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MAP #: 359U4

CARTOGRAPHER : U.S. COAST SURVEY

DATE: 1859

SHORT TITLE : PRELIMINARY CHART OF CHESAPEAKE BAY SHEET NO. 6

REMAINING TITLE & ID : FROM THE MOUTH OF YORK RIVER TO THE ENTRANCE TO BAY FROM A TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SURVEY OF THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES TRIANGULATION BY E. BLUNT & J. FARLEY ASSISTANTS TOPOGRAPHY BY J.J.S. HASSLER G.D. WISE J. SEIB ASSTS. & J. MECHAN SUB-ASST. HYDROGRAPHY BY THE PARTY UNDER THE COMMAND OF LIEUT. COMDG. J.J. ALMY U.S.N. ASSISTANT PUBLISHED IN 1859 SCALE 1/80.000 (BOTTOM LEFT OF CENTER). "SAILING DIRECTIONS TO ENTER BY THE NORTH CHANNEL" AND "DANGERS" NOTES (TOP, TO RIGHT OF CENTER). TABLE OF "LIGHT HOUSES AND BEACONS", AND "LIGHT VESSELS" (TOP RIGHT CORNER). "SAILING DIRECTIONS TO ENTER CHESAPEAKE BAY BY CAPE HENRY CHANNEL" AND "DANGERS" NOTES (BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER). "SAILING DIRECTIONS IF BOUND INTO HAMPTON ROADS", "IF BOUND FROM HAMPTON ROADS INTO JAMES RIVER", "IF BOUND UP ELIZABETH RIVER TO NORFOLK", AND "IF BOUND INTO YORK RIVER" (BOTTOM LEFT CORNER). TABLE OF "TIDES", "TIDAL CURRENTS","SOUNDINGS" NOTES AND "ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE BOTTOMS OF THIS MAP" (CENTER LEFT SIDE). THE TIDAL CURRENT TABLE IS BLANK. THERE IS NO HEAVY NEAT LINE AT THE TOP WHERE THE CHART CONNECTS WITH SHEET # 5. SYMBOL OF COAST SURVEY OFFICE, WITH "VERIFIED", SIGNED BY W.R. PALMER, "CAPT. TOPL. ENGRS. ASST. C.S. IN CHARGE OF OFFICE." (BELOW AND TO LEFT OF TITLE). COMPASS ROSES (RIGHT OF CENTER AND NW OF CENTER). SCALES IN STATUTE MILES, YARDS, AND NAUTICAL MILES (CENTER BOTTOM, TO RIGHT AND BELOW TITLE). THE REVERSE SIDE IS BLANK. LONGITUDE WEST FROM GREENWICH (BOTTOM BORDER). LATITUDE (RIGHT BORDER).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1859
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : WASHINGTON
PUBLISHER : U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
LANGUAGE(S) : EN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 64.0 X 96.1 CM.
SIZE - OTHER DATA : 71.2 X 98.3 CM. OM
SCALE - (RF) 1: : 80,000
SCALE - OTHER DATA : 6 STATUTE MILES = 12 CM.
LIB. OF CONGRESS # : -
Md. HALL OF RECORDS # 1 : MSA SC1399-506 (STATE 1)
# 2 : MSA SC1399-307 (REPRO - LATER STATE)
# 3 : MSA SC1399-575 (1863 ED.)
# 4 : MSA SC1399-701 (1899 ED.)
HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : C015-DUD
# 2 : -
# 3 : A015-2U1 (1863 ED.)
# 4 : NOAA012-GIFT (1899 ED.)
REGION CATEGORY : DETAILED CHART OF PART OF THE MD/CHESAPEAKE AREA (2)
SPECIAL CATEGORY(IES) : USCS CHART (4)
: VIRGINIA MAP PRIMARILY (13)
# SHEETS TO MAP : 1 OF 6
MAP ORIENTATION : N IS AT THE TOP OF THE MAP.
RELIEF SHOWN ? : YES
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWN IN FEET AND FATHOMS.
: SHOALS ARE SHOWN BY DOTTED LINE.
: BOTTOM CONDITIONS ARE GIVEN.
CARTOUCHE : NONE (1)
BORDER : GEOGRAPHICALLY FUNCTIONAL (8)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : GREENWICH (1)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : 363U6, 399U6.
BEST INFO SOURCE : USCS ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1859 AND NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS.
DESCRIPTION : THIS VERY DETAILED PRELIMINARY SEA CHART IS # 6 OF A 6 SHEET SERIES COVERING THE ENTIRE BAY. THIS SERIES REPRESENTS THE MOST COMPLETE CHARTING OF THE BAY IN TERMS OF HYDROGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY DONE UP TO THE TIME OF ITS COMPLETION AND IS BASED ON EXTENSIVE TRIANGULATION OF THE WHOLE AREA, WHICH HAD NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE. IT GIVES TOPOGRAPHICAL DATA ON THE NECKS AND COASTAL LANDS ADJACENT TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM THE YORK RIVER TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. IT SHOWS LOCATION OF HOUSES AND BUILDINGS, TYPE TERRAIN, DIRECTION IN WHICH CROPS ARE PLANTED, FARM ROADS, RAILROADS, ETC. HYDROGRAPHIC INFORMATION INCLUDES SOUNDINGS IN FEET UP TO 18, THEN IN FATHOMS. IT HAS VERY WIDESPREAD INDICATIONS OF THE CONDITION OF THE BOTTOM AND HAS SHOALS MARKED BY DOTTED LINES. BUOYS AND CHANNEL COURSES ARE DRAWN. IN SHORT, THIS CHART SUMMARIZES THE VERY BEST DATA AVAILABLE FROM THE ONGOING COAST SURVEY WORK AT THE TIME. SEVERAL OF THE SEA AND LAND AREAS ARE NOT COMPLETE, WHICH SHOWS THAT THE SURVEY OF THE AREA HAD NOT BEEN FINISHED AT THE TIME OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS SHEET. THERE ARE EXTENSIVE SAILING DIRECTIONS AND TABLES OF HYDROGRAPHIC AND OTHER INFORMATION.

