1891 U.S. Coast Survey Map of New York City: Harlem River, Hell Gate, Roosevelt Island

The only known example in this edition.

An extremely scarce and important 1891 nautical chart or maritime map depicting New York City's Hell Gate, the East River, the Harlem River, Roosevelt Island (Blackwell's Island), Ward's Island, and Randall's Island, as well as portions of adjacent Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. As suggested by the title, the map focuses on the East River from the southern tip of Roosevelt Island northwards to the northern tip of Randall's Island and the Harlem River. The three islands are particularly well mapped with superb inland detail with individual buildings and roadways identified. The Queens and Manhattan portions of the map are detailed only along the riverside.

The real focus of the map is the river itself. The passage between Roosevelt Island and Ward Island was first named Helegat, meaning 'bright passage', by the Dutch Explorer Adriaen Block in 1614. When the English moved in it was Anglicized to Hell Gate, arguably a more appropriate term since the shoals and the violent swirling tidal flux proved the demise of many ships. To sailors the gate appeared as 'a giant whirlpool, punctuated with rocks, reefs, and islands. To a sea captain worth his salt, it must have appeared as a gate to Hell' (The Conquest of Hell's Gate, U.S. Army). Countless ships were lost here inspiring the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake the incredible project of deepening the channel and blowing up the reefs. In 1885 the Great Blast of Flood Rock, the largest manmade explosion before the Atomic Bomb, destroyed Flood Rock (still depicted here). The debris from the explosion was subsequently cleared out and used to fill the narrow channel between Randall's Island and Ward's Island, as well as the 'sunken garden', creating a single large island. Subsequently, this important channel became easily navigable and trade consequently increased dramatically.

Though the U.S. Coast Survey issued this map well after demolition crews blew up the reefs and shoals near Ward's Island as well as Flood Rock, most of these reefs are still shown, suggesting that it may have been nearly useless to a navigator. This may well explain its extraordinary scarcity. Only two other examples are known, both of a later date, and both held in institutional collections. These include one example (G3802.H4 P531895.U5) dated 1895 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, and another example (G3804 .N4 P5 1892 .U4) dated 1892 at Stanford University. It also does not appear in Haskell.

According to the maps' imprint it was first published in 1887, the present example being updated to April of 1891 under the supervision of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The triangulation was completed by E. Blunt and G. Bradford. The topography is the work of H. Hergesheimer. The hydrography was accomplished by J. M. Hawley and C. P. Perkins. Most of this work was completed between 1885 and 1886. Although earlier examples may theoretically exist, the above is the earliest known surviving example and the only such in private hands. Represents coast chart no. 3695.

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

Very good. Two sheets joined at center. Some toning.

References

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, G3802.H4 P531895.U5. Stanford University, Branner Earth Sciences Library, G3804 .N4 P5 1892 .U4.