year xii, number 1 - elsalvadorphilately.org xii, number 1.pdf · year xii, number 1 july –...

YearXII,Number1 July‐September2015

2

E L S A L V A D O R P H I L A T E L I S T

Dear Colleagues,

It is often said that a

good introduction to a

great speech (or article in

this case) has to be short.

Therefore, I would just

like to say that we are

quite happy to be able to

share with you this

almost “encyclopedic”

collaboration about the

postal history of the

shortly‐lived Transito

Territorial service by one

of the foremost El

Salvador collectors,

Michael Peter.

To present a single‐topic

issue, we have included

some related items that

at one time belonged to

Bill Welch, an authority

on the Seebeck stamps.

Hope you enjoy this issue

as much as we did and

keep sharing you

collaborations!

Cordially,

Guillermo F Gallegos

Year XII, Number 1

July – September 2015

Director’sColumnInside this issue:

Cover sent on 14 April

1899 from Santa Ana to

Munich. 13c stamp to

cover single letter rate

plus 5c Transito

Territorial stamp. 13c

stamp was incorrectly

applied, as this rate was

via Panama: 12c would

be the correct rate.

(ex‐Bill Welch collection)

El Salvador Philatelist is

the on‐line, quarterly

journal of AFISAL.

Requests for reprinting

articles can be sent to

ggallegos@elsalvadorphi

lately.org

Transito Territorial – Faster on

the Back of the Mule 3

Show‐n‐Tell 16

Adlets 17

Member Services 18

OntheCover

Board of Directors

President: Santiago Yudice

Vice‐president: Carlos

Quintanilla

Secretary: José Luis Alonzo

Treasurer: Manuel Menjivar

First Vocal: Iván Zelaya

Second Vocal: Guillermo F

Gallegos

Third Vocal: Robinson Cruz

Honorary Presidents:

Ramon de Clairmont Dueñas

Pierre Cahen

Jose Luis Cabrera

Honorary Member:

Joseph D Hahn

3


TRANSITOTERRITORIAL–FASTERONTHEBACKOFAMULEMichael Peter

Contents of the article

1) Faster, faster,

always faster and

more reliable –

Business

Communication

2) Amount of mail

pieces in El

Salvador

3) Standard‐Postal‐

Route from El

Salvador to the

east coast of the

United States and

to Europe

4) Transito Territorial

– faster on the

back of a mule

1) Faster, faster, always

faster and more reliable –

Business Communication

We are at the end of the

19th century. A lot has

changed in the

communication between

the continents. The time

of unreliable and long

lasting crossings with

sailing boats is over and

regularly scheduled

steamboats transport

goods and written

communication from

Europe to the overseas

countries and back.

Speed and reliability of

information were always

decisive for success,

especially regarding

business success. For the

trading companies it was

of special importance to

get information (e.g. on

harvesting volumes,

prices) as early as possible.

With this they could act

accordingly and make

bigger earnings than “late

birds”. Because of this the

trading companies were

well aware of shipping

routes, departure times

and travel times if the data

of the shipping companies

were reliable.

How many communication

cycles were possible

within one year was

crucial. The duration of a

communication cycle is

defined as the time that

passed from the dispatch

of a letter until the reply

to this specific letter

arrived.

With respect to reliability

the 1st of January 1841

was an important date.

The Royal Mail with their

new steamboats

guaranteed the postal

connections between

Europe and the Caribbean

Islands. For example, on

the route between

England and Guyana, 6

communication cycles per

year were possible from

1841 on.

In the early 1880´s a letter

from El Salvador via New

York to Europe took

approx. 40 days. By the

end of the century it was

possible to reduce this to

about 30 days. This

facilitated approx. 10

communication cycles per

year considering optimal

ship departure times and

compliance with the travel

schedules.

4


2) Amount of mail in El

Salvador

By the end of the 19th

century El Salvador (a

small country at the Pacific

coast of Central America

with only 21.040 square

km) had approx. 783.000

inhabitants.

