Inland Waterway Mail Before the Civil War: New Orleans Non- Contract Mail
THE GULF OF MEXICO and OTHER SOUTHERN WATERS
Vessels Without Mail Contracts
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
Yazoo River Mississippi River
Steamboat D.S. Stacy
Route: Yazoo City → Yazoo River → Mississippi River → New Orleans
10 $600
February 18, 1853. GULF OF MEXICO and OTHER SOUTHERN WATERS
New Orleans
Symbiotic Relationship Between Steamboat Service and the Railroads
The symbiotic relationship between steamboats and railroads was necessary for the development of passenger steamboat service. Ironically, the railroads would eventually spell the doom of steamboats as regular passenger carriers.
The relationship followed the principle sometimes used by major airline carriers – the hub system. Thus, the steamboats would regularly bring passengers into a specified port (such as Stonington, CT). The steamboats would be met at Stonington by trains from Boston, New Haven, and other cities and towns.
Examples of this relationship are shown and discussed in these pages with respect to regular steamboat and connecting railroad runs from Washington, DC to Richmond, VA [Potomac Steamboat & Richmond Railroad markings], from Boston to Stonington [NY & Boston STMB & RRR combined marking], from Boston to Providence, RI [U.S. Express Mail/New York/Boston marking], and elsewhere.
New Orleans Opelousas & Great Western Railroad
The New Orleans, Opelousas & Great Western Railroad Company had a contract to carry mail between 1855 and 1861. It connected with steamboats at New Orleans.
This loose letter would have been given by the route agent or the captain on the steamboat directly to the route agent on the train at New Orleans.
Examples of the NOO & GW RR route agent’s markings are scarce.
NOO & GW RR
13 $450
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
Steamboat P. Dalmau
Route: Mobile, Al → Mobile Bay → Lake Pontchartrain → New Orleans 14T $650
March 18, 1852. Contract vessel without a route agent aboard. “WAY 6”
Steamboat Patrick Henry
Route: Baton Rouge → Mississippi River → New Orleans
14B $425
December 21, 1850. Non-contract steamboat. “STEAM 5”
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
New Orleans Post Office Agent: F.A. DENTZEL – AGT. – P.O. – N.O.
F.A. Dentzel, listed as a postal clerk in the 1851 New Orleans City Directory, performed several dockside duties to encourage the expedited handling of waterway mail entering the port.
16 $100
1851.
Dentzel’s duties were to:
Take from the vessels all letters that were to be marked WAY or STEAMBOAT if the captain intended to collect his fee. Dentzel did not mark the letters WAY or STEAMBOAT or pay out the fees.
Check and permit unsealed letters relating solely to cargo to be delivered to the persons addressed without any charge.
Cancel the stamps on prepaid loose letters and authorize the boat clerk to deliver such letters directly to the persons addressed, bypassing the post office.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
New Orleans
New Orleans Post Office Agent: F.A. DENTZEL – AGT. – P.O. – N.O.
F.A. Dentzel, listed as a postal clerk in the 1851 New Orleans City Directory, performed several dockside duties to encourage the expedited handling of waterway mail entering the port.
18 $100
c.1854 [Nesbitt die 3]
Dentzel’s duties were to:
Take from the vessels all letters that were to be marked WAY or STEAMBOAT if the captain intended to collect his fee. Dentzel did not mark the letters WAY or STEAMBOAT or pay out the fees.
Check and permit unsealed letters relating solely to cargo to be delivered to the persons addressed without any charge.
Cancel the stamps on prepaid loose letters and authorize the boat clerk to deliver such letters directly to the persons addressed, bypassing the post office.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
Ohio River Mississippi River
Steamboat Belle Key
20T $125
March 25, 1851. Route: Louisville → Ohio River → Mississippi River → New Orleans
Steamboat Belle Creole
20B $525
January 23, 1851. Route: Palmyra → Vicksburg → Natchez → New Orleans
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
Steamboat Montgomery
Route: Vicksburg, MS → Mississippi River → New Orleans
22T $75
December 9, 1850. “STEAM 10”. The steamboat Montgomery did not have a mail contract.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
New Orleans
Valuable Mail Handling System
The New Orleans Post Office created a system for handling valuable mail before the federal system of registering letters went into effect in 1855. Under the New Orleans system, the commercial community marked valuable outgoing letters “Valuable”. All incoming valuable mail was segregated from ordinary mail and recorded by the Chief Clerk, who then delivered printed notices to the addressees that such mail had arrived.
1852
23B $75
Per Steamer Sallie Robinson
LOWER MISSISSIPPI and TRIBUTARY RIVERS
New Orleans
Privately Carried to Waterproof and Hard Times
Steamboat Homer to Waterproof, LA
28T $50
1841
Steamboat Natchez to Hard Times, LA
28B $50