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MAP #: 354U5

CARTOGRAPHER : UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY

DATE: 1854

SHORT TITLE : SKETCH C SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY IN SECTION III

REMAINING TITLE & ID : FROM 1843 TO 1854 SCALE 1/400000 1854 (BOTTOM LEFT CORNER). "NO.17" (LEFT TOP MARGIN). "P.S. DUVAL & CO. [..?..] LITH. PRESS PHILa." (RIGHT TOP MARGIN). SCALE IN STATUTE MILES (CENTER BOTTOM MARGIN). "U.S. COAST SURVEY A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENT" (ABOVE TITLE). TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS (ABOVE TITLE BLOCK). ENGRAVING EXTENDS INTO TOP, BOTTOM AND RIGHT MARGINS THROUGH NEAT LINES. THE SKETCH IS WIDER BETWEEN THE NEAT LINES AT THE BOTTOM THAN AT THE TOP (57 CM AT TOP AND 58.3 CM AT BOTTOM). INSETS OF THE UPPER REACHES OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER (CENTER LEFT) AND OF THE UPPER REACHES OF THE JAMES RIVER (LEFT OF TITLE AND SYMBOLS TABLE) ARE SHOWN. THE REVERSE SIDE IS BLANK. LONGITUDE WEST FROM GREENWICH (TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS). LATITUDE (RIGHT AND LEFT BORDERS).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1855
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : WASHINGTON
PUBLISHER : U.S. COAST SURVEY
LANGUAGE(S) : EN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 86.0 X 57.0 CM. (BETWEEN NEAT LINES)
SIZE - OTHER DATA : 90.8 X 62.4 CM. OM
SCALE - (RF) 1: : 400,000
SCALE - OTHER DATA : 40 STATUTE MILES - 15.9 CM.
LIB. OF CONGRESS # : -
Md. HALL OF RECORDS # 1 : MSA SC1399-588
# 2 : MSA SC1399-288
HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : C015-2U1
# 2 : J017-DDT
REGION CATEGORY : MAP ON WHICH THE MD/CHESAPEAKE AREA IS ONE MAIN FOCUS (1)
SPECIAL CATEGORY(IES) : USCS TYPE CHART (4)
: PROGRESS SKETCH (20)
# SHEETS TO MAP : 1
MAP ORIENTATION : N IS AT THE TOP OF THE MAP.
RELIEF SHOWN ? : NO
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : SHOAL SOUNDINGS ARE IN FATHOMS IN THE OCEAN AREA.
: SHOALS ARE SHOWN IN SHADING.
CARTOUCHE : NONE (1)
BORDER : GEOGRAPHICALLY FUNCTIONAL (8)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : GREENWICH (1)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : -
BEST INFO SOURCE : THE 1854 USCS ANNUAL REPORT IS THE ONLY ONE FOUND.
DESCRIPTION : THIS SKETCH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA WAS ISSUED TO ILLUSTRATE THE REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1854. IT GIVES THE MAJOR AND SECONDARY TRIANGULATION LINES FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ITS RIVERS THAT HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TO DATE. IT ALSO SHOWS BY DOTTED LINES THE AERIAL EXTENT OF MORE DETAILED TOPOGRAPHIC AND HYDROGRAPHIC SHEETS, WHICH WERE DONE IN MANUSCRIPT BUT NEVER PUBLISHED AND ISSUED TO THE PUBLIC, WITH THEIR NUMBER AND DATE OF EXECUTION. THE SKETCH GIVES THE ASTRONOMICAL, MAGNETIC, TIDAL AND CURRENT STATIONS IN USE.

