[Archive]: A Collection of 15 Broadside "Notice to Mariners" issued by the U.S. Light-House Board in 1858

JENKINS, Thornton A., Secretary, Light-House Board

Published by Light-House Board, Washington, D.C., 1858

About this Item

Fifteen folio letterpress broadsides measuring 8" x 13" or 8½" x 14". All but one is signed in type by Thornton A. Jenkins, Secretary of the Light-House Board based in Washington, D.C. Slight previous horizontal folds, a few scattered small tears at the edges and corners, two broadsides are moderately stained on the verso at the top edge with light bleed through, very good or better overall. A collection of 15 unrecorded broadsides which announce and describe in detail the location and status of various types of coastal lights, together with associated important geographic and nautical data. Included are eight notices pertaining to coastal areas in Europe extending from Spain (off Lobos Island) and France to the United Kingdom and Norway; five notices pertaining to coastal areas in the Mediterranean Sea extending from Spain (at Malaga and Cape Salou) to Italy and Greece; and two areas in the West Indies, at Rio de la Hacha and the entrance of River Surinam. Thornton Jenkins (1811 93) was a career naval officer who served during the Mexican-American War and Civil War. He later served as President of the United States Naval Institute and retired as a rear admiral. In the early 1850 s he was secretary of the country s first temporary Lighthouse Board and drafted the law creating the U.S. Lighthouse Service. During the U.S. expedition to Paraguay in 1858-59, Jenkins served as Captain of the *Preble*, which explains why the latest Notice in the collection (dated October 23, 1858) was signed (in the type) by W.B. Franklin. Jenkins returned to the secretaryship of the Lighthouse Board in 1861-62. An attractive collection of rare shipboard ephemera from the mid-nineteenth century. No copies are found in *OCLC*. A detailed list of all fifteen broadsides is available.

Seller Inventory # 572404

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Archive]: A Collection of 15 Broadside "Notice to Mariners" issued by the U.S. Light-House Board in 1858
• Publisher: Light-House Board, Washington, D.C.
• Publication Date: 1858
• Binding: Unbound
• Condition: Very Good