
A stamp quite similar to the marching
was issued privately in 1894 by parties in
San Francisco during the great railroad
strike of that year Communication be-
tween San Francisco and Fresno was cut
or and the pressing need OF means of
transmitting mail prompted an enterprising
firm of bicycle dealers to establish a BIZ
cycle post A diamond shaped stamp
printed In green ink on white paper was
issued. The design depicted boy on
bicycle humping himself across a desert
region. with mountains in the distance.
Above this scene, which was in an oval
frame, are the latters "A. r. u" and
below the word Strike" In band around
the oval are the words Fresno and San
Francisco Bicycle Mail Route" in the cor
ners "25' and cents"
These stamps sold for Is cents each and
one OF them affixed to a letter and de-
livered into the hands of the company
ensured delivery of the letter in San
Francisco or Fresno speedily. A regular
schedule Of arrival and departure was es-
tablished and maintained with surprising
punctuality, and by means of relays OF
wheelmen the distance OF about 100 miles
was covered In seven or eight hours. This
service was continued for a number of
days-in fact until the trains again
moved-and was made use Of to a con-
siderable extent by the people OF both
cities. The bicycle company obtained some
valuable advertising out Of the scheme, but
! 1t was not profitable SO far as sale of the
diamond shaped stamps was concerned
These stamps were much sought after
as curioslties, especially when affixed to
letter, but they were not generally collected