Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-05-12

yards, and with depth, as far as can be
ascertained from the violence of the cur
rent, of from 500 10 1000 fathomS. The
mountains 6nleithersideare very. lofty,
nearly 5000 feet high, those on the Aus
trian side being 1000 feet higher than
those on the paesite bank. The II e, noun
feet aboveitlie steam, aud where hot per-
pendicuilar rather overhangs the water.
| When the river is low, the sharp craggy
points of subaqueOns rocks begin TO show
themselves above the stream, and be-
tween these the passageis most narrow,
twindfTg-alid shallow, and. lin fact. can
only be passed by steamers especially
built for the purpose, of light draught Of
water, tour paddle-wheels and immense
power, and even these steamers make use
of a channel out through the ledge At
the breaking up offhesiceinethes spring
OF 1876 fioating ice became janined
among the crags in Iron Gate. which
caused the stream to back up suntil vast
Tracts III Hungary were under water
Such leluge wasgunprecented, land it
suggested at the time The feasibility of
producing similar effect by artificial
means, rs Il measure of war. The blow
ing up of the precipice of Mount Schie-a
Der. OH the Austrian side of the pass,
would bring down many millions of tons
of rock across the Iron Gate, and long
before the obstruction could be removed
a vast part of Eastern Europe would be
turnedsintO aii inl:tnd lake. ~ - S.
Having passed the Carpathians, the
Danube takes sOutherly course, form
ing the bOundry between Rotlmallia and
Servia for short distance. and then be-
coming, throughout the rest of its course,
the bOundry between Roumania and the
Turkish province of Bulgaria. Below
Widdin it takes turn to the east which
it pursues until it reaches Il point only
30 miles from the Black Sea. Then it
takes sudden turn to the north, lowing
in that direction leo miles. to the juno
ton with the Sereth near Galatz. Then
it4tlirns4 again to the Feast, receiving the
water of the Pruth, which marks Il part
of the Russian frontier. After flowing
east about 40 miles. in the vicinity of Is
mail and Tulcha, it is divided into sever
al branches. These wind sluggishly
though the low and dre:iry alluvial coun--
try known as the Delta of the Dan-
ube. and empty the waters of the great
rivers into the Black Sea by three prin-
cipal channels-the Kilia, .Sulina, and st.
George and four, lesser ones. The !
most northerly of these-the Kilia-is
the bOundry at this point between Bull
garia and Roumaliii. andsis eonly sabout
Is ni!es distant from the Russian boan-.
dry line. i
The rapidity Gifts current i'm its upper
course. its tortuous windings.the shallow
ness of the water. of the portion which
flows through Hungary, and i'm the out |
lets into the Black Sea, and the reefs.
rapids and whirlpOols which mark Its
course at many points, have rendered the
navigation OF the Danube so difficultthati
its commercial use has not yet been fully |
developed. The introduction of steam
i 1880 inaugurated a new era in its. his !
tory. By the convention of November
:, 1857, between the States through |
which the river flows, vessels of all ma
tiOps were allowed TO ascend the Danube
from its mouth to any points above, but
navigation between the different points |
was reserved to the subjects of the ccun
tries along its banks. The treaty of March |
30, 1871, authorized the leyYing Ofa-pro-,
visioilal tax on all commercial vessels tor
paying for the removal of the remaining
distractions ut the Iron G5lte. in case that
work should be undertaken. An Aus |
TRAN company. which almost monOpO-
lied the traffic ofyther river, has avery |
large fleet of steamers anu Transports.
Its vessels make the voyage from Vienna
to COnStantinople in seven days. This
company employs 150 vessels on the |
lower Danube, and these are now all laid |
up by the impending hostilities.
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