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MAP #: 355U6

CARTOGRAPHER : UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY

DATE: 1855

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

REMAINING TITLE & ID : FROM 1843 TO 1855 SCALE 1/400.000 1855 (BOTTOM LEFT CORNER). "NO. 10" (LEFT TOP MARGIN). SCALE IN ST. MI. (CENTER BOTTOM MARGIN). "U.S. COAST SURVEY A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENT" (ABOVE TITLE). TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS SYMBOLS AND LINES (LEFT, ABOVE TITLE DATA). ENGRAVING EXTENDS INTO TOP, RIGHT AND BOTTOM MARGINS THROUGH THE NEAT LINES. THE SKETCH IS WIDER BETWEEN THE NEAT LINES AT THE BOTTOM THAN AT THE TOP (57.3 CM. AT TOP AND 58.1 CM. AT BOTTOM). AN INSET IS SHOWN OF THE UPPER REACHES OF THE JAMES RIVER (LOWER LEFT). THE REVERSE SIDE IS BLANK. LONGITUDE WEST FROM GREENWICH (TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS). LATITUDE (RIGHT AND LEFT BORDERS).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1856
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : WASHINGTON
PUBLISHER : U.S. COAST SURVEY
LANGUAGE(S) : EN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 86.1 X 57.3 CM. (BETWEEN NEAT LINES)
SIZE - OTHER DATA : 92.0 X 63.0 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 SC1399-581
# 2 : MSA SC1399-380(REPRO)

HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : C015-2U1
# 2 : -
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 CHART.
RELIEF SHOWN ? : NO
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : SHOAL SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWN IN FATHOMS IN THE OCEAN AREA.
: SHOALS ARE SHOWN BY SHADING.
CARTOUCHE : NONE (1)
BORDER : GEOGRAPHICALLY FUNCTIONAL (8)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : GREENWICH (1)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : -
BEST INFO SOURCE : THE 1855 USCS ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS IS THE ONLY SOURCE FOUND.
DESCRIPTION : THIS SKETCH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA WAS ISSUED AS SKETCH NO. 10 TO ILLUSTRATE THE REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1855. 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 ISSUED TO THE PUBLIC, WITH THEIR NUMBERS AND DATES OF EXECUTION. THE SKETCH GIVES THE ASTRONOMICAL, MAGNETIC, TIDAL AND CURRENT STATIONS IN USE.

AS OF THE END OF 1855, THE PRIMARY TRIANGULATION WAS ENTIRELY COMPLETE, AS WAS THE SECONDARY ON THE OCEAN SHORE. MOST OF THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CHESAPEAKE AND THE MARYLAND RIVERS AND THE OUTER COAST WAS COMPLETE, WITH SOME WORK LEFT NEAR THE LOWER BAY, IN THE VIRGINIA RIVERS, AND ON THE OUTER COAST OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. THE TRIANGULATION OF THE RIVERS OF MARYLAND AND OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK WAS DONE AND THAT OF THE JAMES NEARLY DONE. THE IN-SHORE HYDROGRAPHY OF THE OUTER COAST AND OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PROPER WAS FINISHED. SOME HYDROGRAPHY REMAINED OFF SHORE AND IN PARTS OF THE RIVERS.

DURING 1855, MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS IN SECTION III CONTINUED, THE TRIANGULATION OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK WAS COMPLETED, THAT OF THE JAMES WAS CONTINUED, VERIFICATION OF THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CHESAPEAKE WAS IN PROGRESS AS WAS THAT OF THE OCEAN SHORE. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LOWER CHESAPEAKE WAS NEARLY COMPLETED, THE TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPHY OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK MADE PROGRESS, HYDROGRAPHY IN THE LOWER BAY CONTINUED AND SAILING DIRECTIONS AND LISTS OF DANGERS WERE PREPARED, THE HYDROGRAPHY OF THE POCOMOKE SOUND WAS COMPLETED, WHILE THAT OF THE JAMES PROGRESSED FROM NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER, TIDAL OBSERVATIONS WERE CONTINUED AND VIEWS WERE TAKEN FOR THE CHARTS OF THE OUTER COAST. TWO PARTIES WERE ENGAGED IN SECONDARY TRIANGULATION, FOUR ON TOPOGRAPHY, THREE ON HYDROGRAPHY, ONE ON MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS AND ONE ON OFFSHORE VIEWS.

THE STEAMER HETZEL, ENGAGED IN THE HYDROGRAPHY OF THE OCEAN SECTION HAD AN ACCIDENT DURING 1855 IN WHICH ITS BOILER BURST, KILLING SIX SAILORS AND SERIOUSLY INJURING THREE.

DRAWINGS WERE MADE OR WERE IN PROGRESS AT YEAR-END OF CHESAPEAKE BAY (SHEETS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 AND 6), OF A PRELIMINARY CHART OF CHESAPEAKE BAY, AND OF THE SEACOAST OF VIRGINIA (SHEET 2). THE SEACOAST OF VIRGINIA (SHEET 2-LOWER PART) WAS ENGRAVED AND THE SEACOAST OF VIRGINIA AND ENTRANCE TO CHESAPEAKE BAY (ON A SCALE OF 1/400,000), CHESAPEAKE BAY (SHEETS 1 AND 2-ON A SCALE OF 1/80,000) AND THE PATAPSCO RIVER WERE IN PROGRESS.

DATA IS FROM THE USCS 1855 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 PHOTOCOPY OF A COPY IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WHICH HAS THE LEGEND "BOWNE & HASSBROUCK. LITH. N.Y." IN THE TOP RIGHT MARGIN. THIS DIFFERS FROM THE COPY DESCRIBED HEREIN.

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS A GOOD COPY ON THIN PAPER WITH SOME BROWNING AT THE FOLDS, BUT WITHOUT LOSS OF DATA. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF C015-2U1 AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-581. THE COLLECTION ALSO HAS A PHOTOCOPY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS COPY REPRODUCED AT 80% OF ORIGINAL SIZE, WITH A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-380(REPRO).

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : U.S. COAST SURVEY, REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY, SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1855, H.R. EX. DOC. NO. 6, 34th CONGRESS, 1st SESSION, WASHINGTON: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1856, 27, 47-53, 107-8, 234, 238-40, 242-3, 245-6, 249, AND 419.

December 3, 1991


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