New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-28
THE GERMAN SEAPORTS.

THE GERMAN sEAPORTs.
Probable Scene of Naval Operations
The Ports Liable to be Blockaded.
From the New York Tribune.
Prussia has an extensive coast line on tn,
Baltic and North Sea, extending from thu
Russian frontier to the late Danish province
of Schleswig. These ports, as a glance al
the map will show, are only accessible from
the Atlantic by sailing around the Danish
peninsula and passing through the Sound
or either the Great or Little Belt. A canal
has been in contemplation, by which the
voyage between the Atlantic and the Baltic
would be much reduced but the breaking
out of hOstilities has prevented any progress
being made in respect to it.
The principal German ports in the Baltic
are Memel, Pillau, Konigsberg, Dantzig,
Colberg, Swinemunde, Stettin, Wolgast,
Stralsund, Kiel and Flensburg. On the
North Sea Prussia has Altoona, Harburg.
Geestemunde, Leer and Emden, while the
North-German Confederation has also many
important commercial seaports.
BALTIC PORTS.
Mcneil is defended by a citadel consisting
of four bastions. with randines and half
moons, and is divided into three quarters.
the Old New and Frederick's towns, with
three suburbs. Its trade is very extensive,
and consists chiefly of timber, corn, fax,
hemp, potash, linseed and colonial produce:
These are exported principally to the United
States and England.
Ship building is carried on a. this port.
which owns log vessels. having total ton
mage of AZ ,l64 tons. Ships to the number OF
$500 Tor $4,000 tons) annually enter and
leave the port, and numerous steam packets
maintain communication with many Of the
t1na ok l.,,l I'll 4
safe, and has depth Of water from fourteen
to seventeen feet. 1t is provided with ey-
tensive docks and has good lighthouse.
Pillau is a small seaport at the entrance
OF the Frische Half, twenty miles west from
konigsberg. 1t derives a thriving trade on
account Of vessels of large burden unloading
there, as the inlet to the Half has not more
than twelve feet of water. Vessels of light
draft usually proceed to konigsberg The
number Of vessels arriving annually is about
700 (of 100000 tons); of these, about one
third are British
Konigsberg is on the Pregel, five miles
from its mouth in the Frische Half 1t is
in railroad communication with Berlin, from
which it is distant 1873 miles. This fortified
city consists of the town proper and four
suburbs. The former is divided into three
parts, the Altstadt or Old Town, situated
on the west; LOhenicht on the east. and
kneiphof, situated on an island formed by
the Dengel, which, before entering the town
from the east, divides into two arms. There
are seven bridges between tie island and
the opposite banks. The trade OF the port
is principally the export of grain, and in its
ship building yards Il considerable number
of small vessels are annually constructed
Much attention has been given to the
Notifications. The general principle kept
in view, according to the Prusson engi-
neers, is that the fortress may be composed
Of detached parts, each having its separate
commander and garrison, with separate and
independent detached works. Thus, the
bastions are detached from the curtains:
redoubts are in like manner detached; the
scarp is detached on all parts excepting the
face and part of the tanks of the bastions.
On some of the fronts the ditch is filed with
water from scarp to counterscarp, where |
there is a masonry casemated caponiere in
the centre of the curtain (instead of the fiat |
earthen bastion), fanking the faces of the |
bastiOns with five guns.
Dantzig is a fortified city and seaport of |
West Prussia, acquired by the dismember- |
ment Of Poland. 1t is connected by rail |
roads both with Berlin and Konigsberg. 1t |
is situated on the left bank of the Vistula, |
three and half miles from its outlet at |
Weichelmunde, and at the junction of the |
NATHAN and Randamne. Vessels drawing
thirteen feet of water can reach the city; |
others lie in the Neufahrwasser, at the
mouth OF the river or in the roads, which af-
ford good anchorage for vessels of any bur-
den. 1t has population Of $4,000, and is
largely engaged in the export of grain and
the manufacture Of neralproducts. 1t has
IA ships, having total tonnage of rs. 600
tons. The city is Of nearly circular form.
and is fortress of the first class.
AT the eastern outlet or mouth of the Wis
lula is the small fort Neufahr, finished in
dafan nf An M |
water front it consists Of circular case
mated battery and two short branches of
SOLID rampant, with gateway caponiers con-
meeting with three fronts, inclosing the work
on the land sides, which have solid earthen
ramparts and parapets, with crenaten pail
sades and masonry caponieres thanking the
wet bitches. The city is surrounded by
walls and bastions, defended bv citadel
and several outworks, and provided with
the means of laying a considerable part of
the country under water. Its Notifications
were commenced as far back as 1881, and it
was held and defended by the French from
1907 to 1914.
Colberg is strongly fortified seaport in
Pomerania, twenty-five miles west OF Cos
In, on the Persante, near its mouth. in the
baltic 1t sustained siege in 1906. The
population numbers about 10000. A mod
crate trade is transacted at this port
Inc Oder Is not unlikely to he the scene
q naval operations and to be selected for,
II possible, effective blockades. Swine
1nunde, near the mouth of this river is the
port where large vessels bound for Stettin,
thirty-six miles inland, unload. The en-
trance to the Oder is defended by two sea.
coast batteries, one on the right and the
other on the left bank. The latter consists
Of a circular brick redoubt OF eighty feet
in the centre of a pentagonoi
earthcn work. The lower story of tie re-.
doubt is arranged with loop holes for mus
kerry, above which are two tiers of twenty
guns each, under bomb roof casemates.
above which is a barbette battery of the !
same number Of guns.
The fort on the right bank is a much
arger and more important work than the
,ther 1t is brick casemated battery of
.hree faces, bearing on the channel, having
wo casemated tiers, and an open embrasure
# three faces, bearing on the channel,
laving two casemated tiers, and an open
mbrasure battery over the easements, with
rick parapets, the only one seen exposed
0 ships battery. This fort mounts sixty