Item number: NAU545A
Genuine Antique Chart
1912
Maker: US Coast & Geodetic Survey
Antique chart of the head of Buzzards Bay published in 1912 by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS). Includes Falmouth, Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Buzzards Bay, Scraggy Neck, etc. This chart was published during the creation of the Cape Cod Canal (it opened in 1914) and you can see the path ships were told to take to approach the Canal and the narrow first iteration of the Canal, which many mariners avoided because the convenience did not outweigh the danger. The Cape Cod Canal was taken over by the US government by presidential proclamation after a German U-boat shelled a tugboat in Orleans in 1918. In 1928, the government purchased the canal as a free public waterway, and between 1935 and 1940 the canal's width and depth were increased. As a result, it became the widest sea-level canal of its time. With water depths and navigational information. Very good antique condition with a vertical fold at center, some mild toning, some tiny spots/foxing, and minor wear at the paper edges. Measures approx. 32.5 x 40.5 inches to the neatline.
Genuine Antique Chart from 1912
Item Number: NAU545A