Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: USM

"They are on the way now. Harrisburg, Pa., ________. Dear ________. We are pleased to inform you that we are forwarding today--____ letters ____packages. And we have noted your change of address on our records. J. A. Johnson, manager. The Harrisburger, Harrisburg's newest hotel, Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.M. Doc Rankin."

The registration number--NC-14715-- that appears on the wing and tail of the airplane in the illustration on the cover of this notepaper pad identifies it as the Philippine Clipper , which was lost in the crash of Pan Am Flight 1104 in 1943. Wikipedia provides additional details: " Pan Am Flight 1104 , Trip No. 62100, was a Martin M-130 flying boat nicknamed the Philippine Clipper that crashed on the morning of January 21, 1943, in Northern California. The aircraft was operated by Pan American World Airways, and at the time of the crash was transporting ten US Navy personnel from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to San Francisco, California. The aircraft crashed in poor weather into mountainous terrain approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Ukiah, California, due to pilot error." Tragically, all nineteen who were on the aircraft, including the ten Navy passengers and nine crew members, perished in the crash.

"A Happy New Year. Will D. Reiber." Initials on mailbag and wagon: "U.S.M. [United States Mail]." William D. Reiber (1860-1933) served as a letter carrier in Brooklyn, New York, from 1882 until his retirement in 1924 (as mentioned in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle , Aug. 7, 1924, p. 18).