|
|
 |
|
Three tribes permanently inhabit PhilaTellicLand, the
USus, Newfies, and the Shippies. We hope you enjoy meeting them and listening to their stories.
Shown below are some members of each tribe. Hopefully, each issue we will
be able to coax a new member out to tell their story.
Volume 1 Issue 1
Above is a sample from the USus (us-ews)
tribe, United States collection showing the Graf Zeppelin (Scott C-15). Launched as LZ-127 on September 18, 1928 at Friedrichshafen,
the majestic 776ft. long, 100ft. diameter ship, was powered by five 550hp Maybach engines giving her a maximum speed of 80mph.,
setting a new standard for inter-continental travel.
This stamp and two others, C-13 and C-14,
were issued in April 1930 specifically for mail carried on the Graf Zeppelin on her first Europe-Pan America round-trip flight
in May, 1930. Through an arrangement with the United States the cost of the flight was partially defrayed through the issuance
of these stamps that went on sale for only 50 days from April 19 to June 7, 1930. The Philatelic Agency continued sales
until June 30, 1930. The unsold stamps from the 1 million of each denomination issued were destroyed. She appears once more
on Scott C-18 often called the "Baby Zep" to commemorate her flight to the Chicago Exposition in October 1933.
Her last flight ended May 8, 1937 in Friedrichshafen.
Unfit for war and obsolete she was dismantled in the Spring of 1940. During her brief lifetime she logged over a million miles
on 590 flights and carried 13,100 passengers without incident.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Below, provided by the Newfies, is a set
of twelve Newfoundland stamps, Scott 115-126 issued January 2, 1919. Newfoundland was then a self governing Dominion
of the British Empire and remained so until 1933 when she became a Crown colony. Newfoundland united with Canada in
1949. From 1855 to 1949 Newfoundland issued her own stamps producing less than 300 in that period, almost all of them engraved.
The "Trail of the Caribou" set pictured below is one of the finest examples of the engraver's art. The set was issued to honor
those troops of the Newfoundland contingent that took part in WWI.
Eight of the stamps bear the inscription
"Trail of the Caribou" and the name of an action in which the troops partook. The remaining four issues, 2c, 5c, 8c, and 12c
are inscribed "Royal Naval Reserve" and repeat one of the actions.
|
|
| "Trail of the Caribou" Newfoundland (Scott 115 -126) |
____________________________________________________________________________________
Lastly, the Shippies tribe
collect Sailing Ships, and have graciously provided several examples below. One of the most enduring symbols of man's quest
for adventure and exploration, a good portion of the the world's history has been recorded in the logs of sailing vessels.
Today's modern vessels still carry the bulk of the world's goods from the same ports visited hundreds of years ago by their
long forgotten sailing brethren. Though no longer powered by wind, they still "sail" from port to port. Beautiful sailing
ships evoke that romantic nostalgia of an era of sailing to exotic and strange lands that lay beyond the horizon or braving
the sea in pursuit of its riches. Below are three Canadian stamps that represent different aspects of sailing in that era.
"Bluenose" (Scott 158) was designed by William
J. Roue' of Halifax and skippered and owned by Captain Angus Walters. She slipped the ways of the Smith & Rhuland Shipyards
in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia as No. 121, on March 26, 1921.
Although designed as a Saltbank fishing schooner, she gained fame as a racing vessel. From 1921 to 1938 she defeated all comers for the International Fisherman's Trophy that the Gloustermen had wrested away
from the Canadians in 1920. Yet each season she fished the Grand Banks as a working ship to earn her keep. In
1933 she traveled to the World's Fair in Chicago and in 1935 was invited to England to partake in the Silver Jubilee of King
George V and Queen Mary. Ironically, there the king presented her with the mainsail of his yacht - the Britannia.
By 1939
no longer able to compete with the steel hulled refrigeration trawlers working the Banks, and badly in need of repairs her
racing days were behind her. With the war on in Europe, Walters could garner neither sufficient government nor local interest
to preserve the beautiful ship as a national monument. After buying out his minority partners, he continued to seek aid until
1942 when he was finally forced to sell her to the West Indian Trading Co. On January 28, 1946 she ran upon the reefs off
Haiti and succumbed to the sea. There was outrage in Canada over her ultimate fate, but too late. Today her legacy is her
visage on this beautiful stamp and a 1937 coin; and the sea shantys written by those who loved her.