THE CHART WAS CHART # 12 IN THE REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1859, WASHINGTON: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS INDICATE THAT THERE WERE 9 EDITIONS OF THIS CHART IN 10 PLATES AND 2 PHOTOLITHS AFTER THIS PRELIMINARY EDITION UNTIL 1913, WHEN IT WAS REPLACED BY CHART # 1222 ENTITLED "CHESAPEAKE BAY ENTRANCE".

DATA IS FROM THE 1859 USCS ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS, FROM THE NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS AND FROM OBSERVATION OF THE COPIES AND PHOTOCOPIES IN THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION.

EDITION & STATE INFO : THE NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS FOR CHART # 131 SHOWS THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES, PRIOR TO THAT CHART BEING SUPERSEDED BY # 1222:

ED. 1 - PRELIMINARY STATE - (1859) - THIS IS THE CHART DESCRIBED HEREIN. IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE USCS 1859 ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS TO SHOW THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY. IT WAS FROM AN EARLY VERSION OF PLATE # 981.

- FINAL STATE - (1863) - THIS IS THE FINISHED CHART AS IT WAS RELEASED FOR USE FROM PLATE # 981. THE WORDS "PRELIMINARY CHART OF" ARE REMOVED FROM THE TITLE. SEE MAP # 363U6.

ED. 2 - (1872) - DATA WAS REVISED AND REISSUED FROM PLATE # 1198.

ED. 3 - (1877) - DATA WAS REVISED AND REISSUED IN AUGUST, 1877 FROM PLATE # 1219.

ED. 4 - (1886) - DATA WAS REVISED AND REISSUED IN JUNE, 1886.

ED. 5 - (1889) - REISSUED FROM PLATE # 1907 IN OCTOBER, 1889.

