1S49."| 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



3.'l 



THE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DANUBE RIVER, FOR 

 THE STEAM NAVIGATION, APPLICABLE TO THE 

 INDIAN RIVERS. " 



By G. Shepherd, C.E. 



{With an Engraving, Plate XX.) 



I have read with pleasure in the Journal a notice of Mr. Bourne's 

 work on the 'Navigation of the Indian Rivers,' in which he has 

 detailed the great advantages which would be derived by suitable 

 steam-vessels on those waters, and it is to me hififhly gratifying to 

 find some attention being directed by this country towards so de- 

 sirable an object as the improvement of the internal communica- 

 tion of our vast Indian territories. I know of no subject more 

 interesting, nor could there be a more profitable speculation carried 

 out than the establishment of a sufficient number of such vessels 

 for carrying purposes, both merchandise and passengers. But 

 there would be much to be done. We have not in England rivers 

 whose banks have for ages been neglected, and their waters divided 

 into numerous insignificant channels — where every flood causes 

 further devastations in every part of the country through which 

 the stream flows. Similar to the Danube, in Europe, of which I 

 have had much experience, in India fresh channels are continually 

 forming, ami the d.bris deposited in other parts of the rivers in the 

 shape of shoals, sandbanks, and quicksands, in places which fre- 

 quently, previous to the flood, contained from 15 to 20 feet of 

 water. These subjects are but little understood in England, from 

 the absence of experience on similar rivers here ; and Mr. Bourne 

 appears to think that it is impossible to improve these streams by 

 the concentration of the water into one channel; but formidable as 

 these obstructions may appear, with your permission I shall en- 

 deavour to show to your readers that they may be so far overcome, 

 as no longer to prove obstacles to the navigation of rivers of this 

 shoaling character, and this at a very trifling cost. Mr. Bourne's 

 proposal, as I can attest, is no visionary scheme, nor is there any- 

 thing new in constructing iron steamboats of 200 tons burden, of 

 120-horse power, drawing from 14 to 18 inches of water, going at 

 the rate of 10 miles an hour against the stream, and 18 miles per 

 hour with it. 



In bringing this subject before your numerous readers, I must 

 allude to the state of the Danube, its traffic, and the boats used in 

 navigating that river, previous to English skill and perseverance 

 being brought into action. The introduction of steamboats upon 

 this splendid river is due to Mr. Joseph Pritchard, formerly a ship- 

 wright in the Woolwich dockyard. Numerous attempts had been 

 previously made by German engineers and others, but each attempt 

 proved a signal failure. 



The first attempt to navigate the Danube river by steam was 

 attended with great difficulty, in consequence of the numerous 

 sandbanks, quicksands, and shoals which then existed in many 

 parts of the river. These were continually shifting from one place 

 to another. The channels which, previous to a flood, had been 

 navigable for steamboats drawing 20 feet of water, after the water 

 had fallen were found to be entirely blocked up; and in a great 

 many instances, these before deep places, might be walked over. In 

 some cases the current would take a difl^erent direction, or else 

 become so divided that scarcely any one stream could be found 

 containing sufficient water to float a vessel drawing 12 inches, so 

 that for several years the steamboats were continually getting 

 *■ aground. So treaclierous, indeed, were these obstacles, that some- 

 times the steamers got aground during the floods, or just as the 

 waters began to subside; and before assistance could be procured, 

 these vessels so stranded have been left high and dry on tlie sand- 

 banks, and have only been floated again by the aid of two or more 

 steamers, together «ith the united eft"orts of from forty to fifty 

 oxen and horses, which have been shipped from one island to 

 another for this purpose. It is obvious that these obstacles were 

 found very expensive to the steamboat company. 



I trust that the Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal is not so 

 strictly devoted to science, as to preclude me from making a few 

 political observations, %vhich will no doubt be found of general 

 interest, and more especially at the present moment. During 

 "Metternich's rule," the Austrian government had permitted no 

 scientific progress whatever to he made in Hungary; and so jealous 

 was this statesman of Hungary, that it really appeared his desire 

 to entirely isolate the Hungarians from the rest of the Em])ire. 

 The police commissioners in Vienna were instructed to use every 

 species of insolence to scientific persons applying for a passport to 

 Hungary, — in one woi-d, the conduct of this statesman (who was 

 BO deservedly kicked out of his own country) was most base and 

 tyrannical towards that then loyal people, and the late disasters 

 must eventually recoil upon his own family. 



No. 146.— Vol. XTI— N'ovEjuBtR, 1849. 



The oppressions thus unceasingly heaped upon the Hungarians 

 at length found an opposer in the noble and iiulefatigalile patriot. 

