The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-07
ON THE BORDERS Where the Frontiers of Hun gary, servia and Ru-
 mania Meet. PASSAGE OF THE KAZAN 4 Good Locality For One Who Finds Things Too Modern and Too
 Strenuous For Him.

Any reader who finds the times too modern and strenuous for his liking may find his remedy within couple of days comfortable travelling on the Orient express to the neighborhood where the frontiers of Hungary, Ru- mania and Servia meet. and, careful ly remaining on the Hungarian side, | if he has any respects for the comforts of life, may there dip into civiliza- ton approXimating to that which pre- vailed in our country districts cou- pie of centuries ago, plus the inde- scribable flavor of the near Orient, says the London Globe.
 The Kazan Pass, as the gorge through which the Danube tears its way toward the Black Sea is called, has a ruggedly fine scenery of it's own viewed from any standpoint. The river flows in a constricted space for couple of miles between towering cliffs on which eagles make their home and are ever to be seen lowering above the chasm. Two roads have been con- structed beside the river through the defle, one by Trajan, on the Servian side, to facilitate the movements of his legions. and the other a magnifi- cent modern causeway, on the Hun garian side.
 of Trajan's bridge there remain but traces, and his commemorative tab let carved in the rock at the southern end, which is still legible. Enough however. remains to indicate it's course and method of construction a wooden platform overhanging the river in many places the holes for the supporting timoers being plainly visible, though not accessible. Its ere ation must have been a highly danger ! ous piece of work, but Trajan was not harried by trade unions or compensa- tion acts.
 The passage of the Kazan, either by road or in the comfortable boats which ply between Vienna and the Black Sea- and, if possible, both, is one that should not be missed by trav- elers in the district, nor should the celebrated Veterani-hohle be over looked. This huge cavern on the Hungarian side was the scene of he- roic and gory fighting with the Turks l in days gone by, and many interesting by any one able to converse with the natives, all of whom can speak several languages. German among them, al- though Hungarians frequently affect | inability to understand or speak it, except as a last and necessary means of communication.
 The ordinary amenities of life on this borderland compel the inhabit- ants to converse indifferently in Hun garian, Rumanian (Wallachian) and the allied Slav languages, Servian, Bo- hemian and Bulgarian. Many also speak Turkish and most of them have an understandable smattering of Ger man, and it Is uncanny to find small children conversant with most of, if not all, this medley of differing lingoes and able to tell by intuition which to use.
 Below the Kazan the river widens out again for several miles, until the Iron Gates are reached, just below the frontier town of Orsova, where the celebrated iron crown of Hungary is preserved in a small temple, though why so valuable and historic B relic should be deposited close beside two frontires was always a puzzle to the writer. In the center of the river opposite the Orsova one may see a 1 little bit of Turkey--the island of Ada-Kaleh whose forts were disman- tied under the terms of the Treaty of Berlin. Here one is in totally diff ferent land and an interesting visit to the ruined forts, followed by re- freshment in the shape of coffee pre- pared and served in the Turkish fash ion, with a glass of water to help 1t down, together with unlimited confec- tions of the familiar Turkish delight kind, affords pleasant variety. Ex- cellent tobacco may be purchased, and it is to be feared that some of it gets into Hungary free of the heavy duty. It used to, anyhow.
 The Iron Gates, described in at least one standard book of reference in words which are obviously the fruit of a lively imagination, are by no means as imposing as the name suggests and the surrounding scenery is merely pleasantly hily. The difficulties, in point of fact, are mostly hidden, ex- cepting at dead low water, when the jagged rocks which cause the eddies and general turbulence of the rapids protrude above the surface. Naviga- tion at these times is impossible, ana at the best Is excessively difficult, ne cessitating special pilotage, but g canal has been cut on the Servian side to facilitate traffic. This canar was excavated through an ancient battle. ground, apparently, as hundreds o skulls and other human remains wer, thrown out and were left to lie as the,
 fell The Hungarian government ha, expended millions of money in regu
 lating the flow of the Danube, so a,
 to make it navigable at all seasons
 The canal at the Iron Gates is part O
 this colossal work, hut the chief ob
 stacles to be overcome were at seyerd
 points some miles above, little inform
 ation regarding which has ever beer
 published.