El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-06-03

almost vertically over the cliff To
divert what is wanted of 1t into pipes
and so, with the help OF turbines, 10
convert its fall into utilizable energy
is a simple matter
It would take the entire amount
Of energy now developed at Niagara
Falls TO equal the water-power tnat
is furnishing the Allies with nitric
acid for their explosives This, too,
Notwithstanding the fact that accord
ing to the testimony Of experts De1ore
the military committee of the house
of representatives. We are now sup
plying 500. 900 worth of explosives a
day to England. France and Russia
Is Different Now.
Explosives today have a significance
in war that they have never hitherto
possessed In former days war was
conducted by the firing Of what might
be called Individual missiles. Today
each firearm throws its prO1ectiles in
such a way that IL is like q hose dis
charging q leaden stream The bat
tie attack OF today is the playing Of
a sheet Of metal at such velocity and
in such volume that IL sweeps every
thing clean, down TO the underlying
should this country be precipitated
into a great war within the next few
months. and before the establishment
OF nitric acid plants within its borders,
II would be without means to obtain
gunpowder and high explosives, lack
ing which il would De helpless. Ex-
PLANTATION is hardly needed that the
private concerns now engaged in man
ufacturing such immense quantities Of
those products, for shipment from
America to the Allies, depend wholly
upon Chilean saltpeter for the prime
essential of their output Deprived
OF the latter, they. like the govern
meut. would be put out Of business
Inevitably, in the course Of time,
the nitric acid industry will be
established commercially in the United
States. But its growth viii be very
slow. The only kind OF power that
can be economically employed for the
fortunately, our laws, both States and
Federal. are so framed as 10 throw
obstacles in the way OF the develop
ment OF such powers IN the mean
fronted by an emergency, and the only
wav ont Of the difficulty was for the
government TO step in
Used For Fertilizer in Peace Time.
The production OF the contemplated
government plant should be at least
$4,000 tons OF nitric acid per annum
or two-thirds of the present estimated
requirement Of the German army IN
the plant will be sold for fertilizer, the
government needing for its own use
only 10000 tons OF the acid yearly Tor
the army and navy.
operation in less than a year 1t VIII
require a large number of specially
trained men, and to train them VIII
take time
Two Sites Urged.
Two sites for a plant OF this kind
have been strongly recommended 10
congress one on the Columbia river
AZ Priest Rapids, and the other at
Muscle Shoals, on the Tennessee river,
in northern Alabama There might.
OF course, be several plants. One
would be most economical: but II
would have TO be so located as to De
safe from an enemy's attack And II
IS worth considering that an enemy
would inevitably try TO destroy such
an outfit by blowing il up-perhaps
attacking with dynamite the dam from
which il derived its power.
There is, unluckily. no such cheap
water power to be found in this coun-
try as that obtainable in Norway,
where electricity thus derived can be
furnished at one-fOurth or even one
sixth the price In the AppalachlanS
there is a rainy season and a dry sea
son. and the flow Of streams in that
region is correspOndingly variable.
The greatest water-poWer center OF
the world is Niagara Falls But (say
the experts it would take three
Niagras, If all the available power