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Nimitz Library

Hydrographic Logs Collection, 1890-1915: Finding Aid

Published in 1993

Summary Information

  • Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
  • Publisher Address:
    589 McNair Road
    Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
    Phone: 410-293-6917
    https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php
  • Call number: MS 285
  • Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
  • Title: Hydrographic Logs Collection
  • Dates: 1890-1915
  • Size: 10 linear feet
  • Container Summary: 24 manuscript boxes
  • Creator: United States. Commission on Fish and Fisheries
  • Language(s) of material: English
  • Abstract: Logs of hydrographic surveys, consisting of soundings, tides, angles, oyster grounds, and boundaries of fishing grounds, within the territorial waters of the continental United States.

History of the Commission on Fish and Fisheries

The United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries was created by Congress in 1871 and charged with studying and recommending solutions to the decline in food fishes in the coastal waters of New England. Under the leadership of Commissioner Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution, the duties of the Commission were gradually expanded to include fish culture, further studies of fisheries and fishery industries, and studies in freshwater and marine biology. The Commission was transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903 and its name changed to the Bureau of Fisheries. In 1939, the Bureau was transferred to the Department of Interior, and in 1940 was merged with the Bureau of Biological Survey to form the Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Description of Contents

The Hydrographic Logs Collection, spanning from 1890 to 1915, is a collection of 235 handwritten hydrographic logbooks (plus one unused log) compiled under the auspices of the United States Government between December 1890 and April 1915. The logs are labeled or marked as U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries, and/or U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.

The logs consist of hydrographic surveys of soundings, tides, angles, oyster grounds, and the location of positions marking the boundaries of fishing grounds. All but one log, that of the Bering Sea area, survey the waters (coastal, creek, and lake) of the continental United States exclusive of Alaska. The logs also include occasional enclosures of hand-drawn charts or other papers.

The names of the screw steamer Fish Hawk and its launches appear most frequently on the logs as the survey vessels. With the exception of wartime service with the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War and World War I, the Fish Hawk was employed in the service of the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries/Bureau of Fisheries. Other survey vessels represented by the logs include the Evangeline (Steamer tug) and the Mathilde (Schooner). The Chiefs of Hydrographic Parties listed on the logs include Lieutenant Robert Platt, U.S. Navy; Homer P. Ritter; Ensign W.L. Dodd, U.S. Navy; Lieutenant Franklin Swift, U.S. Navy; Mate James A. Smith, U.S. Navy; and Dr. H.F. Moore.

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Arrangement

The Hydrographic Logs Collection is arranged chronologically, thereunder by survey location.

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Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Hydrographic Logs Collection is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

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Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Transferred from the Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior.

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Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Additional materials pertaining to the activities of the Bureau of Fishers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries can be found in the United States Bureau of Fisheries, Records, circa 1877-1948, SIA RU007184 (http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217341) at the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

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Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Hydrographic Logs Collection, MS 285

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1993. Finding aid written by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1993 and revised by David D'Onofrio in February 2014.

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Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

  • Apalachicola Bay (Fla.)
  • Bering Sea
  • Biloxi (Miss.)
  • Coden (Ala.)
  • Croatan Sound (N.C.)
  • Delaware Bay (Del. and N.J.)
  • Devils Lake (N.D.)
  • Evangeline (Steamer tug)
  • Fish Hawk (Schooner)
  • Hydrography -- United States
  • James River (Va.)
  • Long Island Sound (N.Y. and Conn.)
  • Matagorda Bay (Tex.)
  • Mathilde (Schooner)
  • Maxinkuckee, Lake (Ind.)
  • Mississippi Sound
  • Mobile Bay (Ala.)
  • Morehead City (N.C.)
  • Pamlico Sound (N.C.)
  • Pascagoula (Miss.)
  • Pocomoke Sound (Md. and Va.)
  • Port Lavaca (Tex.)
  • Saint Bernard Parish (La.)
  • Saint Croix River (Me. and N.B.)
  • Saint Vincent Sound (Fla.)
  • Tangier Sound (Md. and Va.)
  • U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
  • United States. Bureau of Fisheries
  • United States. Commission on Fish and Fisheries
  • Winyah Bay (S.C.)
  • Wysocking Bay (N.C.)

