The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1916-11-23
DEFILE OF DANUBE
WHERE THE FAMOUS TRoN
GATES" ARE SITUATED.
Series Of Dangerous Bowlders That
Constitute Menace to Navigation.
Though Steamers Make Their
Way Through Them.

The Iron Gates, the last great defils
Of the Danube In its course to the
Black sea and the first point at which
the Austrinns launched an offensive
against their new enemies, the ROu-
manians, is described in bulletip is
sued by the National Geographic So
ciety:
CONTRARY to the general belief of
readers TO whom the term Iron Gates
of the Danube is familiar, this famous
defle OF the chief waterway Of Hun
gary, Roumania, Bulgaria and Serbia
does not derive Its name from precipi-
tous walls OF rock through which the
waters dash In n narrow channel, as
at the Kazan defile. but from the dan
gerous powders that fairly litter the
river bed for distance of nearly two
miles, beginning at the once strongly
fortified island of Ada Knleh, which
was captured by Hungary In 1873 and
still is inhabited by n picturesque coll
ony OF 500 Turks. Opposite this is
land, on the left bank Of the Danube
and at the mouth OF the inconsequen-
tial Bachna river, which here forms
the Hungarlan-R -Roumanian boundary, Is
the attractive little Roumanian Gus
toms village Of Yerciorova on the
Budapest-Buchares railway, 237 miles
west of the latter city.
at was not until 1890 that work was
begun in a definite and comprehensive
manner TO rid the Iron Gates of some
of its gravest dangers to navigation.
In that year Hungarian engineering
company undertook the task of remov-
ing nearly a million and quarter
cubic yards Of stone from the water
course. Eight years after the enter
prise was inaugurated 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 year-round chan
mel ten feet deep whereas the Original
course of the river was not navigabl,
for more than nine months out OF
| every twelve.
"The opening Of the waterway wal
the occasion for great celebration
in which three monarchs participate,
Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria
Hungary, King Alexander OF Serbs
and King Carol (Charles u of Rou
mania. The festivities OF the day wer,
somewhat marred by the discover.
that the current through the canal wa
so swift that while steamers coul,
rush through II In their downwar,
journey, they could not make the tril
upward, so that the old river cours,
had to be used for westward boun,
traffic.
"When the water is high the rock
of the Iron Gates are completely sub
merged, but they are only few fee
beneath the surface, and the boiling
churning waves present a terrifying
sight to the timld passenger ms hi
steamer fights It's way TO the calme
reaches in the vicinity of orsova (prC
nounced Orshova), the first town Il
, Hungarian territory, five miles abov
the rapids and ten hours journe
by boat below Belgrade, the peac
times capital of Serbia.
"lnstead of the gloomy gorge whic
most travellers expect to find. tn
banks on each side Of the Iron Gate
present beautiful picture of gentl
sloping hills, bountifully wooded. /
the early summer these woods are
falryland Of flowers, and the winds ar
fairly weighted with the fragrance @
wild blossoms In countless variety
while short distance from the rive
the huntsman finds deer, wild boal
: bear and other game in abundanc,
Enhancing the charm OF the scene ar
, the songs Of myriad birds, which max
their home in the forests.
"As the river progresses eastwar
into Roumania the wooded hills dl:
appear and are succeeded by barre
sand ridges"