 Count Szechenyi, who saw that unless the feelings of the nation 

 could be aroused, his unliappy country was doomed to remain in 

 absidute ignorance. This nobleman having made several tours 

 through Europe, at once commenced a crusade against the Aus- 

 trian government. The following were the objects or base of his 

 political creed. 



"The favourite olijects of their desires were, — after strengthening the 

 nationality of Hungary, — •freeiioio of commerce, and an improved commer- 

 cial code; the navigation of the Danube, and the improvement of internal 

 coninmnication; increased freetlom and education of tiie peasantry; the re- 

 peal of laws preventing the free purchase and sale of landed property; per- 

 feet equality of all religions, and the freedom of the press. Fur the greater 

 part of these objects they are still struggling." — Paget's Hungary and Tran- 

 sylvania, vol. i., p. 162. 



After undergoing a series of persecutions from the Austrian 

 government, which served but to increase the flame now kindled, 

 this public leader was, with the view of keeping him quiet, made 

 His Excellency Count Szechenyi, Minister of Public Works in 

 Hungary; but this title, rather than abating the zeal of so anxious 

 a patriot, gave him free toleration to harrass the government until 

 he obtained permission to improve the state of the Danube river, 

 in order to give every facility to the steam navigation. Ultimately 

 the government agreed to advance an annual sum of 100,000 florins 

 (10,000/.) to improve the river in Austria; and the Hungarian 

 Diet also granted a small sum annually for the improvement of the 

 river in Hungary. Operations were at once commenced under the 

 control of the Count. 



The engraving, Plate XX. fig. 1, shovvs the state of the river, 

 taken from a sur\ey between Presburgh and Comorn, before the 

 improvements; and fig. 2 the state of the river a short time after 

 the operations were commenced, the numerous shoals and sand- 

 banks shown in fig. 1 being now to a great extent removed. The 

 following description will explain the principles that were adopted. 



The sandy districts were the first places where the operation-* 

 commenced. Tlie water, as will he observed in the engraving, fig. 1, 

 branched out into numerous channels, while the central stream was 

 nearly blocked up with sandbanks and shoals. On each side of 

 the river were stationed a number of men; some were employed in 

 cutting ami binding faggots on shore; and others in constructing 

 spurs (as shown in fig. 2), placed at right angles with the stream. 

 The spurs were constructed as shown in elevation and plan of the 

 spur, figs. 3 and i. In tlie diagrams it will be observed that the 

 series a and b of the brushwood is bound or woven together so as 

 to form one continuous line throughout the entire length of the 

 spur; each row is well secured to the ground with short piles or 

 stakes, and the space between each row is fiUed-in with earth such 

 as is found upon the spot. The transverse bundles of faggots c, c, 

 are made to the required length, laid on the others, and secured in 

 the same manner, with this exception — the ends toward the stream 

 are left open or in the bushy state.* These rough ends are then 

 covered with earth rf, d; the operations being carried on when the 

 water is very low in the river. When the main spurs are com- 

 pleted, the arms of the river are dammed-off in the same manner. 



Tlie rapidity with which the spurs are made is truly surprising; 

 and it will be observed from their construction that they ofi'er but 

 little resistance to the water in the first instance, but as soon a-; 

 the sandbanks begin to move, the dibris is deposited between and 

 in the spurs, vvhicli renders them immoveable; the current at the 

 same time is thrown into one channel, which has the eflfect of en- 

 tirely scouring the river of the sandbanks previously dejiosited. 



In carrying out this operation, care should he taken to keep the 

 ends of the spurs in a line with each other, and the stream in a 

 straight line — that is, to such given distances as might be deter- 

 mined upon, as shown in the engraving; and great care should also 

 be taken to make the spurs very strong in every place where it is 

 liable to be exposed by any bend in the stream. 



The brushwood is generally laid in the rivers in its green state, 

 there to take root and grow again ; consequently, after a few years, 

 each of the spurs forms a thick massive hedge, which prevents the 

 stream from making further ravages on its banks, and confines the 

 stream to one central channel; scouring out to a width and depth 

 sufficient for all purposes of navigation. 



This system of embanking with faggots has been the means of 

 rescuing thousands of acres of land fnun the flood, at a cost of 

 not Is. per acre. By following up this system, in the course of a 



* Any person who may have matie the following experiment, wi'l be able to form some 

 idea of the system for river regulating, for instance. Let a small bratich of a tree or 

 bush, with several arms i)r"jecting from it. and the branched end be buiie'J under from 

 3 to 4 feet of earth; and see what amoiml of power it will late at the stem to extricate 

 the branch. 



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