South Australia - Colonial period: 1855-1900.
Delivery form: SC-DO-4.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form number No. 13.
Has ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH with crest between words and the Lion and the Unicorn face away from each other.
Message area: 20 boxes in four lines.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & form): Red on cream.
Size of form overall: 194 × 223 mm.
Size of date stamp box: 40 × 34 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 
DO-4A SC-DO-4A.

Melbourne to Heidelberg, Germany repeated at Glenelg.
4 November 1876.

Very early usage of a hand stamp on a telegram. Also an early example of a telegram crossing the Overland Telegraph line (4 years after opening).

Characteristics:

  • no heading for the name of the receiving Station;
  • no entry after Station in the top of the 2nd section.
  • ADDRESSED TO has two lines.
  • the message area has four rows of five boxes.

SC-DO-4B.

Adelaide to Port Augusta.
22 April 1892.

Very rare T.O date stamp.

The message both front and back is completely whited out - unfortunately common with so many South Australian telegrams.

Characteristics:

  • no heading for the name of the Receiving Station - so here a SL hand stamp was used.
  • ADDRESSED TO has three lines.
  • the message area has five rows of four boxes.
  • NOTE at the bottom has "unless at the end of line 1 and PLEASE TURNOVER in the lower right corner.
  • reverse side has 17 rows of 4 boxes for the message.
  • At the base of the reverse side are two lines for "SIGNATURE AND FULL/ ADDRESS OF THE SENDER.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
DO-4A None. 4 November 1876 at Glenelg. RRRR
DO-4B None. 22 April 1892 at Port Augusta. RRRR