Norwich bulletin., 1917-01-05
THE WAR PRIMER
By National Geographic Society

The Lower Danube.-At this time
when the central powers seem to be
Stra1n1ng every nerve to control the
lower Danube. and thus make that
river from its source to it's mouth a
bearer of their war munitions and
trade, the following bulletin prepared
by the National Geographic Society,
with headquarters at Washington, is
OF striking interest:
The scenic glories of the Danube
are chiefly to be seen along the upper
reaches of the river: but the broad
highway of the lower reaches is at
present of more interest, for the traf-
nc it carries may be a factor in the
conflict of European nations. Mean
the present day history of it's CONT
nent as it has woven itself into the
events of two thousand years past.
Below Giurgevo and Rutschuk the
from bank to bank. Giurgevo, a point
of great strategic Importance, is ac-
cesslble by river steamers at high wa
ter and has an auxiliary port about
two miles further down stream.
THE lower Danube has very
slight fall, only 120 feet in the last
500 miles of it's length, but because of
the great columns of water, increased
the Jalomitza. the Sereth, and the
Pruth, as well as smaller streams it
flows with great force. The Bulgarian
banks ara high; the Roumanian shore
q.
The one-sided arrangement of alIuviaI
deposits which results has led to the
formation of many swamps and
swampy island on the Roumanian side
which provide the chief characteris-
tics of the scenery. The Balta Islands
are the two largest formations. They
are really vast fens overgrown with
willows and reeds. abundant with wild
birds and half-wild swine, and cut in
every direction by little streams
Sflistria, the fortress of the DAN
ube' since Roman times, though of less
military Importance today than Ga
latz is the next place of striking in
terest below Rutschuk. A Roman rel
ic, Trajan's Wall, may be seen from
the river below Silistria, and forty
miles from that city there is a rail-
long and the only one below Belgrade,
connecting Bucharest and the Black
Sea port of Constanza. This is one of
the most remarkable examples of its
kind of engineering and was built at
a cost of 100000. It has sixty weight
spans, one of which, over the main
stream, is a cantilever more than 900
feet long. The bridge has a height
of 120 feet above low water, and the
piers go down to bed rock 100 feet
below the water surface, making them
nearly one-half as high as the Wash
ington Monument.
the next places of Importance, both
fortified. The river at Hirsova broad
ems like a sea with many islands. The
town with its fortified castle is pref
tily situated on a hilltop above the
flats.
1.-The more important of the rivers
ports are next approached. Braila,
and monotonouS Of aspect is
however, the chief Roumanian port of
entry, before the war a town of over
$4,000 inhabitants and center of the
grain and timber trades. Between
Braila and Galatz are the ruins of an
ancient bridge said to have been built
by Darius the Great.
The latter city, about ten miles be- |
low Braila, is a very thriving port in |
peace times. Vessels of 1000 tons can |
tween Galatz and the confluence with |
the Pruth the Danube makes its turn |
% the east. Here begins a section of |
he river which even complete success |
If the central powers in Wallaehia
control, for on its left bank lies Bes- |
sarabia, Russian territory.
'An interesting feature of the Rus |
sian side here are the ends of long |
axes which run north and south. |
These were once streams which flowed |
Town into the Danube but were grad /
tally barred by alluvial banks from |
'eaching the river and. driven back on
heir own courses have widened into /
ong narrow lakes.
Sixty miles from the sea begins the |
ielta of the Danube. The Kilia, the
most northern of the branches into |
which the river divides, carries more |
han two-thirds of the volume of it's
water to the sea, but is not deep
enough for the more important traffic,
which moves by the more direct branch
through the middle of the delta to
Sulina. Here a natural channel of sew
m to IL feet has been increased to
20, and long bikes stretch out to sea |
nd carry off the silt. Although it dis
harges less than seven per cent Of
he Danube's waters, the Sulina chan
lei carries a shipping which multi
lied tenfold between 1861 and 1902 1t
vas steadily increasing with prom
Sc of future prosperity when they +
nterfered. The Danube Steam Navi-
alton company was reporting two
Million tons year previous to 1914 l.
For nearly one hundred miles from
'ulfna up to Galatz and Braila, the L
hief harbors for going vessels,
he river is navigsable for those of A.
90 or less. Sea-going vessels UP to
90 tons and fiat barges under 1000
apacity can cd to Turnu SEVERN. II
.bove that point, navigation is con-
ned to steamers, tugs and barges II
rawfng six feet of water"