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MAP #: 355U5

CARTOGRAPHER : UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY

DATE: 1855

SHORT TITLE : PRELIMINARY CHART OF DELAWARE AND CHESAPEAKE BAYS

REMAINING TITLE & ID : AND THE SEACOAST FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO CAPE CHARLES FROM A TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF F.R. HASSLER AND A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE SURVEY OF THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLISHED IN 1855 A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENT SCALE 1/400,000 (TOP LEFT CORNER). "(C NO. 3)" (ABOVE TITLE). CIRCULAR COAST SURVEY SYMBOL WITH "VERIFIED H.W. BENHAM CAPT. OF ENG.rs ASST. C.S. IN CHARGE OF OFFICE " BELOW IT (UNDER TITLE). "NO. 12" (LEFT TOP MARGIN). "BOWNE & HASBROUCK LITH. N.Y." (RIGHT TOP MARGIN). "REDd. DRng. BY A. BOSCHKE" (LEFT BOTTOM MARGIN). "ENGd. BY J.V.N. THROOP J.C. KONDRUP & W. OGILVIE" (RIGHT BOTTOM MARGIN). TIDES TABLE (TOP RIGHT CORNER). SAILING DIRECTIONS FOR DELAWARE BAY AND NOTES (CENTER) AND FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY (CENTER LEFT). LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE TABLE (BOTTOM LEFT CORNER). SCALES IN STATUTE MILES, NAUTICAL MILES AND YARDS (BELOW PRIOR TABLE). TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE SEA BOTTOM (RIGHT, BELOW CENTER). COMPASS ROSE (BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER). THE REVERSE SIDE IS BLANK. LONGITUDE WEST FROM GREENWICH (TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS). LATITUDE (EAST AND WEST BORDERS).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1855
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : WASHINGTON
PUBLISHER : U.S. COAST SURVEY
LANGUAGE(S) : EN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 78.4 X 62.7 CM.
SIZE - OTHER DATA : 84.9 X 68.9 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 SC1399-449 (1855 ED)
# 2 : MSA SC1399-507 (1855 ED)
# 3 : MSA SC1399-580 (1855 ED)
# 4 : MSA SC1399-364 (REPRO - 1855 ED)
# 5 : MSA SC1399-592 (1866 ED)
# 6 : MSA SC1399-399 (REPRO - 1882 ED)
# 7 : MSA SC1399-699 (1882 ED - BICENTENNIAL COPY)
# 8 : MSA SC1399-148 (REPRO - 1884 ED)
HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : A016-HDU (1855 ED)
# 2 : A016-HDU (1855 ED)
# 3 : C015-2U1 (1855 ED)
# 4 : - (REPRO - 1855 ED)
# 5 : C015-2U1 (1866 ED)
# 6 : - (REPRO - 1882 ED)
# 7 : NOAA012-GIFT (1882 ED - BICENTENNIAL COPY)
# 8 : - (REPRO - 1884 ED)
REGION CATEGORY : MAP ON WHICH THE MD/CHESAPEAKE AREA IS ONE MAIN FOCUS (1)
SPECIAL CATEGORY(IES) : USCS CHART (4)
# SHEETS TO MAP : 1
MAP ORIENTATION : N IS AT THE TOP OF THE CHART.
RELIEF SHOWN ? : NO
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWN IN FEET AND FATHOMS.
: SHOALS ARE SHOWN BY SHADING AND BY DOTTED LINES.
: BOTTOM CONDITIONS ARE INDICATED.
CARTOUCHE : NONE (1)
BORDER : GEOGRAPHICALLY FUNCTIONAL (8)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : GREENWICH (1)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : 366U5, 382U4, 384U5.
BEST INFO SOURCE : THE 1855 USCS ANNUAL REPORT, THE NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS & COPPERPLATE RECORDS.
DESCRIPTION : THIS EXTREMELY DETAILED SEA CHART GIVES SOUNDINGS IN FEET UP TO 18, THEN IN FATHOMS. IT LOCATES LIGHT HOUSES AND LIGHT SHIPS. IT HAS VERY WIDESPREAD INDICATIONS OF THE CONDITION OF THE BOTTOM AND HAS SHOALS IN FEET SHADED AND IN FATHOMS MARKED BY DOTTED LINES. THIS CHART SUMMARIZES THE VERY BEST DATA AVAILABLE FROM THE ONGOING COAST SURVEY WORK AT THE TIME. THE CHART COVERS FROM JUST EAST OF CAPE MAY TO JUST SOUTH OF CAPE HENRY, INCLUDING ALL OF THE CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE BAYS. NO INLAND AND FEW RIVER DETAILS ARE SHOWN.

THE CHART WAS INCLUDED IN THE REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1855, WASHINGTON: 1856 (H.R. EX. DOC. NO. 6, 34th CONGRESS, 1ST SESSION), PRINTED BY CORNELIUS WENDELL. THIS CHART CONTINUED IN PRODUCTION UNTIL IT WAS DECLARED OBSOLETE IN 1915.

