Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-08-30
MiISC l A n I 0 s.
Ell DANUBE RIVER.

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est. only twenty-four miles from the Rhine,
which flows north into the North Sea. 1t
is the largest river in Germany, and, save
the Volga, the largest river i'll Europe. In
a direct line, it is only. 1,020 miles from its
source to its mouth, While to follow its
course requires a journey of l,s33 miles.
The river, system of the Danube and its
tributaries covers an area of 30S, 600 square
miles. The head Of steam navigation is at
Tim, at an elevation Of ,25a feet above the
sea. In its upper course the Danube flows
in an easterly direction, and skirts the ster-
lie table lands of the, rough Alps, thence
north of east through. the fertile Bavarian
plains. The.mountain ranges that skirt its
banks in places reduce it to a width Of only
about GOO feet, while in other localities it is
expanded to 5000 feet. The scenery of that
portion which approaches and leaves and
Vienna rivals that of the Rhine and even
excels it in sombre grandeur. Near Vienna
the mountains recede from the banks, and
the. river enters a large plain, which, being
unprotected, is subject to terrible inunda-
tons. When passing through the Trans
ylvania granite hills, and the Servian lime
stone range. it is narrowed down to 800 or
1000 feet. with a depth, as near as can be
ascertained, of from 5000 to 5000 feet, and
forms no less than seven whirlpools those.
at the Iron Gate, below old Orsova, are the
most violent and make navigation very, diff
ticult. The mountains on either side are
very ~lofty-nearly 5000 feet, higll--tlose on
the Austrian side, being 1000 feet higher
than those on the. other, bank. When these
mountains do not. rise perpendicular, they
overlang the water, and the sharp, craggy
points of rocks that jGt out. into the water
under its surface, when high, and coming to
the surface. as it falls, form a narrowaand
dangerous passage, that only steamers
built for the purpose, with light draftof wa
ter, four paddle wheels and immense, power
can navigate. The narrow, passage at the
Iron Gate became INSTRUCTED by ice in the
breakup OF 1876, until the water set back
and overtiowed immense tracts of Hungary,
and was SO destructive that it suggested the
feasibility OF employing a like flooding as a
wal measure, it being possible of accom-
plishment by blowing up the mountain Of
rocks on the Austrian side of the pass and
filling the channels with the millions of tons
of dislodged granite, by Which act, and long
before it could be removed, a large portion
of eastern Europe would be turned into an
inland lake.
Having passed these mountains, the Dan
ube forms the boundary line between Rot-
mania and Servia tor, q short distance, and
then becomes the boundary between Rou-
mania and the Turkish province of Bulga-
ria. A little below Widdin. a place now
daily mentioned in the news from the seat
of war, the river takes a due easteriy course
until within only thirty-three miles, of the
Black sea, when it turns north and runs for
one hundred miles before again taking a
course toward the sea. Soon after it turns
to the east again it receives tile waters of
the Pruth, which, is y part .of the Russian
frontier. Soon after this it divides into sew
cral branches, WHICH wind sluggislly
through the low, fiat lands known us the
delta of the Danube, and empties into the
Black Sea through three principal channels
the kilia, Sulina and st. George-and
tour lesser ones...
The Danube is most difficult of nayiga-
ton, and set, being the only navigable
stream running from the central European
prov inees to the eastern boundaries, it was
anNiously sought and extensively used but
not until in late years had it obtained prom
inenee as q great water thoroughfare. BY
treaty i'll convention, on November Z, 1857.
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