Lot 46
An uncommon and beautiful 1878 (1868 was the first issue) U.S. Coast Survey nautical chart or maritime map of the Kennebec River and Sheepscot River, as well as the adjacent city of Bath, Maine. This extraordinarily detailed map offers countless depth soundings as well as considerable inland detail along the Kennebec and northern parts of the Sheepscot River. The town of Bath, Maine, is rendered in particular detail. Sailing directions, notes on soundings, tides, lighthouses, and other practical data for the mariner appears to the right of the map proper. The triangulation for this chart was completed by A.D. Bache, C. O. Boutelle, and A. W. Evans. The topography is the work of S. A. Gilbert, I. H. Adams, R. M. Bache, W. S. Gilbert, C. T. Jardella, W. H. Dennis, and C. Ferguson. The hydrography was accomplished by party under the command of S. D. Trenchard, J. Wilkinson, J. H. Moore, T.S. Phelps, and F. H. Gerdes. As this list suggests most of the great talents of the U.S. Coast Survey had a hand in the making of this chart. The whole was compiled under the direction of A. D. Bache, Superintendent of the Survey of the Coast of the United States and one of the most influential American cartographers of the 19th century. The Office of the Coast Survey, founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Commerce 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, in response to a need for accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The spirit of the Coast Survey was defined by its first two superintendents. The first superintendent of the Coast Survey was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under the direction of Hassler, from 1816 to 1843, the ideological and scientific foundations for the Coast Survey were established. These included using the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment as well as an unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor intensive triangulation system whereby the entire coast was divided into a series of enormous triangles. These were in turn subdivided into smaller triangulation units that were then individually surveyed. Employing this exacting technique on such a massive scale had never before been attempted. Consequently, Hassler and the Coast Survey under him developed a reputation for uncompromising dedication to the principles of accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, twice losing congressional funding for the Coast Survey. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, at which time Alexander Dallas Bache, a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to liberally fund the endeavor. Under the leadership of A. D. Bache, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. Moreover, during his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache was a steadfast advocate of American science and navigation and in fact founded the American Academy of Sciences. Bache was succeeded by Benjamin Pierce who ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was in turn succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson who was 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 (C & GS) to accommodate topographic as well as nautical surveys. Today the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA as the National Geodetic Survey. We describe all items to the best of our ability as we are not experts on everything. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request. (Paper)
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Dimensions:
- 23.5" x 39" Condition:
- Good Condition with some tear and staining
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