THE U.S. COAST SURVEY DEFINES A GENERAL CHART OF THE COAST AS BEING ONE ON A SCALE OF 1/400,000 WHOSE PURPOSE IS OFF-SHORE NAVIGATION. THESE CHARTS REPRESENT THE SHORELINE AND ITS CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES SO AS TO BE READILY RECOGNIZED BY THE NAVIGATOR APPROACHING IT. THE ENTIRE SHORE LINE OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS ARE COMPREHENDED BY THE COAST SURVEY IN 16 CHARTS OF THIS CLASS. PRELIMINARY CHARTS ARE THOSE ISSUED AS SOON AFTER THE SEVERAL SURVEYS AS IS CONSISTENT WITH ACCURACY OF GENERAL DELINEATION AND ARE DESIGNED TO SUPPLY THE IMMEDIATE AND PRESSING DEMANDS OF NAVIGATION. FINISHED CHARTS EMBODY ALL THE INFORMATION FURNISHED BY THE SURVEY. THE TWO CLASSES DIFFER IN REGARD TO THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION BUT NOT TO THE CORRECTNESS OF WHAT IS GIVEN.

DATA IS FROM THE 1855 USCS ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS, FROM MANUSCRIPT NOAA RECORDS, AND FROM OBSERVATION OF THE COPIES IN THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION.

EDITION & STATE INFO : THIS CHART IS BASED ON AN ORIGINAL PLATE # 453, WHICH WAS COMMENCED IN SEPTEMBER, 1855 AND COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER, 1856. ITS TITLE ORIGINALLY WAS "PRELIMINARY CHART OF DELAWARE AND CHESAPEAKE BAYS AND THE SEACOAST FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO CAPE CHARLES..." IT WAS USCS CATALOG # 376. ADDITIONS TO THE ORIGINAL PLATE WERE MADE IN 1861 AND CORRECTIONS WERE APPLIED ON THE PLATE TO JULY 8, 1878. TWO FATHOM SHOAL LIGHT WAS CHANGED. THE WORD "PRELIMINARY" WAS DROPPED FROM RELEASES AFTER THE ORIGINAL AND THE TITLE WAS CHANGED IN 1866 TO READ "GENERAL CHART OF DELAWARE AND CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE SEACOAST FROM CAPE MAY TO CAPE HENRY...EDITION OF 1866". A TOTAL OF 4 ALPHA COPPERPLATES WERE MADE FROM PLATE 453 BEFORE A NEW ORIGINAL PLATE # 2032 WAS MADE COMMENCING MARCH 30, 1889 AND PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY, 1992. TWO ADDITIONAL ALPHAS WERE MADE FROM THE NEW ORIGINAL THROUGH APRIL, 1900. THE CHART WAS DECLARED OBSOLETE IN 1915. THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS THE PLATE HISTORY OF THE CHART:

BASED ON

TYPE PLATE PLATE # SIZE PLATE DATE PLATE # REMARKS

ORIGINAL 453 28x33" - - BEGUN 9/1855. COMPLETED 11/1856 ALPHA 231 " 11/26/56 453 - BASSO 651 " 12/9/57 231 PLATE OBSOLETED. AIDS TO NAVIGATION CORRECTED ON PLATE 453 MAY 8, 1879. ALPHA 574 " 8/30/78 453 - ALPHA 681 " 11/15/82 453 - BASSO 1724 " 12/5/82 681 PLATE CONDEMNED. FULL OF HOLES. BASSO 1727 " 1/13/83 681 PLATE CONDEMNED. FULL OF HOLES. BASSO 1734 " 2/14/83 681 - ALPHA 692 " 7/83 1734 - ORIGINAL 2032 30x38" - - BEGUN 3/30/1889. COMPLETED 2/4/1892. ALPHA 1023 " 2/26/92 2032 - BASSO 2201 " 3/24/92 1023 - BASSO 2623 " 12/2/99 1023 PLATE CONDEMNED BECAUSE OF ACID UNDER THE SURFACE SO THAT WHEN CORRECTIONS WERE MADE, ACID WOULD FORM WHISKERS. BASSO 2649 " 4/28/1900 1023 - ALPHA 1425 " ? 2649 -

DATA IS FROM MANUSCRIPT RECORDS AT NOAA.

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS THREE COPIES IN GOOD CONDITION ON THIN PAPER WITH ACQ. #s OF A016- HDU, A016-HDU AND C015-2U1 AND WITH MDHR #S OF MSA SC1399-449, 507, AND 580, RESPECTIVELY. IT HAS A REPRODUCTION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS COPY OF THIS CHART WITH A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-364. THE COLLECTION HAS A COPY OF THE 1866 EDITION ON THIN PAPER WITH SOME BROWNING, SEPARATION AND WRINKLING AT THE FOLDS WITH THE FOLDS STRENGTHENED. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF C015-2U1 AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-592. THE COLLECTION HAS A REPRODUCTION OF THE 1882 EDITION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. IT HAS A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-399. IT HAS A LITHOGRAPHED COPY ON HEAVY PAPER OF PLATE 453, UPDATED THROUGH 1882, DONE BY NOAA FOR THE BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. THIS ISSUE, DISTINGUISHED BY THE DESIGNATION "BiC-40" IN THE BOTTOM LEFT MARGIN AND BY "PUBLISHED AT WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE" IN THE CENTER BOTTOM MARGIN. FINALLY, THE COLLECTION HAS A REPRODUCTION OF THE ISSUE UPDATED THROUGH 1884 WITH A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-148.

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1855, WASHINGTON: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EX. DOC. NO. 6, 34th CONGRESS, 1st SESSION, PRINTED BY CORNELIUS WENDELL, 21, 149 (#20), 153; NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, CHART HISTORY CARDS FOR CHART # 376, UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT RECORDS; NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, RECORDS OF COPPER PLATES ATLANTIC COAST, UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT RECORDS.

February 24, 1993


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