Only a few could read and

write, which were the well

educated elite. Therefore

only politicians, high

ranking military and

officers, business peoples

and foreigners used the

postal system.

The use of the postal system only by the elite had an effect on the volume of mail. As this example of 1893 shows, the volume was not really impressive:

What is today a busy suburb was in those days influenced by a dirt road and a county side idyll.

Source: Archive für Post und Telegraphie 1895, Beihefte zum Amtsblatt des Reichspostamtes

5


The mail volume to foreign

countries counted for

nearly 40% of the total

volume of El Salvador’s

mail. Empirical studies

show that letters to

foreign countries were

mainly designated to the

US, France and Germany.

Please note the high

volume of postcards. They

were often sent by

foreigners to their families

in Europe and the US. The

large amount of samples

and printed matter

dispatched indicates

numerous business

relationships.

The large amount of

printed matter dispatched

locally is caused mainly by

newspapers as well as

invitation and greeting

cards which were handled

as printed matter.

The mail to the east coast

of the United States and to

Europe was send normally

through Panama. The

dominant shipping

company for the postal

connections from and to El

Salvador was the Pacific

Mail Steamship Company.

The French “Compagnie

Maritime Transatlantique”

played a minor role. At the

end of the 19th century,

the English Royal Mail was

no longer important for

the postal connections

with El Salvador.

3) Standard postal routes from El Salvador to the east coast of the US and to Europe

6


4) Transito Territorial –

Faster on the Back of a

Mule

The transit time, the mail

needed from El Salvador

via Panama to Europe, was

about 26 days (see letter

to Ruhla) up to about 35

days still unacceptably

long. Despite the relatively

good connections with the

Pacific Mail Steamship

Company there was not

yet a sufficiently regular,

reliable and fast postal

connection to satisfy the

needs of business people

and governmental offices.

To improve this situation,

business people in

collaboration with the

Government were

searching for a short cut

over the mountains to the

Caribbean coast to get a

connection to the ships

from Puerto Barrios to

New Orleans and New

York.

The Contract with

Guatemala

This idea needed a

contractual arrangement

with Guatemala, because

the appropriate Caribbean

harbor, Puerto Barrios, is

located in Guatemala and

the postal infrastructure

as well as the railways

needed for this postal

service belonged to this

country. The chief

negotiator for El Salvador

was the fully authorized

ambassador Don Crisanto

Medina. On behalf of

Guatemala the

negotiations were led by

the minister of justice and

state affairs and the

representative of the

foreign ministry Dr.

Francisco Anguiano.

Letter with the rate up to 30 grams: From Santa Ana (27.7.1895) to Ruhla, Thüringen (22.8.1895),

via York (2.8.1895). The postal rate of 30 Centavos includes the Panama surcharge of 2 Centavos

(correspond to 1 Centavo per 15 gr.). With 26 days this letter had a very short transit time for this

route, which was rarely achieved.

7


The aim of these

negotiations was, to send

the mail from El Salvador

within one week via

Puerto Barrios to New

Orleans in the USA. But

afterwards the reality

demonstrated that the

time needed was 10‐11

days until the mail reached

New Orleans.

On March 14, 1899

Christiano Medina and Dr.

Francisco Anguiano signed

a correspondent

agreement on behalf of

their respective

presidents. The contract

was ratified on March 21,

1899 by El Salvador and

the ratification documents

were exchanged on April

15, 1899. See Diario Oficial

10th of May 1899 pages

838 and 839.

The contract with

Guatemala indicates that

between the Salvadorian

post office in Metapan and

the post office of

Guatemala in Zacapa a

postal connection will be

implemented. Metapan is

located about 45 km north

of Santa Ana and is the last

town before the border

with Guatemala.

According to article 2 this

connection was handled

by personnel of the

Salvadorian post office.

In article 3 it was agreed,

that these personnel hand

over mail bags to the post

master of Zacapa, who in

return transfers the mail

bags for El Salvador.

