1855 U.S. Coast Survey Map of Cape Fear, North Carolina

A preliminary chart of the U.S. Coast Survey's work around Cape Fear.

One of the largest and most striking U.S.C.S. Map of North Carolina's Cape Fear. extends from Federal Point south to the tip of Cape Fear and then west past Smithville and Fort Caswell to Oak Island (roughly 78.04 Longitude). Offers superb coastal detail of the North Carolina mainland as well as Smith's Island and Federal Point. From a nautical perspective the map offers a wealth of depths soundings and sailing instructions, as well as information on shoals, light houses, and tides. Produced on a scale of 1:30,000. Represents the early work of the Coast Survey in this region. The triangulation for this chart was calculated by C. P. Bolles. The topography was completed by C. P. Bolles and J. S Bradford. Hydrography was accomplished by T. A. Jenkins and J. N . Maffitt. Prepared under the supervision of A. D. Bache for the 1855 Report of the Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey.

Cartographer

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...

Source

Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, Washington, 1855.    

Condition

Very good. Minor toning on folds. Original fold lines. Closed verso repair on folds. Blank on verso.

References

University of North Carolina, North Carolina Collection, Cm912m U58cf1.