ED. 6 - (1890) - DATA WAS REVISED AND REISSUED IN AUGUST, 1890 ON PLATE # 2091. A SECOND PLATE, # 2167, WAS LATER USED TO PRINT THE SAME DATA.

ED. 7 - (1899) - DATA WAS REVISED AND REISSUED IN SEPTEMBER, 1899 FROM PLATE # 2536. THE TITLE NOW READS "COAST CHART NO. 131 CHESAPEAKE BAY SHEET NO. 1 YORK RIVER HAMPTON ROADS CHESAPEAKE ENTRANCE SCALE 1/80,000 PUBLISHED AT WASHINGTON, D.C. SEPT. 1899 BY THE U.S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY HENRY S. PRITCHETT SUPERINTENDENT (DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION 1863)" NUMEROUS OTHER CHANGES WERE MADE. A SECOND PLATE, # 2847 WAS LATER USED TO PRINT THE SAME DATA. SEE CHART NO. 399U6.

ED. 8 - (1911) - PHOTOLITHS WERE MADE IN JUNE AND OCTOBER, 1911 AND REISSUED ON 3/14/13.

CHART # 131 WAS CANCELLED ON 3/14/13 AND REPLACED BY # 1222 IN MARCH, 1913. THE NEW CHART, ENTITLED "CHESAPEAKE BAY ENTRANCE", ALSO INCLUDED DATA FAROM CHART # 130 ENTITLED "FROM HOG ISLAND TO CAPE HENRY". THAT CHART WAS PUBLISHED INITIALLY IN 1875, WENT THROUGH 6 EDITIONS AND WAS CANCELLED ON 3/14/13. CHART # 1222 WENT THROUGH NUMEROUS EDITIONS WITH MAJOR CHANGES IN THE HYDROGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. ON JULY 1, 1974, THE CHART NUMBER WAS CHANGED TO 12221 WHEN NATIONAL OCEAN SURVEY CONVERTED TO A NEW NUMBERING SYSTEM AND REISSUED WITH THE SAME TITLE. LORAN "C" LINES OF POSITION WERE ADDED ON THE OCTOBER 18, 1975 RELEASE OF THIS CHART.

DATA IS FROM THE NOAA CHART HISTORY CARDS # 130, 131, AND 1222.

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS A COPY OF STATE 1 OF THIS PRELIMINARY CHART ON THIN PAPER WITH SOME BROWNING AT THE FOLDS. IT IS CLOSE CROPPED AT THE LEFT, WITH LOSS OF THE NEAT LINE AT THE LOWER LEFT. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF C015-DUD AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-506. THE COLLECTION ALSO HAS A FULL SIZE REPRODUCTION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS COPY OF A LATER VERSION OF THIS PRELIMINARY CHART. IT HAS A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-307. THE COLLECTION HAS A COPY ON THIN PAPER OF THE 1862 EDITION IN POOR CONDITION WITH BROWNING AT THE FOLDS, SMALL SECTIONS MISSING AT THE UPPER FOLD INTERSECTIONS AND PART OF THE LEFT NEAT LINE MISSING. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF A015-2U1 AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-575. FINALLY, THE COLLECTION HAS A COPY OF THE 1899 EDITION, CORRECTED THROUGH 1903 ON VERY HEAVY PAPER, RESTRUCK FROM PLATE 2536 AROUND 1970. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF NOAA012-GIFT AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399-701.

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1859, H.R. EX. DOC. NO. 41, 36th CONGRESS, 1st SESSION, WASHINGTON: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1860, 3, 7-8, 11-13, 15, 51-57, 110,186, 191-195; NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, CHART HISTORY CARDS [MANUSCRIPT RECORDS] FOR CHARTS # 131, # 1222; MORRISON, RUSSELL & ROBERT HANSEN, CHARTING THE CHESAPEAKE, ANNAPOLIS: MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES, 1990, 137-138.

February 24, 1993


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