It is interesting to note,

that Guatemala

committed itself in article

4 to handle the

Salvadorian mail with the

same caution as it would

its own. This may be an

agreement which may

have had his origin in the

not always so friendly

relationship between the

two brother states.

Article 5 is all about

money: El Salvador pays

for every kilogram of

letters and postcards one

Peso de Guatemala and

for printed matter and

other postal objects 50

Centavos. If letters and

printed matter are not in

separate mail bags 75

Centavos per kilogram had

to be paid.

In article 7 it is agreed that

El Salvador will inform the

United States about this

contract and the

consequences for the

international mail

shipment.

According to article 9 the

contract is valid for 5 years

and is extended

automatically for one year

if neither party terminates

it by giving notice one year

in advance.

The Postal Route

The mail was sent first by

railroad from San Salvador

to Santa Ana, a distance of

116 km. From there the

transportation for the next

187 km over the

mountains to Zacapa in

Guatemala was carried out

on the back of mules. On

the last 166 km from

Article 5 of the contract

between El Salvador and

Guatemala

8


Zacapa to Puerto Barrios

the mail was sent with the

train to get finally on the

ship to New Orleans.

The Inauguration

January 25, 1899 was the

day when the new postal

service was inaugurated

but still as a “provisional”

service. See Diario Oficial

Nr. 19 from Monday 23rd

of January 1899.

The inauguration of the

service before finalizing

the contract with

Guatemala indicates how

important it was for the

different stakeholders in El

Salvador to start as early

as possible with a faster

postal connection.

This new postal service

was offered once a week.

In order to use this service

the mail had to be

delivered to the main

office in El Salvador by

Wednesday afternoon at 3

p.m. In the beginning only

ordinary letters and

postcards were accepted.

Registered mail was not

yet possible.

Mules carrying mail in front

of post office

9


Contract for the

Transportation by Mules

For the transportation of

the mail by mules on the

187 km stretch from Santa

Ana to Zacapa in

Guatemala and back the

postmaster of Santa Ana,

Benjamín Lara, concluded

an agreement with Mr.

Ignacio Martínez on

January 22, 1899. Diario

Oficial Nr. 69 from

22.3.1899.

The most important

aspects of this contract

are:

Mr. Martínez

receives every

Friday at 9 a.m. the

mail from the post

office in Santa Ana.

On the following

Monday at 7 a.m.

Mr. Martínez

hands the mail

over to the

postmaster of

Zacapa and

receives from him

the mail

designated to El

Salvador.

During the months

of October till May

Mr. Martínez gets

50 Pesos for each

trip and during the

month of June till

September 60

Pesos.

Announcement of the start

of the service

Contract published on the

Diario Oficial

10


For this amount he

transports up to

100 pound of mail.

For every pound

above he receives

25 Centavos in

addition.

In case Mr.

Martínez violates

any clause of the

contract, he pays a

fine of 25 Pesos for

every individual

violation.

Mr. Martínez and

his three sons are

excused from all

civil and military

services during the

duration of this

contract. In

addition the

government will

not confiscate his

animals for military

transportation.

It is worth mentioning as

well that the contract was

signed by Mr. Jil Galdámez

on behalf of Mr. Ignacio

Martínez, because the

later was not able to write.

The first Use of the new

Postal Service

Finally on the morning of

January 27, 1899 the new

service started. On the day

before the mail arrived

from San Salvador by train

and on this Friday morning

the mail was prepared for

the transportation with

the mules. In Santa Ana,

Fritz von Kamen writes

hastily a postcard to his

parents in Elberfeld. He

tells them that now the

state owned postal service

with the help of

businessmen and banks

set up a new postal route

via Zacapa. He mentions a

contribution list, which

supports the conclusion

that financial backing from

businessmen and banks

were given, and that this

new route was set up

Postcard sent by Fritz von Kamen to his parents

11


because of their

instigation.

