1906 U.S. Coast Survey Nautical Chart or Map of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Culmination of nearly 100 years of survey work in these waters.

A stunning large format separate issue 1908 U.S. Coast Survey nautical chart or maritime map of Cape Cod Bay - representing the culmination of nearly 100 years of active survey work in these waters. The chart follows the Massachusetts coastline from Duxbury Bay to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod and south as far as Nickerson's Neck. As a whole it is extraordinarily engraved, with near 3-dimensional detail inland on the Cape. At the base of the map there are three land profile charts - intended to help navigators identify prominent features on distant shorelines. The left-hand quadrants of the map feature various tables, sailing instructions, notes on soundings and tides, and a wealth of other practical information for the mariner.

Publication History and Census

This chart was first published in 1872, the present example being the updated 1908 edition issued under the supervision of O.H. Tittmann, Superintendent of the Survey.

Cartographers

The Office of the Coast Survey (1807 - present), founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, to produce accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first two superintendents defined the spirit of the Coast Survey. The Coast Survey's first superintendent was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under Hassler's direction, from 1816 to 1843, the Coast Survey established its ideological and scientific foundations. These included the use of the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment, along with unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor-intensive triangulation system that divided the entire coast into a series of enormous triangles. These were then subdivided into smaller triangulation units, which were individually surveyed. No one had ever attempted this exacting technique on such a massive scale. As a result, Hassler and the Coast Survey under his leadership earned a reputation for uncompromising dedication to accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, and Congress cut funding for the Coast Survey twice. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, when Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to fund the endeavor generously. Under A. D. Bache's leadership, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. During his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache steadfastly advocated American science and navigation and, in fact, founded the American Academy of Sciences. Benjamin Pierce succeeded Bache and ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson, Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) to accommodate both topographic and nautical surveys. Today, the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey.   Further Details...

Otto Hilgard Tittmann (August 20, 1850 - August 21, 1938) was a German-American geodesist, geographer, and astronomer. Born in Belleville, Illinois, Tittmann attended school in St. Louis before joining the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey on November 10, 1867, and would remain with the U.S.C.G.S until his resignation 48 years later. Between 1889 and 1893, Dr. Tittmann was in charge of the Office of Standard Weights and Measures, which was, at this time in American history, part of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and would remain so until the establishment of the National Bureau of Standards. During his time in charge of Weights and Measures, Tittman was sent to Paris to bring to the United States the national standard meter and to study weights and measures offices in Paris, London, and Berlin. Tittmann was named Assistant Superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey on April 18, 1899 and was elevated to the post of Superintendent on December 1 1900, which he held until he resigned the post on April 15, 1915. Tittman, a co-founder of the National Geographic Society, served as the Society's President from 1915 until 1919. He was also a member of the Philosophical Society of Washington, the American Philosophical Society, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Scient, the American Meteorological Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Cosmos Club. Dr. Tittman was a respected geodesist and renowned as one of the best in the country.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Some extremely light foxing. Else very clean.

References

OCLC 556349392.