The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-08-31
THE DANUBE.

THE DANUBE.
The Danube. from its source to its
in an air line, is 1920 miles; but
the stream is SO tortuous that its actual I
length is 1920 miles, and it traverses !
nearly % degrees OF latitude and % OF
Longitude. The Danube and its tribu- I
taries drain an area of 100000 square
miles. a.
At Belgrade, the capital of Servia, 1t
receives the water of the Save, ana
then pursues an easterly course, con-
stituting the boundary between Aus
tria aud Servia, until it reaches the
Pennsylvania or Eastern Carpathlans,
at the extreme western end of ROuma-
mia. '-'1 ~
It's course through this range is eigh-
tv miles, and the pass offers great ob-
stacle to navieatiOn. The river is mar
rowed to less than half its breadth
above, and in seven different places
there are rapids and whirlpools, OF
which those in the sO-called Iron Gate,
! below Old Orsova,aFe the most violent. |
A. this point. opposite the small viii |
| lape of Ticheviztha, the stream is mar
rn3vef from the width of mile to
,,bout $50 wards, and with a depth, as
Tar as can he ascertained from the vio-
lence of the current, of from 500 to lOOO
| fat thoms. The mountains on either
side are very lofty, nearly 5000 teet
high, those on the Austrian sfde oeihe
1000 feet higher than those on the op
,,osita hank, The mountains rise near
iv. sheer about 5000 feet above the
i stream. and, where not perpendicular,
rather overhang the water. When the
river is low, the sharp, crasgy points OF
s,,ha0ueous rocks begin to show them.
stlves above the stream, and between
these the passage is most narrow, wind
ing and shallow, and in fact can only
he passed by steamers especially ouiit
for the purpose, of light draughc OF
water. four paddle wheels, and inn
,oense mower. and even these steamers
make use of q channel cut through the
ledge. At the breaking up of the Ice
in the spring of 1876, the floating Ice
hecame jammed among the crags IN
the Iron Gate, which caused the stream
Il r., hack up until vast tracts in Hungary
! u,ert. under water. Such q deluge was
: unprecedented, and it suggested ut the
time the feasibility of producing Il SIM
liar effect by artificial means as a meas
ure of war. The blowing up VI t,'e
nrecipice OF Mount Shirebar, on the
J.. Austrian side of the pass, would bring
down many millions OF tons OF rock
across the Iron Gate, and long before
,s the instructions could be removed, g
,r vast mart of Eastern Europe would bt
70 t,lrned into an inland lake.
Having passed the Carpathians, the
Danube takes a sOutherly course, form
Z. ing the boundary between Roumahli
RS and Servia for short distance, aht
3 then Incoming Throughout the rest o
ia co,,rse the boundary between Rou
II mania and the Turkish province
f. Bulearia. Below Widdin it takes u tur!
to the east, which it pursues until
a., reaches point only thirty-three mile
d. from the Black sea. Then 1T takes
sudden turn to the north, flowing i
- that direction for one hundred hlle
to the junction with the Sereth, mes
mt Galatz. Then it turns again to the cas-
NJ receiving the waters OF the frut'
ns which marks a part OF the ttussia
f frontier. After flowing east abot
- fortv miles in the vicinity of Isma
ana Tultcha, it is divided into sever
branches. These wind sluggish
ep or throueh the low and dreary alluvi
J. country known as the Delta of the Dal
nbe. and empty the waters of the gre
river into the Black sea by three pri
cipal channels-the Kila, Sulina III
ST. George-and four lesser ones. III
the most northerly of these, the hila,
rug the boundary at this point petWe
Bulgaria anu 1NOuAAAeshAes3 eAAAo> -" ~
=. about twenty-five miles distant 1ro
the Russian boundary line.
the The rapidity of its current IN
sur upper course, its tortuous windings,
eIo aoe snallowness of the water in the Portl
ank which flows through Hungary ana
r OF the outlets into the Black sea, ana
=. reefs, rapids and whiripools Wh
. mark it's course at many points, ha
SON. rendered the navigation of the DAM
so difficult that its commercial use
La, not vet been fully developed. The
orth troduction of steam in 1880 Inaugural
l5Se 'tfScs a new era in its history. BY the c
t. vention of November 7, 1857, betw'
-tf the States through which the RI
- flows. vessels of all nations W
allowed to ascend the Danube, from
!. tuhS ny mouth to any point above; but n:
oun- cation between the different POI
rteen. Vas reserved to the subjects OF
7 ut n3s 2i countries along its banks. The tire
work. of March 13, 1871, authorized the le
near ing of provisional tax on all conn
.,u ciai vessels for paying for the reno
- ..H of the remaining distractions al
~ ,,Iv ,t,n ,nplIl