114 Steam Loco On Piece

From what I can tell, Mobile had both railroads and steamships in this era. The six cent rate would apply for railroads. I have two domestic steam ship cancellations on the 3 cent pictorial - the rate is only 3 cents for domestic mail via steamship (e.g., Mississippi, Lake Champlain, etc.). I believe the 10 cent adder is for international mail across the Atlantic or Pacific via steamship, although this is far from my area of expertise (if I have any...).

Used to live in London, having left in 1999. We were visiting just this past weekend.
The Tecumseh House, even then was an abandoned shell surrounded by parking lot. Incredibly historical (Dr. Neil Cream, an abortionist and murderer, who was one possible candidate to be Jack the Ripper, had offices adjoining the building), the city is still debating what to do with the structure. Meanwhile it crumbles. Sad really

Here's a link to a London Free Press story about it.

http://www.lfpress.com/2012/09/27/h...t-199-queens

Probably had another 3c stamp on it that someone wanted for their collection.
Even with the second stamp, it's not a particularly valuable cover.

The odds are, it was endorsed via Cairo and Chicago so that it would go the most direct way by rail. There was a rail line from Mobile up through St Louis that would have passed through Cairo. From there, it would be put on a different train for Chicago, then one for London, Ontario.
6c rate for letters up to 1/2 oz.

For a map of the rail line in about 1900 (the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio line), see: http://www.gmohs.org/TertiaryPages/MnOMapFull.htm
The same routes would have been available earlier (and later - you can still go from Chicago to New Orleans by rail).

Without the endorsement, the post office may have put it on a ship for New York, where it would be then put on a train for Buffalo and then London. Probably would have taken a few extra days that way.

Mobile and Ohio Railroad. This copied from wikipedia.

The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was conceived after hard times in Mobile following the Panic of 1837. The port was not generating the business that it had before the panic and businessmen and citizens in the city were inspired with a plan for a railroad to restore commerce to the city. The first section of track opened for service in 1852 between Mobile and Citronelle, Alabama. The line made it to Columbus, Kentucky on April 22, 1861, steamboats were then used to connect with the Illinois Central Railroad at Cairo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile...hio_Railroad

looks like someone cut off the good stamp and left the bad one.

I agree with stampvirgin - there was probably a super well centered 3 cent locomotive to the right. I do not believe it was a 10 cent stamp.