Apparently Fritz von

Kamen had only a

postcard from Guatemala

on hand. He added a

Salvadorian stamp of 3

Centavos, according to the

regular rate for postcards

to Europe. The card was

cancelled in Santa Ana

27/ENE/1899. On Monday

30th of January the

postcard was in time in

Zacapa (postmark 30 ENE

1899/ZACAPA) and

reached New Orleans on

the 7th of February.

Consequently this postal

route from Santa Ana to

New Orleans lasted 11

days and took clearly

longer than the planned 7

days. The arrival in

Elberfeld on the 19th of

February 1899 means

certainly, that the total

duration lasted only 24

days, which represents a

time saving compared

with the route through

Panama of one to two

weeks.

During the first four

dispatches no additional

fee was requested. This

service was more

expansive compared to

the route via Panama, as it

can be seen from the

above quoted contracts.

Impuesto Territorial – a

Tax for the Route by Land

Soon it was clear to the

government that the

additional cost needed to

be covered by additional

income. Therefore the

Government decreed on

February 22, 1899 that

with immediate effect a

tax called „impuesto

territorial“. The amount

was 5 Centavos for each

mail piece. Still the

contract with Guatemala

was not yet signed but

there must have been an

idea on how much the

new service would cost.

In the Diario Oficial Nr. 46

from 24.2.1899 was

published the notification

of the general postmaster

M. Bigueur, informing that

with the next dispatch via

Zacapa in addition to the

normal post rate a stamp

of 5 Centavos with the

overprint „Tránsito

Territorial“ had to be used.

Since this notification was

only published on Friday

24th of February 1899 it is

possible that only with the

dispatch on Wednesday 1st

of March 1899 the stamps

with the overprint

„Tránsito Territorial“ were

used for the first time.

‘Transito Territorial’ 5c

stamp

Decree regarding the

‘Impuesto Territorial’

12


Whether the additional 5

Centavos had to be paid

already on Wednesday

22nd of February 1899, as

the government decree

demanded, is at this

moment not clear because

no mail from the 22nd of

February is known yet.

Mail with the “Tránsito

Territorial” stamp is very

rare.

On Thursday 6th of April

1899 the general

postmaster M. Bigueur

issued another notification

informing the public that

from now on the

additional 5 Centavos had

to be paid for each 15

gram. By this the sender of

a letter weighing between

16 and 30 grams had to

pay now 10 centavos for

the “Tránsito Territorial”.

How to calculate the

postal rate? The above

letter is franked with 13

Centavos plus 5 Centavos

“Transito Territorial”. The

13 Centavos correspond to

the route via Panama and

they are composed as

follows:

UPU rate for letters – 5c

UPU maritime surcharge

(distance >300 Miles) – 5c

accepted increase (May

1897) – 2c

Panama surcharge – 1c

Letter up to 15 gram sent from San Salvador (22.3.1899) to San Francisco (17.4.1899) via Zacapa

and New York (13.4.1899). The letter shows on the left side the Tránsito Territorial‐stamp for the

route via Zacapa. This letter of the Consular Service of the USA was not sent through the more

economical maritime route (only 12 Centavos). The reason can be that the route via Zacapa was

more reliable and faster and / or the waiting time for the next ship to San Francisco was too long.

13


Total for a letter of up to

15 grams – 13c

In the middle of 1894 El

Salvador increased the

rate for letters to the east

coast of the USA and to

Europe from 11 to 15

Centavos. But this increase

had to be reduced partly

by middle of 1897. The

pressure to reduce the

postal rate again may have

come from businessmen

or even from UPU itself.

It was left with an increase

of 2 Centavos giving a

letter rate of 13 Centavos.

The Panama surcharge

was raised to cover the

additional cost for the

transportation with the

railroad between Panama

City and Colon (Aspinwal).

