THE DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-01036R000200080019-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2011
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: August 25, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/22 : CIA-RDP81-01036R000200080019-5
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTIN. THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE MEAN INS OF TITLE IS. SECTIONS 7SS
AND 754. OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVS.
CATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT ST AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PSOMI ^I T[D.~. LAS. THE SAPSOOUCTIOM OF THIS REPORT IS PSOMISITED.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATE DISTR.-5 AUG 1954
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS. 25X1
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
1, The mouth of the Danube-Black Sea Canal, 100 meters wide,. starts 300 meters north
of the Inginer Saligay Bridge. It is reinforced by an embankment of wooden piles,
100 meters long and six meters wide. The embankment prevents sedimentation of earth
carried by the Danube.
2. Starting from its mouth, the Canal first extends 450 meters inland, 8 meters deep
and 100 meters wide. This portion is, at present, filled with water.
3. On. the right bank of the Canal there is a stone pier, three meters higher than the
water level. The stone pier extends a distance of 300 meters.
4. An earth breakwater is constructed some 500 meters from the Canal's mouth, The
breakwater is five or six meters high and three meters above water level. The
breakwater covers a surface extending from the hill which holds the railroad tracks
(Fetesti-Cernavoda-CoAotanta railroad line) to the hill located north of the Canal,
5. This breakwater prevents the flooding of the lower areas, north of the Canal. The
enclosure-of land comprised by the breakwater, the Danube and the Canal, is constantly
filled with earth obtained from digging the Canal. From the breakwater and for a
distance of two kilomleters, the Canal is 100 miters wide and four meters deep. Four
excavating naobines work on the first portion, 700 meters from the earth breakwater.
The excavators dig on VW right bank of the Canal into the hill. The resulting earth
is-transported to the left bank where the terrain is being filled.
6. At about two and aces-4 alf kilometers from the Canal's mouth, two dredges with suction
pumps are functioning. These dredges ban done work on the Canal for the previous
two kilometers, auk it six meter depths, down to the first lock. These dredges
started on a four aster wide Canal into which waters from the Medgidia Lakes had
been diverted.
7. Lock Number Ow is located at six kilometers from the mouth of the Canal. At this
point, a railroad bridge is under construction and also under construction is the
foundation of the lo?',',k.
8. The Saligny-0ernavoda road used to wind around a hill and twice cross the railroad
tracks.- At present tlbe road leads directly to the left bank of the Canal, as the
excavators have pierced through the hill.
9. The Canal goes approximately 100 meters south of the Mircea Voda railroad-station.
look, the Canal is merely -a trench, four
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meters wide and three meters deep, in which water from the neighboring areas has been
collected, permitting, in the near future, the digging to be taken over by dredges.
10. In the vicinity of the Saligny village and approximately three kilometers southeast of
the Saligny railroad station two pumps are installed on the Canal. The pumps are 60
centimeters in diameter. They drain out water accumulated from rains or infiltrated
from the neighboring areas which may endanger the work carried out at the lock.
11. In the area of the Mircea Voda railroad station, the Canal is being dug by three
dredges with suction pumps. Two of the dredges work in the portion neighboring the
lock; the third one is functioning in the direction of Medgidia. In this section,
the Canal is dug out oml a length of 400 Meters, 100 meters wide and 10 meters deep.
In front of the dredges which are at work on the Canal between Mircea-Voda and Saligny,
there are several "draglines." The dra lines had already been used to dig on an area
three kilometers long and three meters deep.
12. Seven draglines are set ahead of the dredge which digs on the Canal in the Medgidia area.
Those seven draglines have dredged the right bank, on a length of six kilometers and a
depth of three meters. In width, this section extends almost to the narrow channel
(four meters wide).
13. Further up the Canal passes 100 meters,south of the Medgidia railroad station. In
this section, the Canal is just four meters wide and three meters deep. This trench-
like excavation is to collect water.
14. The four meter wide and three Mater deep channel which runs through the middle of the
Canal continues until it reaches the second lock: PoartaAlba. On a portion of 600
meters from the Medgidia station, the work on the Canal is very rudimentary. Manual
labor is used; the laborers are prisoners. In a primitive way, the prisoners have
dug a channel, one kilometer long and one meter deep.
