Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-16

THE WATER FALLS
ever. Every ten seconds means enough
coal lost to warm the average house,
hold throughout the winter. and every
minute Is equal to 120 tons OF coal
lighted at the mine to go up in smoke.
That is what we are paying for our
honeymoon trips to Niagara.
AS it is now, something like 100000
cubic feet of water drops down over
was $4,000 cubic feet more before
Canada and the United States began
to harness the falls, and this amount
has served to produce more than $780,.
900 horsepower. The greater part Of
this goes to Canada, That country
second, whereas we have the right to
only 10000 cubic feet. The difference
comes from the water we are taking
from tire great lakes through the
drainage canal of Chicago, which has
to be compensated to Canada, as we
are equal partners in these great water
ways.
I have already written Of what
Niagara is doing for US in this time
of war. She is making nitrates for
trio heat which produces the grinding
materials for our fine machines used
to make munitions and Liberty. mo-
tors. She is making aluminium for
airplanes, and silicon for dirigible
balloons. as well as chemicals for ex-
plosives and for hospital supplies. The
factories there run night and day, but
they are short now of something like
100000 horsepower, and the full
force OF the iaiiS could be profitabiy
used in factories devoted to the needs
of war. So far Congress has not given
us the right to use water even to the
full amount fixed by the treaties and
the factories are held back while the
power goes to waste. About three
fourths of all the Niagara power now
great deal of it goes to Buffalo, and
some is carried to Lockport, on the
Erie canal.
Next to Niagara, the greatest po-
tential power plant Of the United
States is that at Muscle Shoals. Ala
bama. 1t is there that we are put
ting up the enormous hydro-electric
plants to extract nitrates from the air
for the use of munitions. The gov
eminent is erecting a dam there
which will cost many millions. and
the possibilities Of the falling water
will be upward of half million
horse power. 1t is said they are now
making nitrogen there by the Haber
process. which can be done with low
water power; but the big dam to be
installed will enable them to use also
the Cyanamid process, like that of the
nitrate plant on the Canadian side OF
Niagara Falls.
The Cyanamid process is the one
chiefly used in Norway, and the one
from which much OF the nitrates for
the German explosives now come.
The dam site was given to the United
States government without cost by
the Alabama Power Company. which
according to it's contract, should be
furnishing $4,000 hydroelectric horse
power to the nitrate plant this sum-
mer. One of the dams being erected
is to be mile wide and los feet in
height and more than 100000 cubic
yards of concrete will be used in its
construction.
1t Is being put up under the super
vision of the engineers of the War
Department. The original appropria-
ton of these Muscle SHOALS projects
was $2O,O00,000, but it is now stated
that $15O,000.000 may be expended
on the plants now proposed. In all
four nitrate plants and dams are to
be built. Muscle Shoals expects to
have a population of $4,000 within
the next five years.
1t is interesting to know where the
great water powers Of the United
States are. The south has it's full
snare. something ike l,UVV,UVU nOfSe-
power has already been developed.
and it Is estimated that there is cuf-
fcient fall in the rivers and streams
yet to be developed to make a total
OF over 100000 horsepower. AS 1t
is now there are something like $4,000
water powers already in use. There
are 1,40O in Alabama, more than 1900
in Georgia, $500 in North Carolina
and almost 1000 in Tennessee. There
are more than 1000 in Virginia and
West Virginia: and South Carolina,
Kentucky. Mississippi. Missouri and
sood-sized plants. The Tennessee
river alone has an estimated horse
power of from one to two millions.
and the Pedee, Santee and Savannah