Tasmania - Colonial period: 1857-1900.
Transmission form: TC-TO-1.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: No form number.
Heading is ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH, TASMANIA below a 39 mm wide crest.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & form): Red on thick blue paper.
Size of form overall: A&B: 214 × 172 (approx) mm.
C: 209 × 162 (approx) mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:

 These forms are the first type of transmission form issued by the Colonial Government in Tasmania.

The first two formats were probably made available in sheet form with no provision for a copy to be made.

The third format was printed in one sheet with two halves. The message to be transmitted was written on the right side wjile a copy of the message, to be retained by the sender, was written on the left side. The Telegraph Operator would then slice the form into two halves (and a rough job it generally was too!!) and hand the left side back to the sender. An imaginative mock-up composite is included below.

TC-DO-1A
Provenance: Dingle Smith.		 TC-TO-1A.

Longford to Launceston.
6 March 1863.

Characeristics:

  • date begins with 186_;
1B 1870 TC-TO-1B.

Bothwell to Hobart
7 November 1870.

Characteristics:

  • date begins with 18__;
  • few details in heading.

 

See also the same type of form included as an example of a COLLECT telegram on 18 May 1871.
TC-TO-1C left

TC-TO-1C (left form).

See other uses elsewhere.

Green Ponds to Brighton.
7 December 1871 -
sent at 5:25 (pm)..

Characteristics:

  • the top of form has the words "Duplicate - retained by the sender of the message";
  • decorative scroll is down the right sde of the form;
  • information in the lower left corner is only Words and Charges in one line.

 

There are only two recorded examples of the left side form - which was to be retained by the Sender. That side had the burele band on the right. See below.

 

Interesting contents - the results of the election for Green Ponds in the Rural Municipal election.

Also see the telegram form below.

 

Another telegram - sent at 7:30 (pm) on 7 December - with the election results. This telegram was addressed to the Editor of The Mercury.

The tail of the p in "Duplicate" at the top can just be seen.

 

Note the vote for the third candidate (Palmer) has increased by one.

For confirmation see The Mercury of 8 December 1871.
TC-TO-1C TC-TO-1C (right form).

To New Norfolk
(4 October 1871).

Characteristics:

  • has decorative scroll down left side - see below.

The message has a manuscript "Immediate". As Urgent telegrams had not been introduced at this stage, the inscription must be interpreted as being an early form of an URGENT telegram.

 

None of the few (less than 10) forms have an edge anywhere near being straight.

(Tasmanian Stamp Auctions (August 2012).
Composite
A made-up composite using two different messages to show how the original form may have appeared before being cut.

 

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
TO-1A None. 6 March 1863 at Longford. RRR
TO-1B None. 7 November 1870 at Bothwell. RR
TO-1C (left) None. 28 September 1871 at Green Ponds. RRRR
TO-1c (right) None. 28 September 1871 at Green Ponds. RR