The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-13

In 1888 sir WILLIAM CRooEEs delivered
an address 10 the British Association
predicting ,ha, the world c"uld not
continue 20 produce tho bresdstum- II
required unless some way were found
~ restoring tn the soil tho nitrogen
extracted nv growing cereals. He
showed that the nitrates of Chile and
other supplies stored in the ground
were only a temporary He
saw no solution Of the problem unless
the fixation Of atmospheric nitrogen,
one Of the most abundant and pervading
bodies on the surface Of the earth, could
be- made practicable.
II Was well known that the fixation OF
the nitrogen of the air was possible, but
In 1898 a ton OF nitrae Of soda could be
produced in this manner only at the
p%rohibitory cost Of $3.50. Sir WILLIAM
was confident that the day was COM
ing when the fixation Of atmospheric
nitrogen would be placed on a practi-
cable industrial basis both as to the
quantity produced and it's cost.
The dawn Of this day has arrived, and
perhaps il has come earlier than Sir
WILLIAM would have predicted. Sew
eral years ago a small plant was dcvel-
oped Mt Nottoden. Norway. for the gen.
Grafton of electricity by water power
and the application Of it TO the produc-
ton Of nitrate OF lime and nitrate Of soda.
IL is enough to say here Of the processes
employed that they embrace the dis
~coveries to which Sir WILLIAM CRooKEs
referred, as well a. new chemical auxil-
iaries and a new method of applying
electricity. The plant, with an expendi-
ture of about 2 ZOO electrical horsepower,
has been producing about 1000 tons of
nitrate of lime and soda a year. A ready
market has been found for the products,
which are used az a fertilizer. and the in
dustry has been placed upon n CONNER
cial basis. When the commercial sue
cess Of the small plant was demonstrated
a much larger plant was erected, with q
force OF 10000 horsepower, supplied by
the Tinfos waterfall, and the new works
began operation on September !.
Mr.. PIERCE, u Minister to Norway,
has sent to Washington a general &C.
count Of these enterprises and Mr..
BoRDEwICH, our Consul General at Chris
tiania, has followed it with a technical
description Of the processes used. The
investing public and the Norwegian
Government both appear to be favora-
bly, impressed with the new industry.
Not content with the two works men,
toned above the managers obtained a
concession from the Norwegian Stor-
thing authorizing them TO build a dam
at the Rjukanfos, one of the greatest
waterfalls Of the country, and to erect
q power plant OF 100000 horsepower.
The work required large capital, which
wa readily subscribed in France. Mr..
PIERCE writes that thereupon the Stor-
thing passed a law that no concessions
for undertakings Of this sort would here
after be granted except on the guarantee
that they would be developed solely with
Norwegian capital.
1t may be that the present processes
are crude and costly compared with
what they will some day become. But
the great fact is that il has been proved
that nitrates may be produced on a
commercial basis by the combustion OF
the air. We may tap the inexhaustible
supply that surrounds US to increase the
productivity Of the earth.