The River Rhine.
The River Rhine is one of the great commercial waterways of the world. There are (in the 1870s) 350 miles of navigable waterway on the Rhine itself, and it connects to roughly 120 miles of navigable routes along its various tributaries. Back in 1817, the first steamship (a British paddlesteamer, The Caledonian) travelled the Rhine and the first railways along the backs were started soon after. It must be noted that the riverboat rowers who (rightly) beleived that they would be put out of work by these developments, attacked both steam-powered rivals with boulders and even firearms.
During the Middle Ages, various local robber-barons built castles on the Rhine purely to extort tolls on river traffic. Tolls are still charged but on a more regulated pattern. Other than the customs stations, there are several features that slow down passage along the Rhine. There are reefs at Oberwesel and Bingen, which require the unloading of some cargoes during low water periods in summer. There are two dangerous whirlpools at St. Goars. In periods of higher flow after heavy rains or during the spring thaw, boats (even steam-powered ones) may need a tow at points of the narrow Rhine Gorge between Koblens and Bingen.
The weather influences travel on the river where heavy fog can hold up traffic for a few days every year (fog-bound jack-the-ripper type scenarios on a river steamer?) even in summer. For a further 15-20 days a year, mainly in January / February, the river can be ice-bound. Even if much of the waterway is clear, the choke points at Oberwesel and Bingen can be blocked by an ice-jam of smaller pieces backing up against the reefs.
One factor in shipping on any water in New Europa is the proclivities of the local Faerie. Sailors and their passengers must beware the Rhine Maidens near Strasbourg (see Memoirs of Auberon page 77) though they are fairly easy to bribe with gifts. The Loreley near St. Goars is best remembered as the home of Lore, another River Maiden though she is often mistakenly refered to as a Siren. River Demons also frequent the banks of the river and travellers must take care on dark riverside promenades.
Steamships on the River Rhine.
The largest steamships found on the river reach as much as 1,000 tons but those around the 600 ton mark are much more common. Ships much over 500 tons are at present unable to travel further upstream than Mannheim. It is possible to travel upriver as far as Basel quite easily in a small steamer.
Rowed boats are also still to be found plying short stretches of the river or acting as ferries at crossing points. One event which the tourist ought to see is the accumulation of rafts at Namedy. During the spring, the trees of the forests bordering the Rhine and its tributaries are felled and large bundles of logs are floated down the river until they reach Namedy. In early summer, up to 500 huge rafts made up of these logs are ready to move off downstream. The rafts are so large that log cabins housing entire families are built on them. They also have barns and byres for the cattle, sheep and goats which will be eaten en route and even a complete butcher's shop. This veritable armada makes its way down to the mining areas of the Grand Duchy of Cleve-Berg where the trees are turned into pit props. This journey can take anything from eight days to seven weeks dependimg upon the state of the river.
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