The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-09
LETTER ON THE
ROAD 81 YEARS
MlSSlve Mailed in Paris in
1871 Has lust Been
Delivered.
CITY BESlEGED AT THE TIME
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERN
ING STAMPS COME TO LIGHT.
CITY BESIEGED AT THE TIME
Especial to The HeraIdO

Especial to The. Herald)
Washington March 9-The recent dis
Sovery of a letter mailed in Paris du-
ring the siege in 1871. and its delivery
10 the person addressed. mas invited at
tention to the part performed by pos
lage stamps during sieges and the inge-
NOUS methods and devices employed by
and friends.
During the siege of Paris innumerahle
schemes were tried, but every one failed
except the pigeon post system. and this
was successful only occasionally. Nearly
every courier dispatched with letters was
captured and the mail destroyed Nu-
herous ana persistent efforts were made
10 transport mail by means of balloons
but in practically every case there was
1alIure- Every conceivable scheme was
employed TO get dispatches in and out
OF Faris by means of floating bodies on
me seine river, including logs corks
slass ana metal balls and cylinders The
french postoffice department actually
Went so far as 10 give notice that let
lers would be received bearing stamps
10 the value of about 81, for transmits
sion under water i'm alright globes about
me size of a small football OF this
sum one franc went to the government
and 80 cents, or four francs. to the in
Nentor But few of the globes ever
reached their destination, hut stamns
en neh an Iranhed such letters are in exist
especially by French collectors.
"Mafeking Stamps"
The most recent ..besieged" stamns
We're those issued in 1900 bV the Rrititn
army in South Africa. during The sieGa
or Mafeking. The stamps are known
aInons >, collectors as the "Mafeking
stamps There were two types of these
emergency postal labels-one known as
me Baden-Powell stamp in which the
Dust OF Baden-POweiI appears on a niece
OF Dlulsh-White paper, with the words
han
ono type Is somewhat more elaborate
representing messenger on n bicvcIa
Win mail bag over his shoulder. These
stamps We're used several DAYS in the
absence of regular issues and because
OF the necessity for their use are included
IL catalogues and regarded as legitimate
i fosS4ge stamps, although never author
lHed oy the British government They
hIe very rare stamps and readily sell |
at prices ranging from $40 to $50 each.
Strike Issue.
\ stamp quite similar TO the ..AIafe. |
Kings was issued privately in 1894 bv !
parues IN san Francisco. during the great |
-a!iIodu strlke or that year Communi-
Cduon between San Francisco and Fres-
no was cut off and the pressing need 1
OF means of transmitting mail promDt- |
Cd an enterprising firm of bicycle dealers I
Jo-eStablish a bicycle most a Diamond
shaped stamp. printed in green ink on |
white paper. was issued. The design de- i
pleted boy on a bicycle humping him !
ser across desert region with noun /
ans IN the distance. Above this scene /
lNhich was in an oval are the letters /
- X, u, and below, the word strike" 4
M band around the oval the words.
Route In the corners; "25" and cts
Delivered by Bicycle.
One of these stamps. for which per- |
son paid % cents, affixed to a letter /
and placed in a box in the office of the /
DIcycle company, insured its delivery in /
snort order in San Francisco or FIRES /
no: Al either Of these points the let
sender having previously affixed a United |
States 2-cent stamp thereto A regular |
time schedule was arranged and by /
means Of relays of wheeImen the dis
tancg of about 100 miles was covered in /
seven or eight hours This service was
maintained for a number of DAYS and
OF both cities. The bicycle company Got
snueh advertising out of the scheme buf
II was not profitable so far as REGENTS
from the sale of stamps was concerned
While these stamps were sought as curl
osities. they were not generally collected
oy philatelists, not being regarded as pos
tage stamps. but as locals
"Pigeongram" Postal Service.
In 1898 a ''pigeongram' postal service
was established between the island of
New Zealand, which is a British colony
having regularly governmentally-issued
stamps. and the little island OF Great
Barrier. some miles distant On account
of the irregularity of steamer service pri-
Vate persons established a service nv
which letters were transported by car
Tter pigeons. Tiny stamps were printed
and sold to the public. in two denOmina-
lions, penny and 1 shilling Letters
bearing one OF these stamps were deliv-
cred either in New Zealand or in Great !
Barrier island in short order These
stamps We're regarded as speculative and
were not generally collected by philate-
lists. Stamp collectors have become very
shy of all issues OF stamps gotten out !
for profit and will have nothing to do
with stamps not issued by governments
or by government order, and even gov
ernmentally issued stamps are tabooed
unless a reasonable demand for their is
sue exists. l.