DURING 1854, OBSERVATIONS OF THE SOLAR ECLIPSE OF MAY 26 WERE MADE AT THE SEATON STATION, WASHINGTON AND ROSLYN STATION, PETERSBURG. TELEGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES OF LONGITUDE WERE DETERMINED BETWEEN PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA AND WILMINGTON, N.C. THE STATIONS OF THE MAIN TRIANGULATION OF THE CHESAPEAKE, COMPLETED IN 1853, WERE GENERALLY SECURED. THE SECONDARY TRIANGULATION OF JAMES RIVER FROM RICHMOND TO HARRISON'S BAR WERE FINISHED AND ITS EXTENSION WAS IN PROGRESS. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE OCEAN SHORE NEAR DRUMMONDTOWN WAS CONTINUED FROM METOMEKIN TO WACHAPRIGUE INLET; THAT OF THE CHESAPEAKE YIELDED THE SHORELINE OF YORK, POCOSIN, AND BACK RIVER ENTRANCES. THE TOPOGRAPHY WAS CARRIED UP JAMES RIVER FROM ITS MOUTH TO WARWICK RIVER ON ONE SIDE AND TO DAY'S POINT ON THE OTHER, INCLUDING THE MOUTH OF NANSEMOND RIVER, AND EXTENDED UP ELIZABETH RIVER BEYOND PORTSMOUTH AND NORFOLK AND ALONG THE SHORE TO TURNER'S CREEK. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE IMMEDIATE SHORES OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK WAS CARRIED FROM PORT ROYAL TO TAPPAHANNOCK. VERIFICATION WORK WAS DONE ON BACK RIVER, MARYLAND AND MEEKIN'S NECK. THE HYDROGRAPHY OF CHESAPEAKE BAY PROPER WAS COMPLETED, INCLUDING THE SOUNDINGS OF HAMPTON ROADS, AND OF THE ELIZABETH RIVER AND HARBOR OF NORFOLK. THE HYDROGRAPHY OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK WAS CARRIED TO PORT ROYAL AND THAT OF THE JAMES RIVER ENTRANCE WAS BEGUN AND EXTENDED TO THE LIMITS ALREADY NOTED FOR THE TOPOGRAPHY. A RESURVEY WAS DONE OF THE BODKIN CHANNEL AND APPROACHES, AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PATAPSCO RIVER TO TEST CHANGES THERE. THE TIDAL STATION AT OLD POINT COMFORT WAS CONTINUED AND TEMPORARY STATIONS ON THE JAMES WERE OCCUPIED.

DRAWINGS WERE MADE OR ARE IN PROGRESS OF CHESAPEAKE BAY, SHEETS 1,2 AND 3, FIRST SERIES, AND NUMBERS 1 AND 2 OF A SECOND SERIES; OF A GENERAL CHART OF THE BAY, OF PRELIMINARY CHARTS OF THE JAMES AND APPOMATTOX RIVERS AND OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER AND SEACOAST OF VIRGINIA, SHEET 2. SKETCHES WERE ENGRAVED OF THE SEACOAST OF VIRGINIA, # 2, WACHAPRIGUE, MACHIPONGO AND METOMKIN INLETS, VIRGINIA; OF SHIP AND SAND INLETS, OF CAPE CHARLES AND THE VICINITY, AND CHERRYSTONE INLET AND PUNGOTEAGUE CREEK, VIRGINIA; AND MAPS OF CHESAPEAKE BAY, NO. 1 AND 2 AND OF PATAPSCO RIVER WERE IN PROGRESS.

DATA IS FROM THE 1854 USCS ANNUAL REPORT AND FROM OBSERVATION OF THE COPIES IN THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION.

EDITION & STATE INFO : INFORMAL REPORTS WERE MADE ANNUALLY BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY FROM 1816 THROUGH 1850. THESE WERE PUBLISHED BY THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT AND WERE SENT TO CONGRESS. BEGINNING WITH 1851, THESE PROGRESS REPORTS BECAME MORE FORMAL. THEY WERE PRODUCED IN MUCH LARGER QUANTITY AND WERE MORE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN ADDITION TO CONGRESS. THE U.S. COAST SURVEY BECAME THE PUBLISHER BEGINNING IN 1851. THE WIDER DISSEMINATION WAS AN ATTEMPT BY THE AGENCY TO BUILD A WIDER BASE OF SUPPORT FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COAST SURVEY. BEGINNING IN 1844, THESE REPORTS DESCRIBED IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY INCLUDING IN SECTION III, WHICH PRIMARILY CONSISTED OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE OCEAN FRONT OF DELAWARE, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. ANNUAL PROGRESS SKETCHES WERE APPENDED, SHOWING THE EXTENT OF THE TRIANGULATION, TOPOGRAPHY, HYDROGRAPHY AND OTHER WORK ACCOMPLISHED UP TO THAT TIME.

THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS A SECOND COPY OF THE 1854 SKETCH C THAT LACKS THE "P.S. DUVAL & CO...." LEGEND IN THE TOP RIGHT MARGIN.

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS A COPY IN GOOD CONDITION ON THIN PAPER WITH SOME BROWNING AT THE FOLDS WITH AN ACQ. # OF J017-DDT AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-288. THE COLLECTION ALSO HAS A SECOND COPY ON THIN PAPER IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, BUT WITH TRIMMED MARGINS FOR THE BOTTOM 2/3RDS OF THE LEFT MARGIN, WITHOUT LOSS OF DATA. IT LACKS THE "P.S. DUVAL & CO." LEGEND. IT HAS AN # OF C015-2U1 AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-588.

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : U.S. COAST SURVEY, REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1854, WASHINGTON: A.O.P. NICHOLSON, PUBLIC PRINTER, 1855, 19-20, 25, 44-49.

September 21, 1991


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