wichita stamp club · pdf filewichita stamp club newsletter vol. 80 ... from the english high...

Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter

Vol. 80, No. 6, June 2012

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Samuel Pierpont Langley

Travel

Visit Bazaar, Kansas

The National Tribune

A 19th

century business cover sent to a resident of Wyandotte County,Kansas

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

35th

in the series of “cuties”

Go to WSC Home Page

Neal E. Danielson

Editor

“Go Fly A Stamp”

http://www.wichitastampclub.org/

Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 80, No. 6 June 2012 2

SAMUEL PIERPONT LANGLEY by Neal E. Danielson

Langley an American astronomer, physicist, inventor and pioneer in aviation was born August 22, 1834

in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His educational background included the Boston Latin School and graduated

from The English High School. He became an assistant in the Harvard College Observatory, then on to

Chairman of Mathematics at the U. S. Naval Academy. In 1867 Langley became the 3rd

Secretary of the

Smithsonian Institution and was the founder of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. He became

involved in solar physics in 1886 and his publication in 1890 of infrared observations at a Pittsburg

Observatory and Svante Arrhenius used his work in making the first calculations on the greenhouse effect.

Langley turned to aircraft in 1887 using rubber-band powered models and gliders and attempted to

produce a working piloted heavier-than-air aircraft. His models flew but when a pilot was added his two

attempts failed. His first attempt of using miniature steam engines to power larger flying models achieved

minimal success. His first major success came when his Number 5 unpiloted model flew nearly ¾ of a mile

on May 6, 1896 when it was catapulted from a boat on the Potomac River. By November 11, 1896 his

heavier-than-air flying machine achieved sufficient lift and his Number 6 model flew more than 5,000 feet.

The War Department granted $50,000 and $20,000 from the

Smithsonian gave Langley incentive to develop a piloted airplane,

which he called an “Aerodrome”. When he received word of the

Wright brothers’ success with their glider in 1902 from his friend

Octave Chanute, he attempted to meet with them but they politely

declined his request. The full-scale Aerodrome was being built and a

contract was let to Stephen Balzer for an internal combustion engine,

but he failed so Langley’s hired pilot Charles M. Manly who finished

the design. The engine was a 50 hp compared to the 12 hp used by

the Wright brothers.

The Aerodrome failed two attempts from a catapult launch and

newspapers made great sport of the failures and of course Congress criticized the project. Following heavily

modification the Aerodrome was flown a few hundred feet by Glenn Curtiss in 1914. These flights were a

part of the plot to discredit the Wright brothers patent and an effort by the Smithsonian to help the reputation

of Langley, but the courts upheld the Wright brothers’ patent. However, the Smithsonian acquired the

Aerodrome and placed it on display in the museum as “the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the

world capable of sustained free flight”. Langley’s Aerodrome No. 6 went on display at Posvar Hall at the

University of Pittsburg (Figure 1). The action by the Smithsonian resulted in a decade long feud with the

surviving Wright brother, Orville.

Langley’s Airplane was honored on Dec 17 1941 with a cachet commemorative cover for the first

successful airplane flight on May 6, 1896 (Figure 2). The cover states this was the first flight by a heavier-

than-air craft. The plane weighed 30 pounds, was launched by catapult system from a houseboat, and

attained a speed of 25 miles an hour at Quantico, Virginia. The cover is franked with a 3¢ New York

World’s Fair Issue on Apr. 1 1939 (Scott #853), and tied to the cover with a four-bar circular-date-stamp

from Kitty Hawk N.C.

The U. S. Postal Service honored Langley on May 14, 1988 when they issued a 45¢ Air Mail Stamp (Scott

#118). The stamp depicts Langley and his unmanned Aerodrome (Figure 3)

Figure 1-Aerodrome No. 6 in Pittsburg


Return to June Contents Go to WSC Home Page

Figure 2-Langley's Airplane Cover 1941

Figure 3-Samuel P. Langley



TRAVEL KANSAS—EAST TO WEST—NORTH TO SOUTH by Neal E. Danielson

Travel Kansas—Bazaar located in Chase County (Figures 1 & 2). The area is part of the picturesque

Flint Hills of Kansas (Figure 3) and is one of the oldest towns in Chase County. By all accounts Bazaar is

considered a Ghost Town of Chase County, Kansas. The town never grew, but it did have a local presence

with a post office and a railroad for cattle shipping.