Genre Terms

  • Logs (records)
  • Manuscripts
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Contents List

Box 1 Folder 1-5

Winyah Bay and other South Carolina waters, 1890 December-1891 March Logs 1-5

Box 1 Folder 6-10

Tangier Sound, 1891 May-November Logs 6-10

Box 2 Folder 1-10

Tangier Sound, 1891 May-November Logs 11-20

Box 3 Folder 1

Tangier Sound, 1891 May-November Log 21

Box 3 Folder 2-7

Pocomoke Sound, 1891 November Logs 22-27

Box 3 Folder 8-9

Tangier Sound, 1892 July-August Logs 28-29

Box 3 Folder 10

Long Island Sound, 1892 September-October Log 30

Box 4 Folder 1

St. Croix River, Maine, 1893 August Log 31

Box 4 Folder 2-5

Mobile Bay, Alabama, 1894 February-March Logs 32-35

Box 4 Folder 6-10

St. Croix River, Maine, 1894 July-August Logs 36-40

Particular focus on Calais, Maine.

Box 5 Folder 1-4

St. Croix River, Maine, 1894 July-August Logs 41-44

Particular focus on Calais, Maine.

Box 5 Folder 5-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1895 November-1896 March Logs 45-50

Box 6 Folder 1-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1895 November-1896 March Logs 51-60

Box 7 Folder 1-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1895 November-1896 March Logs 61-70

Box 8 Folder 1-2

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1895 November-1896 March Logs 71-72

Box 8 Folder 3-10

St. George's Sound, Florida, 1896 February-March Logs 73-80

Box 9 Folder 1

Bering Sea Area, 1896 July-August Log 81

Box 9 Folder 2-3

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, 1898 February Logs 82-83

Box 9 Folder 4

Morehead City, Lennoxville Point, North Carolina, 1898 February-1900 January Log 84

Box 9 Folder 5-9

Newport River, North Carolina, 1899 October-November Logs 85-89

Box 9 Folder 10

North Carolina and South Carolina, 1899 October-1900 March Log 90

Goose Creek Bay, Leopards Creek, Wards Creek, and Middle River.

Box 10 Folder 1-4

North River, North Carolina, 1899 November-1900 January Logs 91-94

Box 10 Folder 5-10

Pamlico Sound, Wysocking Bay, North Carolina, 1900 January-December Logs 95-100

Box 11 Folder 1

Pamlico Sound, Wysocking Bay, North Carolina, 1900 January-December Log 101

Box 11 Folder 2

Maxinkuckee Lake, Indiana, 1900 July-September Log 102

Box 11 Folder 3-10

Matagorda Bay, Texas, 1905 January-May Logs 103-110

Box 12 Folder 1-10

Matagorda Bay, Texas, 1905 January-May Logs 111-120

Box 13 Folder 1-7

Matagorda Bay, Texas, 1905 January-May Logs 121-127

Box 13 Folder 8

Croatan Sound and Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, 1906 February Log 128

Box 13 Folder 9

Devil's Lake, North Dakota, 1907 July-September Log 129

Box 13 Folder 10

James River, Virginia, 1909 July-September Log 130

Box 14 Folder 1-10

James River, Virginia, 1909 July-September Logs 131-140

Box 15 Folder 1-6

James River, Virginia, 1909 July-September Logs 141-146

Box 15 Folder 7-10

Delaware Bay, 1910 June-July Logs 147-150

Box 16 Folder 1-6

Delaware Bay, 1910 June-July Logs 151-156

Box 16 Folder 7-10

Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Grant's Pass, Alabama, 1910 November-1911 April Logs 157-160

Box 17 Folder 1-10

Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Grant's Pass, Alabama, 1910 November-1911 April Logs 161-170

Box 18 Folder 1-10

Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Grant's Pass, Alabama, 1910 November-1911 April Logs 171-180

Box 19 Folder 1-4

Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and Grant's Pass, Alabama, 1910 November-1911 April Logs 181-184

Box 19 Folder 5-7

Coden, Alabama, 1911 January-April Logs 185-187

Box 19 Folder 8

Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1911 February-March Log 188

Box 19 Folder 9

Biloxi, Mississippi, 1911 February-March Log 189

Box 19 Folder 10

Port Lavaca, Texas, 1913 February-May Log 190

Box 20 Folder 1-3

Port Lavaca, Texas, 1913 February-May Logs 191-193

Box 20 Folder 4-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1915 January-April Logs 194-200

Box 21 Folder 1-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1915 January-April Logs 201-210

Box 22 Folder 1-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1915 January-April Logs 211-220

Box 23 Folder 1-10

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1915 January-April Logs 221-230

Box 24 Folder 1-5

St. Vincent Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida, 1915 January-April Logs 231-235

Box 24 Folder 6

Blank logbook, undated Log 236

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