South Orange, N.j. "Cork" Year '78

Just some odds & ends research on the card.
Can anyone take a shot at translation of the language on the message side?

Voyage info is based on the cancel year date really being 1878.

To: Mr. H. Deutzberg II (Steward?)
S.S. Lessing
Hamburg 2-Pier
Hoboken, New Jersey

South Orange Village dates back to May 4, 1869, when it was formed within South Orange Township (now Maplewood).

The S.S. Lessing was built in Glascow in 1874 sailing first under the Adler Line. She was of 3496 tons, 375' long, 40' beam, one funnel, 2 masts, iron hull, single screw, speed 13 knots.

In 1875 she was transferred to the Hamburg-America Line sailing Hamburg to New York. In 1888 she was renamed the Nerthe; in 1897 she was scrapped.

The Lessing was listed as carrying 90 passengers in First Class, 100 in Second, and 800 in Third Class.

Interesting history of the early emigrant voyages
http://www.norwayheritage.com/







S.S. Lessing before conversion to two funnels in 1882


North German Lloyd Piers, Hoboken, N. J.
"The German liner piers, shared by what were then two of the world's biggest and busiest shippers, the Hamburg-American Line and the North German Lloyd, were built just after the turn of the century. Slender "finger" piers, which extended more than 900 feet out into the Hudson, they were built on the site of the ruins of the previous docks, which were destroyed in the devastating Hoboken Pier Fire of 1900




Hamburg-American Steamship Line ~1885
http://www.maggieblanck.com/Hoboken/Piers.html


From Hamburg via Havre to New York, April 10, 1878 - passenger list.
https://immigrantships.net/1800/lessing780410.html

That voyage does not seem to be listed here.

Very nicely done.

There are more South Orange negative year date killers listed in the Cole/Stamp Smarter database, dating from 1876 to 1882. It won't be a complete list and some of the predicted years of use are wrong. There is another "78" there, slightly different as expected since these cancels didn't last all that long.

Interesting that mail could be addressed to a docked ship and get there, but I suppose if you could address mail to something like the AAAA Building without a street address back then, it would be no surprise.

A docked ship would be pretty easy to find.

(Just a few thoughts)

I'm guessing it went to the ships company office at the pier. Maybe delivered to ship on arrival.

Probably was a schedule of arrival / departures.

Also, addressed to a crew member (II steward) and not a passenger.

Even though no reason why arriving passengers could not get mail sent there, if known arriving.
pat