Description: Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, made under the Direction of the Secretary of War, in 1853-6, Volume VII 33rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate Ex. Doc. No. 78 by John A Parke, Corps of Topographical Engineers, with technical papers by Thomas Antisell (geology), John Torrey (botany) and others, Washington: Beverley Tucker Printer, 1857 First edition, quarto, 23, 42, 204, 28, 116, 37 pp. plus 53 lithographic plates, including 8 plates of topographical views (tinted), 10 plates of fossils, 14 plates of sections, 2 folding hand-colored geological maps/plans, 8 plates of botanical specimens, and 11 meteorological plates. (The two maps listed for Parke’s report were published later in Volume 11 of the USPRR series and were not issued in Volume 7). In later half leather and brown pebbled boards with gilt spine title and green floral endpapers. Condition: Complete with all plates and maps. Boards rubbed with wear to the extremities, especially to top of spine; gutters split. The front board has a dig through the cloth at top center. Binding tight and inner hinges are sound. Text and plates show varying degrees of toning, foxing and/or offsetting with a stray marginal smudge or two. No ownership or other markings were seen in the book. Antisell’s geological maps are both soiled from use and have repaired opening tears that cross into the image. The volume is divided into 3 major parts (General Report, Geological Report and Botanical Report) plus appendices. Part I consists of John Parke’s report documenting his exploration of routes in California for connection with routes near the thirty-fifth and thirty-second parallels (from San Francisco Bay to Los Angeles), and route near the thirty-second parallel between the Rio Grande and Pimas Villages (Mesilla on the Rio Grande to Pimas Villages on the Gila through the Gadsden purchase lands). His report is accompanied by 8 tinted lithographs of scenery drawn by A. H. Campbell. Antisell’s report (Part II) contains observations on geology with chapters on the Coast Ranges, Santa Clara Valley, Pajaro Valley, Salinas Valley, Santa Margarita Valley, Point Pinos Mountains, Santa Maria River and Cuyama Valley, San Luis Obispo Valley, Santa Barbara Mountains, plains of San Fernando, Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Mojave River Valley, SanDiego to Fort Yuma, etc. Of special interest, Antisell provides a chapter on “Bituminous Effusions” thus representing one of the earliest geological reports documenting the presence of petroleum in California. His map along the California coast also locates several petroleum occurrences in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles areas. Part III lists and describes plant specimens collected along the route. The appendices contain A. H. Campbell’s meteorological report, Charles H. Poole’s report of the route from San Diego to Fort Yuma, and some administrative reports.
Price: 175 USD
Location: Denver, Colorado
End Time: 2025-01-03T16:39:15.000Z
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Binding: Hardcover
Topic: Geology
Subject: Science & Medicine
Original/Facsimile: Original
