Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-14
ACROSS EUROPE BY WATER
Plans for Waterway from North Sea
to the Black Sea.

TO I1e pidSN SCu'
"Instinctively one links the Missis-
sippi and the Missouri rivers; years
to come may find us regarding the
Danube and the Rhine in the same
way" is the comment of q National
Geographic Society bulletin upon the
reports of a plan to cut a steamship
waterway from the North Sea to the
Black Sea.
"As for waterway across Europe
such a waterway already exists,
though travellers, through a small Sec
ton of it might have TO resort to very
small craft, Information about that
condition of the canalized portion Of
this trans European water route is
not readily available, since the link
ing OF the Rhine and the Danube ,oc-
ours In Germany.
New Conceptions of Europe.
THE very fact that we classify the
legend.laden Rhine in, one mental
pigeonhole, and the romantic, castled
Danube in another, makes the an
nouncement of a waterway across Eu-
rope came upon us with the impact of
a fresh idea. Just as war brought
about political changes in Europe, so
peace is bringing economic changes.
Hence, If Germany carries out the
project she is considering, we will
l. of n,,t thrO1yph
with a water route, just as we have
learned to think of q Europe with
Turkey almost gone, a Poland with a
boundary, and the new names of
Czecho- Slovakia and Jugo- Slavia con-
spicuous upon its map. ~ t ~.
"a present water route ACROSS Eu-
rope-and others iaTe possible with
very short portages-+iies aiong the
Rhine to Mainz, up to the Rhine's tri-
butary; Main to rBamberg, thence
through, the Regnitz, into the Ludwig
Canal to the Altmuhl, which empties
into the Danube at Kelheim.
Where Two Rivers Are Linked.
"In your minds eye. even without
q map, you can recall two focal points
of this route, Frankfort, on the Main,
and Ratisbon Cor Regensburg) on the
Danube. Vessels of more than 1000
tons can go up the Rhine and Maine
to Frankfort; end vessels between 400
and 1000 tons can go up the Danube
as far as Ratisbon. Kelheim, the
Danube end of the small river canal
link with the Rhine. is only II miles
southwest of Ratisbon. The improve
ment of the Danube to Kelheim would
offer no great difficulties. Above
to Kurzburg, vessels be-
tween 400 and 1000 tons can traverse
the Main. -.,. ....,
1.-The trouble with this route, even
with channels deep enough to carry
larger steamers from Wurzburg to
is the extremely circuitous
course between the Rhine and the
Danube. From Frankfort the route
forms an almost perfect W. and then
trails off like a careless flourish
through Nuremberg to Ratisbon. A
projected shortening of this route con-
passing the confluence of
the Rhine and the Main, continuing
up the Rhine to Mannheim, thence
into the Neckar and into the proposed
canal from that point to connect with
the Danube near Offingen.
Completion OF the project for this
deep waterway across Europe would
make the Rhine Danube route one Of
the most important commercial high
ways of the world-rankinS in econ
omic Importance with the Panama and
Suez Canals, and in extent with the
Missouri channel and the
navigable length of the
Amazon. The Black to- North Sea
trip would be a journey of nearly .
200 miles. The high water navigation
head of the Missouri, in Montana, is