1893 U.S. Coast Survey Nautical Chart or Map of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay

A rare 19th Century Nautical Chart of the Chesapeake Bay.

This is a rare example of the 1893 U.S. Coast Survey Map or Nautical Chart of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. This chart is based on survey work initiated in 1855 and has been updated to 1893. Covers from Philadelphia south as Cape Henry and Norfolk. Includes both the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay in full, as well as significant portions of the Potomac River, Rappahannock River, York River, James River, Patapsco River, and Patuxent River. Includes the major centers of Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Wilmington, Baltimore, and Richmond. Offers stupendous detail both inland and at sea. Notes all major railroads, communities, and shoreline features. Nautically, this map really shines. There are thousands of depth soundings, shading for undersea shoals and other dangers, and red and yellow color coding for buoys, light ships, and lighthouses.

This chart is not to be confused with the similar folded charts that are commonly issued in the Annual Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey. Rather it is an independently issued chart on heavy stock. It has never been folded. Most likely this chart has actually been used to sail. Such charts are much less common and far more desirable than the folded Report charts. This map was published by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey as chart no. 376 under the supervision of T. C. Mendenhall.

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...

Condition

Good. Some minor soiling along top margin. Minor cosmetic damage near Philadelphia. We considered having this map professionally cleaned and flattened, but find that it is quite nice as is. However, this service remains an option for the buyer. On thick stock.

References

Swem, E. G., Maps Relating to Virginia in the Virginia State Library and other Departments of the Commwealth with the 17th and 18th Century Atlas-Maps in the Library of Congress, 1561.