15. The second lock is located at the entrance of the road which goes into the railroad
of the village of Poarta Alba, at the point where this railroad intersects the Canal.
Here, two parallel bridges are being built for the road and for the railroad tracks.
At the date of observation the bridges had their cement supports already built. At
the date of information, the foundations of the locks were also ready. From the point
where the second lock is to be built, the Canal is being built in the direction of
Medgidia. At this time it is 700 meters long, a depth of six meters, a width of 100
meters, and this section is filled with water.
16. From the east end of the Poarta-Alba village, extending to the village of Nazarcea,
(Galesul) the Canal has been dug for six kilometers, to a depth of six meters, with
draglines. The earth dug from the Canal has been transported and spread on the left
bank. From the village of Nazarcea towards the village of Ovidiu, the Canal, for a
distance of one kilometer, has been dug by two draglines and four excavators. It is
12 meters deep because at this point the Canal crosses a hill. From the point where
the work ends, and reaching for a distance of 7 kilometers, the Canal has not been
worked on at all. It has only been planned, because it has to go through a valley.
17. Eight kilometers from the village of Nazarcea and three kilometers before reaching
the village of Ovidiu, the third look is being constructed. This look is located on
the west side of the Suit-Ohio]. i lake. At the date of observation, the foundation
was finished.
18. From the place where the third lock is under construction for a distance of 2.5
kilometers, the following machines are at work: Seven large excavators of two cubic
meters capacity, five small excavators of one cubic meter capacity, four large drag- 25X1
lines of two cubic meters, and three small draglines of one cubic meter capacity. In
this place there is a rocky hill, therefore, 8125X1'1 teams of the Energo=Constructia
have to blow up the rocks with dynamite. The excavators and the draglines then load
the stones and earth on wagons. The stone is transported to Valea-Neagra, near the
camp of the Valea-Neagra Peninsula, between the Canara railroad station and the Suitor
Ghiol Lake. Some of the stones are carried. northwest of the Valea-Neagra village,
where there are stone cutting plants. These plants out the stones into milestones,
blocks for sculpturing and small stones for pavements. Prisoners work at these stone-
cutting works. Works to enlarge a valley between mountains are being carried out. in
this region in order to reach the necessary width of 100 meters for the Canal.
19. The Constanta=Ovidiu-Tulcea road was interrupted at its intersection with the Canal.
A bridge is being planned. In the meantime a temporary road has been built on the
embankment in front of the Camara railroad station. The road connects with the old
road at the place where the Constants Harsova splits.
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20_. At the Suit-Ghiol Lake, embankments have been built on both sides of the Canal out
of large blocks of stone. These embankments are twelve by fifteen meters wide and
stand two to three meters above the level of the lake.
21. At this part of the (anal, two dredges with suction pumps are at work. They discharge
into the north part of the Suit-Ghiol Lake which had been isolated from the rest of
the lake. This north part of the lake, which has a length of 12 to 13 kilometers,
is scheduled to be dried and leveled for the building of a new city.
22. From the exit of the Canal at the Suit-Ghiol Lake to the Valea-Neagra railroad
station, the Canal is two to three meters deep and has its scheduled width. The work
on the Canal still continues to be carried out by prisoners.
23. From the Valea 44eagra railroad station to the 0vidiu-Navodari road, two large excava-
tors (two cubic voters) work on this stretch. They dig into a hill. The Canal is
being dug to a depth of 12 meters and the excess earth is taken to a valley behind a
graveyard of the village of Navodari.
24. Approximately one hundred meters in front of the Navodari graveyard, for a distance
of one kilometer, the canal is being dug by four draglines. As it goes through a
valley, the depth of the digging is approximately four meters. The rest of the
Canal, which is 500 meters long - to the Lake of Tasaul - is only planned, but no
work has been done.
25. At the Tasaul Lake, work is being dome on a harbor.
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/22 : CIA-RDP81-01036R000200080019-5