"Britannia" (Scott 216) was the Royal yacht
of Kings Edward VII and George V of England. Designed as a racing yacht by G.L. Watson, she was launched from the Patrick
Yard on the Clyde in April, 1893. Her first off-shore race was a victory in the Thames estuary. She continued her winning
ways until 1897 when she changed owners several times eventually to be reborn again as the royal cruising yacht of Edward
VII. As patron and Commodore of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, George V took over the yacht upon Edward's death. Rerigged she
began racing again in 1913 and sailed her last race in 1935. Sadly, as none of his sons wanted the yacht, the King's will
called for her demise. She was scuttled on July 9, 1936 south of the Isle of Wright. Scott 216 is the high value of a six
stamp set 211-216 issued for the The Silver Jubilee of George V.
|
|
| "Bluenose" (Scott158) "Britannia" (Scott 216) "Royal William" (Scott 204) |
"Royal William" (Scott 204) was a mongrel ship. She represented the final phase of the transition from sail to
steam. Although Savannah had crossed the Atlantic in 1819, neither she nor any other ship, until Royal William, had
made the journey completely under steam power.
Her keel was laid in autumn 1830 in
Cape Blanc, Quebec by George Black and John Saxton Campbell, and construction was supervised by James Goudie. At 830
tons, 176 ft overall, 146 ft at the keel, and with only 29ft.-4in.beam between the paddle boxes; she was designed for trade
between Quebec and Halifax. She was launched April 29, 1831 and christened Royal William after the reigning monarch, by the
Lady Aylmer, wife of the Governor-General.
She then traveled to Montreal to be
fitted with her steam engines at the Bennett & Henderson yards. While in Halifax, she was noticed by a prominent
citizen named Samuel Cunard who asked numerous questions and took copious notes. Cunard later invested in the craft,
being convinced that "steam" was the wave of the future; and subsequently founded the shipping line that bears his name --
Cunard. Given better economic circumstances in 1932 Canada, she might never have gained fame, but the poor economic
times forced her investors to send her to England for sale.
Hence on August 4, 1833, under the
command of Capt. John McDougall, she left Quebec, bunkered coal at Pictou, NS, and arrived in Gravesend on September 11.
A model of the ship appeared at the Chicago Exposition of that same year. In England, she was leased to Portugal and
later sold to Spain where she took the name - Ysabel Segunda. She returned to England in late 1834 to be outfitted as a war
steamer serving until 1837, when a survey in Bordeaux revealed too much hull decay to make her economically viable. She was
stripped of her engines and left as a hulk.
The stamp that honors her shows her
under "steam" but still rigged for sail as many of her sisters would be for years until the new steam technology became reliable,
many decades later.
 |
|
|
Volume 1 Issue 2
Right is a sample from the USus (us-ews) tribe, United States
collection.
The twenty cent stamp (Scott Q8) shown is the first stamp in the world to depict an airplane, and predates the advent
of 1918 US air mail service and stamps by six years.
Although the Parcel Postage stamp had a very short lifespan, it had a profound effect on the life and economy of
the United States.
Rural Free Delivery in 1897 opened new worlds for rural Americans. While farmers could now get their Montgomery Ward or
Sears catalog delivered to them directly, parcel delivery service was not provided by the Post Office.
Before 1912, private companies controlled the delivery of parcels throughout the United States. The rural and farming areas
of the United States did not represent the most lucrative markets for these companies, which concentrated on the densely populated
urban centers. Farmers had to transport produce to a town large enough to support an express office, and pick up parcels the
same way. The fees for moving packages in rural America were expensive, and the rural population felt badly served. In 1912
America, over 50% of the population lived in rural communities, and they made their voices heard in Congress. Equally vociferous
were the private delivery companies who opposed the U.S. Post Office entering their business. Ultimately, on August 24, 1912,
Congress approved a law providing for parcel post service. The law authorized the production of stamps to pay the parcel fees,
effective January 1, 1913. Three issues of the twelve-stamp set did not make the January 1st date mandated by Congress. The 50c and $1 stamps underwent design changes from
the view of a steel plant to more rural industries; represented by dairy farming, and fruit growing, respectively. The 3c
stamp was not issued until April 5, 1913, as the postal handler portrayed was redrawn in a larger format.
The immediate effect on the economy was marketing and merchandising through mail-order houses.
"Montgomery Ward, the first mail-order house, started with a one-page catalog in 1872. After parcel post began, the
mail-order catalog became the most important book in the farmhouse next to the Bible; it was, in fact, often called - "The
Homesteader's Bible" or "The Wish Book."
Sears, Roebuck and Company followed Montgomery Ward in 1893. In 1897, after one year of rural delivery, Sears boasted it
was selling four suits and a watch every minute, a revolver every two minutes, and a buggy every 10 minutes. After five years
of parcel post delivery, Sears had tripled its revenues." (USPS)
Upon its inception over a million miles of rural routes not covered by express companies was opened to parcel delivery.
