The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-11-10
DEFILE OF DANUBE
WHERE THE FAMOUS iron
GATES" ARE SITUATED.
Series Of Dangerous Bowlders That
Constitute Menace 10 Navigation,
Though Steamers make Their
Way Through Them.

The Iron Gates, the last great dchle
Of The Danube Ia its course 10 the
Blnck sea and the first point at which
/ the Austriuus launched an offensive
/ against thcir new enemies, the Rou'
munIuns, Is described 90 q bulletin Is.
sued by the National Geographic So
/ Ciety:
Contrary 20 the general belief Of
/ readers 20 whom the term Iron Gutes
of The Danube Is familiar this famous
deiiIe of the chief waterway of Hun
gary Roumuuu, Bulgaria and Serbia
does not derlYe its name from prccipi-
gous walls of rock through which the
waters dush in narrow channel, as
ut The knzun dcile, but from the dan
gurous bowldcrS that fairly litter the
river bed for distance of nearly TWO
miles, beginning at the once strongly
was captured by Hungary Zoo 1873 and
Still is Inhabited by "a picturesque COLI
uny of 300 Turks Opposite this is
land, on the lrlt bank of the Danube
und NJ the mouth of the iuconsequen-
tiul Buchnu river which here forms
the Observation-Disclosures boundary Is
the attractive little Itoumuuiun Gus
toms village Of Vercior0va on The
Budapesl-Buchares railway 237 miles
west Of the litter city
at was not until 1890 that work was
begun iu definite and comprehensive
manner 20 rid the Iron Gates OF some
Of It's gruvest dangers 10 navigation.
In that year n hungarian engineering
company undertook the task Of remov-
ing nearly a million and a quarter
cubic yards Of stone from the water
course. Eight years after the enter
prise was inuugurated the canal which
had been hewn from the solid rock on
the Serbian side of the river was
ready to be thrown open To the steam
ers which ply the Danube from Buda-
pest to the Black sea. The canal was
designed to provide a year-rouud chan
mel ten feet deep whereas the original
course of the river was not uuvigable
for more than nine months out of
every twelve.
The opening Of the waterway was
the occasion for great celebration,
In which three monarchs participated
Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria
Hungary King Alexander Of Serbia
ana King Carol tCharI2s y of Ruu-
mania. The festivities Of the day We're
somewhat marred by the discovery
thct the current through the canal was
so swift that while steamers could
rush through it in their downward
journey, they could not make the trip
upward, so that the old river course
had to be used for westward bound
traffic
"When the water is high the rocks
Of the Iron Gates are completely sab-
merged. but they are only few feet
beneath the surface, and the boiling,
churniug waves present a terrifying
sight 10 the umid passenger as his
steamer fights its way to the calmer
reaches in the vicinity of Orsova tpro-
nouucnd Orshoya), the first town in
Hungarian rrritory, five miles above
the rapids and a ten hours journey
by boat below Belgrade, the peace
times capital OF Serbia.
"insteaC ~ the gloomy gorge which .
most traveirr9 expect TO find. the F.
banks on zach side of the Iron Gates /.
present q "aauuful picture Of gently .
Iopiug hills bouutifully wooded. In .
the early SImmer these woods are
fairyand Of flowers, and the winds are .
fairly weighted with the fragrance Of .
wild blossoms in countless variety,
while short distance from the river
the hu@rsman finds deer, wild boar,
bear and other game in abundance.
the charm Of the scene are
the songs of myriad birds which make
their home in the forests.
''As the river progresses eastward
Gto R0umania the wooded hills dis
;2pear and are succeeded by barren
'und ridges"