In fact the town ended up being built about a half-mile west of the current town along the old trail from

Cottonwood Falls and a little north of the Rock Creek trail crossing where fording the Creek transpired. In

1856 the first settlers arrived that included M. R. and Jonah Leonard family, Bernard McCabe, and the Lane

family. Other families followed and settled in Bazaar (Figure 4). The name “Bazaar” was a result of M. R.

Leonard’s wife, Martha, who owned a shop or bazaar back in Pennsylvania. She was well known for her

fine needlework and talented work in selling clothes for infants. Martha passed away on November 11, 1858

and the community was remembered when the first post office was established by her husband. The post

office was first established on 4-16-1860 but was discontinued on 3-17-1876. However, it reopened on 5-4-

1876 and on 7-20-1876 the name was changed to Mary and would remain until 3-19-1878 when it was

changed back to Bazaar. The change to Mary was in honor of Mary Walton Leonard, the second wife of

M.R.s. William Metcalf, owner of the blacksmith shop was appointed to serve as postmaster. The Bazaar

post office finally closed on 4-26-1974.

Figure 2--Chase County

Figure 1--Chase Co. Railroad Map ca 1899

Figure 3--Flint Hills Welcome Sign


The town of Bazaar was moved to its present location in 1889 when the Santa Fe railroad progressed to

the area in 1887 and the original site vacated by the State Legislature. The arrival of the railroad played an

increased role in the vicinity as local cattlemen could use Bazaar as a shipping point for their cattle rather

than herding them all the way to Cottonwood Falls or Matfield Green. Bazaar was the Santa Fe railroad

southern terminal, specifically used for shipping cattle, that ran to Strong City. Bazaar remained a major

shipping point for cattle until new highways emerged and trucks became the first choice for shipping the

cattlemen’s cattle to market. However, some cattle are still shipped out of Bazaar. The community remains

but the population has not increased (Figure 5).

Figure 4--Bazaar, Kansas Early Years

Figure 5--Bazaar, Kansas today


The population of Bazaar in 1910 was 77. The post card (Figure 6) is postmarked from Bazaar, Kans. on

May 12, 1909. The post card is franked with a 1¢ Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott #331) and tied to the

cover with a five-bar Daone cancel. The post card was from a Martha to a Miss Ora Combs in Emporia,

Kans.

Bazaar can lay claim to another event that of the news on March 31, 1931, when Knute Rockne the

football great was killed in a plane crash in the Flint Hills just a few miles away. Today the Knute Rockne

memorial is located in the Matfield Green rest area on the Kansas Turnpike.

Reference:

Galen Frysinger website: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/kansas_bazaar.htm

Kansas Collection Books – Cutler’s History of Kansas: http://www.kncoll.org/books/cutler/chase/chase-co-pl.html


Figure 6--Post Card Postmarked in 1909 Bazaar

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/kansas_bazaar.htm

http://www.kncoll.org/books/cutler/chase/chase-co-pl.html



THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE by Neal E. Danielson

The National Tribune was formed in 1877 as a post American Civil War newspaper with headquarters

at 615 Fifteenth St. N. W., Washington, D.C. an area of D. C. considered “D.C.’s Newspaper Row”, just 5-

blocks from the White House. The National Tribune was established as an independent newspaper and

publishing company owned by National Tribune Company. The owner and editor was a man by the name of

George E. Lemon. The newspaper was published weekly and distributed every Thursday, year round. An

annual subscription was $1.00 or 10 cents a copy. The National Tribune served a valuable service to the

Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) because it became a forum for old soldiers to share their

reminiscences. The Publishing Company printed historical publications, from pamphlets to hard-bound

books, with articles, stories focused around heroes and political figures to the American Civil War of both

Union and Confederate soldiers and armies.

In 1884, John McElroy, a former editor for the Toledo Blade a Ohio-based newspaper, joined the

Publishing Company as managing editor and built up a nation-wide distribution. A Washington, D. C.

correspondent, Byron Andrews, with the Chicago journal Inter-Ocean and former Private Secretary to U. S.

President Ulysses S. Grant to Industrial Excursions to Mexico, Cuba and abroad joined the Publishing

Company in 1884 as Business Manager in the New York City office located at 66 World Building. The

Publishing Company also had a subsidiary news journal, The American Farmer, and Mr. Andrews employed

his sister Marilla Andrews as editress of the American Farmer.