During the first six months of operation, postal clerks handled over 300 million parcels and many local post offices were
swamped with packages. Some constructed or leased alternate storage facilities. (Ex. Bradford, Pennsylvania).
"The introduction of Parcel Post created an immediate demand for special packaging suitable for mailing the array of
objects and commodities considered as mailable under the system.
Box manufacturers responded by producing a diversity
of boxes capable of shipping such commodities as eggs, butter, celery, etc. Eggs were a mainstay of Parcel Post. Six eggs
were the first objects sent by Parcel Post from St. Louis. Mailed to Edwardsville, Illinois, from the main city post office
at 12:05 a.m., the eggs came back to St. Louis in the form of a freshly baked cake, which was delivered at 7 p.m." (National
Postal Museum)
On July 1, 1913 the new collect-on-delivery service (COD) only increased the popularity of the parcel delivery service.
Soon postal officials increased the allowable weight of parcels from 11 to 20 pounds and then again to 50 pounds. Soon some
enterprising individuals took advantage of the new liberalized weight restrictions and shipped everything from a whole building to a 4 year old child.
While the twelve stamps of the parcel post set, designed by Clair Aubrey Huston at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing,
formed an attractive set, they were not popular with mail clerks. The same carmine-rose color and similarity of design, required
mail clerks to make careful note of the correct denominations when selling the stamps. By March the Postmaster was even considering
changing the color and design of the stamps.
On July 1, 1913 that became unnecessary. Only six months after inception the law mandating the use of a special Parcel
Postage stamp on all parcels was rescinded, and ordinary postage stamps were made valid for paying parcel fees. Parcel post
stamps production ceased, although the remaining stamps continued to be sold as valid postage until supplies were exhausted.
In September 1921, some 3.5 million remains were destroyed.
Left, provided by the Newfies, is Newfoundland stamp, Scott C4. Newfoundland
was one of many stamp issuing entities enthralled with the prospect of participating in philatelic firsts in the early age
of air mail transport. At the time, an Italian, Francesco de Pinedo was one of the most celebrated aviators of his era.
On March 29, 1927 de Pinedo piloted his S-55 tandem engine flying
boat, the Santa Maria to New Orleans, Louisiana; becoming the first foreign plane to land in the United States. His
journey had begun February 13, 1927 with an Atlantic crossing to Brazil. From there he continued his way to North America,
visiting major U.S. and Canadian cities, ending in Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland to commence the final leg of the journey back
across the Atlantic to Italy. On May 20, 1927 Newfoundland issued the world's first commemorative stamp honoring an individual
aviator - Francesco de Pinedo, and 300 overprints of the 60c, 1897 Henry VII issue were produced. Delayed by weather the flight
did no depart until 4 AM on May 22. The flight route from Trepassey to Rome was flown in the Santa Maria II, the Santa
Maria having been lost in a refueling fire on Roosevelt Reservoir outside Phoenix, Arizona.
Unfortunately for de Pinedo’s legacy, another aviator, Charles
Lindbergh, was touching down at Le Bourget Aerodrome outside Paris at 5:22 PM May 21, while de Pinedo was "grounded" by sleet
in Trepassey Harbor. The historic journey that logged over 29,180 miles ended on June 16, 1927 when de Pinedo
and his crew landed in Ostia Harbor west of Rome. Of the 225 letters carried aboard the Santa Maria II only 100 exist
and constitute some of the rarest covers in aerophilately.
Lastly, the Shippies tribe collect Sailing
Ships, and have graciously provided several examples below.
Men have always quested the unknown and sought to fill the gaps in human knowledge.
Along the way some earned glory and fame, and many others sacrificed their lives in the pursuit. By the beginning of
the twentieth century only one continent remained unexplored and understood – Antartica. While the names Amundsen,
Scott, and Shackelton; are familiar to many, others such as Rymill and Burden are lost to the diming light of history.
1943 saw the beginning of long-term government-funded British Antarctic research with the mounting of Operation
Tabarin. This wartime naval operation was set up to discourage the use of Antarctic anchorages by enemy commerce raiders and
to strengthen British claims to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands Dependencies.
The bases established during Operation Tabarin were finally relieved in early 1946 by HMS William Scoresby,
SS Fitzroy and MV Trepassey (a wooden converted sealing vessel diesel
ship and stabilized with sails chartered from the Newfoundland Government). The three ships under the command of Capt. Eugene
Burden. The following year MV Trepassey was chartered again for the relief of bases. During this, she was slightly damaged
by fire whilst at Stonington Island, Marguerite Bay.