Although the above letter

was not sent via Panama,

still the extra fee was

charged. This shows that

people were not aware (or

wanted not to be aware)

how the postal rates were

composed. On the other

hand we have to consider

that the Salvadorian post

was in a high deficit. As we

know, this deficit leaded

to the contract with

Seebeck for the free of

charge delivery of stamps

and postal stationary

through the years of 1890

to 1899.

End of the „Impuesto

Territorial“ and Increase

of the postal rate

On May 9, 1899 the

“Impuesto Territorial” was

abolished again. As a

counter move the postal

rate was increased by 5

Centavos with effect of

Wednesday 10th of May

1899 and by this nothing

changed regarding the

total amount which had to

be paid by the sender of

the mail.

The use of the “Tránsito

Territorial Stamps” was

only possible during the

time from Wednesday

22nd of February 1899 till

Wednesday 3rd of May

1899. In consequence only

for 11 days this stamp

used, because only once a

week was this postal

service over land was

offered.

Diario Oficial from 9.5.1899

14


Postcard from Santa Ana (16.6.1899) to Oldesloe, Germany (8.7.1899). The transit time of the

postcard was only 22 days. The rate is composed of 3 Centavos for the postcard with foreign

destination and 5 Centavos for the route via Zacapa.

Letter from San Salvador (31.12.1901) to New York (15.1.1902) with a transit time of 15 days

15


Summary of the most Important Data related to the Postal Rates

Period Remarks 25.1.1899 – 15.2.1899 Provisional dispatch via Zacapa / Puerto Barrios without

surcharge / Impuesto Territorial. 22.2.1899 – 5.4.1899 Impuesto Territorial of 5 Centavos per item 12.4.1899 – 3.5.1899 Impuesto Territorial of 5 Centavos per 15 gr. of weight 10.5.1899 – ca. 1920

Increase of the postal rate by 5 Centavos for the over land transit via Zacapa / Puerto Barrios

Conclusion

The objective to send the

mail from San Salvador

through the overland

transit via Zacapa and

Puerto Barrios to New

Orleans within one week

was not achieved, as the

above letter to New York

shows it as well. On the

other hand it was an

improvement in the mail

transportation. The mail

was somehow faster

dispatched than via

Panama and there was an

alternative route, which

was a quite reliable

connection to the east

coast of the USA and to

Europe. The

communication cycles

with Europe were

increased to 12 or even

more per year. The

distinctively higher postal

rates (Postcards + 166%,

Letters + 138%) resulted

for a long time in a lesser

use of this service

compared to the route via

Panama. Only around

1920, when new postal

rates were fixed, the

service via Zacapa was

more affordable.

Literature

Rafael Alexander D.:

Las Estampillas

Postales de „El

Salvador“ para el

Transito Territorial

emitidas en el Ano

1899, September

1943 for the XI

Philatelic Congress

Salvador Cañas:

unissued handbook of

El Salvador, approx.

1985

Across the Oceans –

Development of

Overseas Business

Information

Transmission 1815 –

1875

Doctoral thesis by

Seija‐Riitta Laakso,

Finland

Archive für Post und

Telegraphie 1895,

Beihefte zum

Amtsblatt des

Reichspostamtes

Archivo Digital del

Diario Oficial de El

Salvador, Imprenta

Nacional:

http://www.imprenta

nacional.gob.sv

El Salvador, truly one of the last frontiers in philately. Where can you find

such an impressive array of complex issues still waiting for new discoveries

to be made? Whatever your interest, El Salvador has it all. Let us help you

build your collection!

16


SHOW‐N‐TELLThis section presents an illustration of an interesting item from the collection of one of our members.

Two covers probably sent through the Transito Territorial service. Top: Foreign rate postal card mailed on 14April 1899 from Santa Ana to Berlin. No indication of Transito Territorial service, besides the added 5c regular stamp. However, letter was sent on the same day as the letter on the journal cover, and both items were backstamped in New York on April 26, thus suggesting both went through the quicker route across Guatemala. Bottom: Letter sent on 22 March 1899 from Ahuachapan to New York. 13c stamp for single letter rate via Panama, but with added 5c stamp and Transito Territorial handwritten inscription to indicate use of this service. (ex‐Bill Welch Collection)

17


ADLETSOur adlet service allows members to publish their philatelic interests on each ‘El Salvador Philatelist’ so

they can buy, sell, or exchange with other collectors. Every member is eligible to place one adlet in the

journal. In order to send us the adlet you want published, please send us an email to

[email protected].

