Wadhams Mills, NY Bisect

Wadhams Mills was a small post office in Essex County, NY about 40 miles south of Plattsburgh in the town of Westport.  In 1898, the post office ran out of its supply of 1c and 2c stamps.

The story was told in the The American Journal of Philately, the forerunner to today's The American Philatelist.

Lake Champlain Train Wreck

In 1894, mail from Canada to England must have gone via various routes including from New York City.  One of the main railroad routes went down the Champlain Valley on the New York side of Lake Champlain.

In December 1894, one of the trains went off the tracks just south of Port Henry (Essex County). A few cars including the mail car ended up in the water. The mail clerk was killed in the wreck and the mail car inundated.  The stamps on this letter from Montréal to London were washed off.

I assume that the USPOD applied the red rubberstamped explanation.  The letter was marked PAID when it reached England.

added by USPOD

front of envelope showing where the stamps were originally

reverse of envelope