In December 1896, George E. Lemon died and the Publishing Company was sold and reorganized. The

firm of McElroy, Shoppell and Andrews (the firm was organized by employees of the Publishing Company;

John McElroy, Robert W. Shoppell and Byron Andrews) acquired the National Tribune Publishing Company

in April 1897. Robert W. Shoppell was former publisher for The National Tribune and The American

Farmer in New York. John McElroy was the most prominent member of the firm having served as

managing editor since 1884 and he served as president of the National Association of Ex-Prisoners of War.

The Publishing Company serialized several of McElroy’s own novels. In 1902 Andrews retired and

McElroy and Shoppell acquired his interest in the Company. From 1877 to 1917 the Publishing Company

maintained the title “The National Tribune” and they restructured using an alternative title for the newspaper

United States National Tribune.

Figure 1--Commercial Cover - National Tribune


The Publishing Company corresponded to an A. O.

Twist in Tiblow, Wyandotte Co., Kans. in or around the year

1879 as shown in Figure 1. The cover is franked with a 1¢

Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott #182) and tied to the cover

with a double oval cancellation from Station 6 in

Washington D. C. The town of Tiblow was located on the

Union Pacific that was built on the north side of the river and

the Santa Fe’s line to Leavenworth crossing at that point.

Tiblow was next west of Edwardsville and was showing

signs of prosperity in a good brick schoolhouse, and several

flourishing business houses. The town was plotted in

November 1870 by John McDonald and his wife, Ellen,

being proprietor of the town site. The town was actually laid

out in November 1855 by a company which included

President David R. Emmons and Secretary James D. Husted.

A Philo M. Clark a resident of the area was one of the principal promoters. The town company built the

Coronodo Hotel in order to have living accommodations for visitors that came to partake of the numerous

fine springs of medicinal waters in and around the area suggested that it be made a health resort and a place

for suburban residences for persons engaged in business in Kansas City. The town acquired its name from

Henry Tiblow, a clubfooted Delaware Indian that operated a ferry and was an official interpreter for the U. S.

Government. He lived in a log cabin (Figure 2) that still stands today. The Post Office opened in Tiblow on

June 20, 1866 and closed on January 9, 1867 when it moved to Edwardsville. The office changed when the

town was named Bonner Springs on July 9, 1886. Mr. Philo M. Clark a prominent resident of the town gave

the town name of Bonner for Robert Bonner, the New York editor and publisher of that day.


Figure 2--Henry Tiblow Cabin



DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF by Neal E. Danielson

This is the 35th in a series of articles relating to small post cards and small covers so if you have any in your collection that you would

like to share please let us know.

This small cover measures 4 ¼ inch wide by 2 ½ inch and is franked with a 1¢ Benjamin Franklin

stamp pre cancelled in Denver, Colo. (Figure 1). The cover carries a pre-printed SBC. 562, P. L. & R. We

believe it was intended to be SEC. which is the abbreviation used for Section. The lettering may indicate it

represents Section 562 of the Public Laws and Regulations, which in this case could possibly relate to the

Postal Services requirements for pre-cancelled covers and the use of certain postage. Could not locate the

data referenced in Section 562 to verify. The pre-cancelled stamp is the 1¢ Benjamin Franklin (Scott #552)

issued Jan. 17, 1923, the date the pre-cancel was generated is unknown to this writer.

The corner card cover denoting that a firm located

at 204 Patterson Bldg. in Denver, Colo. was the sender

to an individual at 1638 Tremont in Denver. The

Patterson Building was located at 17th

Street and

Welton Street in Denver (Figure 2). The photo was

taken sometime between 1920 and 1930.The photo in

Figure 3 is a more modern version of Tremont Street in

Denver.

The history of United States precancel is

somewhat presented in bits and pieces of information.

They were actually in use long before they were

officially sanctioned through postal regulations. Some

can be traced to the early years between 1840 and 1880

with some cancels with simple pen strokes, grid

patterns, handwriting, even the word PAID is

considered a pre cancel. The bar cancels were created

using a variety of methods, such as printing, hand

stamping, pen, stencil, and even crayon.

Figure 1--Small Cover with Pre-cancel stamp

Figure 2--Patterson Bldg., Denver


The pivotal point in time was 1903 when the postal regulations specified that precancel consist of the

city and state printed between two bold parallel lines. According to the Precancel Stamp Society—

Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock authorized the general use of precancel on Christmas parcels for the

first time December 5, 1911. Eventually the Post Office issued large facilities electrotype plates (used to

precancel large quantities of stamps) and 25 subject rubber hand-stamps used where the demand for

precancel was not enough during a year to require printing large quantities.


Figure 2--Tremont Street, Denver


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