Another Exaggerated Themed Post Card

This is another of Edward H. Mitchell's exaggerated themed post cards. I find it amazing that back in 1909 (the copyright on the post card - upper left-hand corner - is from that year) He could superimpose a picture of some Navel oranges onto a gondola of a Southern Pacific Railroad and have it look pretty realistic. This is already an incentive for someone to buy the post card to send it off to a friend. But, then Mr. Mitchell added the line across the top: "1881 - A CARLOAD OF NAVEL ORANGES FROM ___________". The purchaser could then inform the receiver that the sender was in a particular city. This would really work well if the receiver was not living in California. This particular sender is telling his sister that he is somehow suffering from a facial condition that is making his face fatter and bothersome. To quote him, "every day it bothers me and I look fierce." I wonder if he got stung by a bee or is alergic to Navel oranges???

Anyway, here is the back of the card. It turns 114 years old in three days; very similar to the Edmward H. Mitchell post card that I posted on July 17th.

Don't Let Them Be Forgotten

Here is everything that I know about this post card: It is a Real Photo post card that was published after March 1, 1907 and up to 1909 using AZO paper. Published after March 1, 1907 because there is room for correspondence on the back. One could not write a message on the back of a post card before that date in the United States. Up to 1909 because the stamp box has a diamond in each corner. This was only done on AZO paper from 1907 to 1909. So, basically, all that I know about this post card is what is printed on the back. Having said that, I love the picture on the front.

But, Look! There's a Train. No, Two of Them!!!

The front of this post card is advertising that the Kennedy Valve Manufacturing Company is a part of Elmira, New York. The company's buildings and grounds take up a good percent of the picture. But, there are two trains in the bottom left-hand side of the picture. That is what caught my eye and made me decide to add this to my collection. The Kennedy Valve Company still exists there today: https://www.kennedyvalve.com/ Now... about the trains. Here is a year by year history of the railroad in Elmira. It is taken from this website: https://www.chemunghistory.com/railroads-in-chemung-county A few facts about railroad service in Elmira, New York. ​ 1835 - Construction for the New York and Erie Railroad began in Deposit, NY. It would be 16 more years until the line was completed (all the way to Dunkirk, NY.) October 2, 1849 - the first NY&E train arrived in Elmira. Regular passenger service began 6 days later with two trains each way per day. Also, the Elmira Depot was built. 1850 - Canandaigua & Corning Railroad changed its name to Elmira, Canandaigua & Niagara Falls Railroad. 1854 - Elmira & Williamsport Railroad opened - moving lumber, coal, and iron between Pennsylvania and the Feeder Canal, the Junction Canal, and the railroad in Elmira. 1861 - NY&E changed its name to New York & Erie Railway, then in 1875 it became the New York, Lake Erie, and Western. In 1895 it became the Erie Railroad. 1863 - The Northern Central took over the Elmira & Williamsport line - later became the property of the Pennsylvania Railroad. 1867 - Fire damaged the original Elmira Depot and a new one was built (opened 1868). 1870 - Lehigh Valley Railroad opened an office in Elmira. 1872 - Utica, Horseheads, & Elmira (later the Utica, Ithaca, & Elmira.) Construction between Erin and Van Ettenville necessitated building two curved trestles - the Deep Gorge trestle and the Blockhouse Ravine trestle. 1882 - The New York, Lackawanna & Western was completed to Elmira, soon became the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. 1884 - Elmira, Cortland & Northern service to Syracuse 1913 - New Lackawanna station just west of the original. 1932 - Raising of the Lackawanna tracks through Elmira completed. 1934 - Raising of the Erie tracks through Elmira completed. 1956 - Pennsylvania Railroad ended passenger service. 1957 - Last steam locomotive through Elmira (Pennsylvania Railroad). 1960 - Erie and DL & W merged into the Erie-Lackawanna. 1961 - Last passenger train for the Lehigh Valley. 1970 - Erie-Lackawanna discontinued passenger service. 1976 - Erie-Lackawanna absorbed into Conrail. 1998 - Norfolk-Southern takes over Conrail.