Looking for El Salvador stamps Scott #'s: 57, 229, 247, 252, 257, 293, 558, C31, O223, O224,

O226, 1 of (O227, O228, O230, O231), O355. If you have any of these, please e‐mail price to

[email protected] ‐‐ will respond promptly.

Wanted: Errors, proofs, oddities of El Salvador. If you have any of these for sale or exchange,

please send an e‐mail to: [email protected] .

Looking for Scott #’s: 25E, 190, 191A, 211, 212A, 225, 227, 230B, 232, 237H, 240A, 297 y 311B;

Officials O66, O67 y O68/O72. All of them either mint or used. Please contact at

[email protected] .

Wijesena, a lawyer from Sri Lanka & a keen philatelist, interested in contacts with fellow

collectors from El Salvador and other Latin countries for the exchange of stamps, fdcs, s/s, m/s,

etc. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Essays, Color Trials, Proofs, Freaks, Fakes, Oddities. Your offers most welcomed to Pierre

Cahen: [email protected] or POB 483 San Salvador, El Salvador.

Interested in trading revenue stamps of El Salvador. Bryon Batjiaka, e‐mail:

[email protected]

Interested in covers with Cierre Oficial or Servicio de Valores Declarados / Cierre Oficial labels.

Please send a scan and asking price. If you have covers like this, but are not interested in selling,

I would be interested in 300dpi scans for my files. Michael Peter, email:

[email protected]

We would appreciate if you could send your comments, suggestions, and

contributions for El Salvador Philatelist to our e‐mail address:

sfes‐[email protected] or

[email protected]

18


MEMBERSSERVICES

AFISAL regularly meets

every Saturday at 3PM

(local time) in the

premises of the National

Museum of Anthropology

(MUNA) in San Salvador.

The meetings are

characterized by the

informal exchange of

material and information

between the members.

MUNA is located at

Avenida Revolución, Col.

San Benito, in front of the

Centro Internacional de

Ferias y Convenciones

(CIFCO). It is the largest

museum in El Salvador,

with an extensive

collection of Pre‐

Columbian artifacts and

ethnographic material.

New Issues Service

Collectors interested in having all recent issues of El Salvador can subscribe to our New Issues Service. The general conditions are as follows:

a. The Society will provide the members subscribed to the "New Issues Service" all the stamps issued by El Salvador from the date of the subscription onwards until the collector requests the end of the service or leaves the Society.

b. The stamps will be sold at face value + 10% commission to the Society in order to cover administrative costs.

c. Shipping costs will be based on current postal rates to the country of residence of the

collector. In order to save on shipping costs, the new issues will be sent every three months in a single package.

d. In order to subscribe to the New Issues Service, members will have to send US$30 in cash or check from US or Salvadorian banks made payable to Pierre Cahen (checks from other countries are not accepted), along with the new issue service agreement filled out and signed ( New Issues Service.doc or New Issues Service.pdf ) to the following address:

Pierre Cahen

Vipsal 1342

POB 02‐5364

Miami Florida 33102

USA

The payment is a

deposit in the Society

which is debited every

time a new issue is

purchased or sent to

the collector. Every

member will receive a

statement of his

deposit along with

each New Issues

package. When the

deposit reaches a level

of US$5 or less, the

Society will request a

further advance to

increase the deposit.

e. Members may cancel the New Issues Services by sending a letter or an e‐mail to [email protected] at least a month in advance from the date they wish to end the service.

year xii, number 1 - elsalvadorphilately.org xii, number 1.pdf · year xii, number 1 july –...

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