El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-18


ARLINGTON. Va. Nay 81 have
p come 70 Arlington 90 show you
how Uncle sam IS calling spirits, not
from the Vastly deep, but from the cir
eumambieat alr. He is calling them
to assist US IN our great battles in
Europe. and, more than that, they
come when he does call for them. /
refer 20 the nItrates that we are TO
bring from the clouds 70 aid US in
making munitions for fighting the
Germans. and the fertilizers needed
for the food supply Of the nation.
over here on the edge Of the PotO-
mac within a stones throw OF Ar
lington cemetery, the government has
erected an experimental laboratory
10 study some Of the great problems
connected with the war. One Of these
Is to extract nitrogen from the air
The problem is that for which. in
1916 congress appropriated $4,000
600, and the one FOR which tens OF
millions are being spent by the war
department at Muscle shoals, on the
Tennessee river, in northeastern Ala
bzua-
Great War Work NJ Muscle shoals.
The progress Of the work at Muscle
shoals IS a war secret The plant
there Is 20 supply nitric acid for the
explosives for the army and navy,
and its construction is being pushed
in every possible way. It is to SUP
plement the nitrates we are import
ing from the deserts OF Chile. and IN
time to make rs Independent Of the
rest OF the world in supplying the
materials for national defence. The
machinery here IS much the same in
miniature as that OF the mighty
plant there. and both are very SINH
lar 70 the hydroelectric plants OF
Germany, which are grabbing from
the air the explosives for the kaiser's
great army.
Nitric acid IS Absolutely fndispen-
sable in the munitions OF the wars
OF TO-DAY. II IS used in the manufac-
ture OF powder for cartridges. and
Of high explosives for shells and tor
pedoes. It Is used in making gun
cotton. dynamite and gun powders Of
every sort and description II is
part OF all smokeless powders. and
Is 50 important 70 Us that IL our nj
trates should give out We would be
out OF the war in a very few weeks
At present all OF our nitric acid is
obtained from the saltpeter we i'm
port from the deserts OF Chile. and
the greater part OF the nitrogen we
are usin~ o1-@a7 f~or7 fhnt source.
Must Have Eitrates.
The necessity for g supply 81 nj
tTates within our own boundaries was
brought before congress a. the heEin-
Ming OF the war in Europe when the
bureau Of ordnance asked that store
houses be erected and a reserve sun
ply OF $500 tons be imnorted for the
possible demands OF the future. At that
time it was said that we had only 25.-
600 tons on hand. which was about
one-tWentieth the quantity GERMANY
hsd laid IN TO make her explosives
The amount she had was several hun I
drad thousand tons Neverth eiess. I
when the war began. Il was all used
within a few months Her guns ate ID
Eunpowder at the rate OF s1.0e0.000 q
day and it IS only through the nitrateS
she has taken out OF the air that she
he's been able 70 continue the struggle. I
Indeed, Il IS said that Germany went ]
i1to the war only upon the completion I
IF her machinery TO make nitrates- I
10 knew that her importations from ]
rf-e would be cut off as soon as war I
vas declared, and although she be- 4
ieved that her reserve supply would
last her for the short time TO clause {
t1 ~isk long war until she could I
-r7l Ike uitrates OF her own II Is said ]
tll@t she has spent 500. GOO 900 % THIS /
end. aud that she has made 500 00a l
tens Of nitrates since she declared I
war she has now several great plants.
which have supplied not only the bulk .
OF the nitrates for her explosives. but 4
also a part OF the nitrogen needed as
fertilizer and as feeding stuff for
horses and cattle The Germans are
2 -E-lls-L WHICH is g5NNtia
not only as fodder. but as a food for
human beings. and II IS taid thar they
viii soon be independent q the out
side world FOR nitrate supplies OF all
kinds
Vow Depending on Imnorts-
NOur nitrate situation, at the present
writing. is Just the reverse OF that OF
Germany. We are importing the most
o. the nitrates we use before the war
broke out we we're paying 10 foreign
countries an annual tribute Of more
than $4,000 600 for materials OF that
kind Almost half Of the amount went
70 Chile, from where we got more than
half 2 million tons OF nitrate or soda
ner annum- Another large part went TO
Great Britain and Germany, which
countries sold Us ammonia sulphate.
The same stuff that we are getting as
q byproduct from our coke plants and
gas works; and about $4,000 tons came
rom Canada in the shape OF calcium
cyanamid The latter is a form OF fixed
nitrogen which the Canadians are tax
ing out Of the air by means Of great
electric plant located on their side OF
Niagara Falls Just prior to the war
they were taking out 81 900 tons per
annum by means OF the cheap water
power there In addition. We bought
more than $1,000 900 worth Of nitro
genous fertilizers in tankage. fish
scrap and other refuse animal matter
from different parts OF the globe and