Three Postcards Mailed from Hoboken in the Aftermath of the 1900 North German Lloyd Pier Fire with Contemporary Notes on the Ruins and S.S. 'Saale.'
1900Best.-Nr. BK0100New York: Franz Huld and Arthur Livingston 1900. Three illustrated private mailing cards approximately 3 ¼ x 5 ½ inches each with manuscript messages and Hoboken postmarks dated August 23 1900 addressed to J. H. McNally of Lowell Massachusetts. Minor handling wear and soiling very good. Three postcards depicting the destruction caused by the June 30 1900 North German Lloyd pier fire at Hoboken mailed from the city less than two months later by a man signing himself "Jim" to his brother in Lowell. Two are Franz Huld cards nos. 31 and 32 showing the North German Lloyd docks the day after the fire and the burning S.S. Saale; the third published by Arthur Livingston shows the ruins at the entrance to the company's docks. The sender adds brief observations from Hoboken to the printed disaster views. On the view of the ruined docks he writes "The fire is still smoking." Of the Saale: "This boat is still here they are repairing her." The third explains the group: "I saw these cards today and I thought you would like them. Everything is O.K." The fire swept through the North German Lloyd piers and several vessels in the harbor killing more than 300 people. Postcard historian George Miller has described it as "the first major disaster recorded on postcards" noting at least sixteen American postcard issues and an exceptionally rapid response by publishers; the earliest known copyright was registered only five days after the fire.1 The present cards were mailed while its physical aftermath remained visible on the Hoboken waterfront. 1 George Miller "The first major disaster recorded on postcards" Postcard History October 25 2021 https://postcardhistory.net/2021/10/the-first-major-disaster-recorded-on-postcards-the-hoboken-pier-fire-june-30-1900/. . Franz Huld and Arthur Livingston unknown
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