"Three vessels were at anchor in the bay, one American, the Port of Beaumont; Fitzroy,
hailing from the Falklands, and the Trepassey. Since American vessels were dry, an invitation was extended to the Yanks to
come over and celebrate a bit. Unfortunately the celebrations got a little out of hand and someone started a fire. Luckily,
the blaze was quickly extinguished, but so was the party" (G. Burden M.D.; Halifax Herald Limited, Sept 9, 2002)
As the British operated post offices in several of their bases, Capt. Burden decided to augment his stamp
collection. Addressing several dozen letters to himself he took them to the postmaster, who franked them, with the rare and
thus highly desirable British Antarctic Territories postmark then handed it back.
The British base on Stonington Island was called Trepassey House, in the tradition of naming bases for the
vessel that first transported the materials and staff to found the station.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The "Penola" ex Naraho a three-masted schooner was a French fishing schooner with a gross weight of 130 tons. It was bought for the British
Graham Land Expedition of 1934-37 and named after the South Australian home town of the leader of the expedition, John Rymill.
Born at Penola Station in 1905, Rymil grew in the Australian
bush, before attending Melbourne Grammar School. At 18 he traveled to England, where despite dyslexia, he studied accounting,
anthropology, nutrition and surveying, while also learning to ski and fly.
Rymill's foremost achievement was, at the age of 29, as leader
of the British Graham Land Expedition of 1934-1937. His fifteen-man team mounted a three-year assault with the RY Penola, The expedition successfully surveyed over 600
miles of previously unexplored coastline, establishing that Graham Land was not an archipelago but, in fact, the Antarctic
Peninsula. They discovered King George VI Sound separated the Peninsula from Alexander Island, the sedimentary geology of
which substantiated the new theory of continental drift.
Their "Fox-moth" sea plane made several interesting flights from the islands. The expedition did much survey work in the
surrounding area. They named Skua, Winter, Grotto, Corner, Anagram, Barchans and Forge islands, carried out a hydrographic
survey which has stood up to the present day. Penola strait was named after their ship "Penola".
In 1956 four stamps from the 1954 Falkland Islands Dependencies set of 15 stamps were chosen
to be overprinted for the "Trans-Antarctic Expedition" of 1955-1958. They are shown below
|
|
| "Trepassey" (Scott 1L20) "Penola" (Scott 1L23) "Discovery II" (1L24) "Discovery" (1L26) |
The Royal research ship R.R.S. Discovery II
was built in 1929 at Port Glasgow, Scotland specifically for scientific research. During World War II the ship was an
armed patrol vessel in the Royal Navy. Since the war, Discovery II has been employed by the National Institute of Oceanography,
mainly in the North Atlantic. From the period 1931-1933 she was commanded by David John and William
Carey, and became the first ship to sail around Antarctica during the winter months, conducting a series of oceanographic
transects. Captain Carey was tragically lost at sea on the return voyage. She continued her oceanographic
work from 1937-1939 circumnavigating the continent for the second time.
___________________________________________________________
Built at the Stevens Yard, Dundee Shipbuilder’s Co. in Dundee, Scotland the barque-rigged
steamer Discovery was not easily built as wooden ships of that size were rarities by 1900. The ship had a massively built wooden hull that was
designed to withstand being frozen into the ice. Her single propeller and rudder could be hoisted out of the way to prevent
ice damage. Iron clad bows were severely raked so that she would ride up over the ice and crush it with her weight. She was
the first ship ever built in Britain specifically for a scientific expedition, being equipped with scientific laboratories
and a magnetic observatory.
On August 6, 1901, under Commander Robert Falcon Scott she sailed from Cowes and, entered the
Ross Sea and discovered Edward VII Land in January 1902. Discovery remained icebound but re-supplied through 1902-3. Discovery finally broke free of the ice in February 1904, and arrived at Portsmouth
on September 10, 1904.
Following years in and out of merchant service she was purchased by the Crown Agents for the
Colonies to undertake "scientific research in the South Sea." Designated a Royal Research Ship, between 1925 and 1927 she
cruised 37,000 miles between Cape Town, Antarctica, and Drake Strait, conducting research on whaling grounds and oceanographic
surveys.
Sir Douglas Mawson employed her in the British, Australian, and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE). He and Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen
agreed on 45°E as the boundary between Norwegian and British claims in Antarctica, and the British claimed sovereignty over
all lands between 73°E and 47°E.
Laid up from 1931 to 1936, and her engines
scrapped during WWII, she transferred to the Maritime Trust and was restored to her 1925 appearance. She is now a museum ship in Dundee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