The post card was published by the Baker Brothers, also out of Elmira, New York from 1915 to 1927. The Baker Brothers had been local news dealers since the 1890’s and began publishing postcards of regional views under their name in the early 20th century. Around 1915 they started up the Owen Card Publishing Company that specifically dealt with greeting and holiday cards. These cards were printed on a linen embossed paper and often contained large empty areas, a typical American design. The company later became involved with designing boxes for cards as well.

What is so New about this River?

I am not sure if I see a train in the picture on this post card. There are, however, train tracks and what looks like a puff of smoke.That is good enough for me to keep this post card. It shows a set of tracks following along the New River in West Virginia. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/index.htm tells us that there is now a National Park along this river. There is a page of history on this webiste and this is what it says: "The New River is like a ribbon tying together all the people, places, and events sharing its course through time. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve protects a rich variety of this history: from the subsistence lives of the native peoples and the later pioneers, to the coming of the railroad and the many peoples involved in the ensuing boom and bust of the coal mining and logging industries. You can visit the remains of the former boomtown of Thurmond, retrace the path of pioneer Mary Draper Ingles' amazing journey, learn of the legend and the facts of the "Steel Driving Man", John Henry, or read the oral history of an immigrant coal miner from the 1800s. The coming of the railroad through New River Gorge and southern West Virginia was the key event in shaping the modern history of this region. The construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad from the Virginia border through the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia to the Ohio River was a monumental undertaking. Working from both ends of the state the workers spent three years digging and grading the rail bed, hand drilling and blasting the tunnels, and building the bridges and laying the tracks. Using hand tools and explosives, with horses and mules helping with the heaviest loads, these men literally carved the pathway for the railroad through the rugged mountains by hand. One of the greatest legends of world folklore was born from these workers and their enormous task; John Henry "The Steel Driving Man". So... what is so new about this river? I did not know that the legend of John Henry was born here!

The post card was published by the Asheville Post Card Company out of Asheville, North Carolina. From 1921 to 1982 they were a major publisher of linen postcards that went on to produce photochromes. This post card is one of their linen post cards. The front is very linen; the back not so much. Their cards were manufactured by many different printers. This firm seems to have been founded by Lamar Campbell LeCompte and J.L. Widman though Widman soon left the company. LeCompte may have been publishing postcards in Ashville going back to 1910, the year he moved there. After LeComte’s death in 1977 the company continued to publish postcards as well as sell novelties, but they were eventually taken over by Aerial Photography Services.

Main Lines of Commerce

The location of this autumn scene is about six miles west of Johnstown,

Pennsylvania. In the foreground, the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line tracks between East and West parallel the scenic Conemaugh River, and on the far side are tracks of the Sang Hollow Extension Branch. From this website we learn the following information about Sang Hollow: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/prrthsdiscussionweb30239/sang-hollow-branch-t1074.html Sang Hollow extension was sort of the fourth track on the four track mainline. The Sang Hollow Extension was (and still is) used to service power plants near Seward (but on the other side of the valley) but it was also an extension of the Conemaugh Division which was used as a one way freight only bypass of Pitcairn yard and much of Suburban Pittsburgh. Because of Sang Hollow, slow moving westbound frieghts could depart the Mainline a few miles further east at Johnstown instead of New Florence. The Mainline was reduced to three tracks through the unstable Conemaugh Gap between Johnstown and Seward creating a traffic bottleneck. The Sang Hollow Extension relieved this congestion. If the Mainline was not overly congested at the time, freights kept to the Main, which returned to four tracks at Seward, and, if they were bypassing Pitcairn, entered the Conemaugh Division via Con-Pitt Junct. Con-Pitt is now an interlock for just three tracks (there were six once): two for the Mainline and one for the Sang Hollow/Conemaugh Division.

The post card is published by American Colortype. They were a publisher of books and tinted halftone postcards that included views, greetings, expositions, and various military subjects. They merged with the Rapid Electrotype Company of Cincinnati to become Rapid American. They had offices in New York and Chicago and existed from 1904 to 1956.