Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-25
"OLD HICKORY" BEGINS
MAKING EXPLOSIVES
Nashville Plant Built by du Points
for Government Starts
Operations.

"Old Hickory" the governments great
smokcless powder plant near Nashville,
| Tennessee, has begun the manufacture
of guncotton. This insures the produc-
| tion of smokelcss powder by July J.,
| three months ahead of the original con-
| tract time Officials of the du Pont
| Engineering Co, which ls building this
| plant for the government at a proht OF
| one dollar. announce that an entire
| unit, self-sustaining, ussing It's own steam,
water, electrical current, and raw ma
| terials produced on the ground, Is IN
| operation ready to turn out virtually It's
| full capacity of 100 900 pounds per day
| of guncotton.
This achievement msures steady
! flow of powder for the American army IN
| France and completes one of the most
| remarkable engineering and construction
| fcnts in the history of American war
| industry.
! On June | the manufacture al sulphurlc
| acid was begun. "A week later nitric acid
! Was produced, the puuhcation ot cotton
| followed in a short time with ample
mower of all kinds for the operation OF
same. and then came the actual operation
of producing guncotton which IS only one
| step removed from the fabrication OF
powdcr All of this was accomplished
without hitch and IT involved tho con
struction of everything from quarters
for the wurkmcn and the building oi
railroad INTO the plant up 10 the manu-
facturc and INST allation ot highly specialIz-
cd machinery
The du Pont Company undertook TO
build tins plant and 10 bring the first
unit into operation IN eight months alicI
the contract was signed, Tins meant that
l rLr,,ll ho hprtln mi lrfnt)pT |
At the time this agreement was made that
date was regarded as the earliest possible
even with the large number Of trained ex-
perts and construction workers who were
set to work Mt the company man office
and m the field Within n few weeks
the government almost doubled ITS de
mands and asked the du font Company to
speed up the construction work because
the powtier situation IN tins country was
becoming acute new agreement was
entered into the du Pont Company
undertaking to bring the first unit INTO
operation on August This announce
ment today shows that this time has
been cut down and that with powder pro
ductlon following within few DAYS the
completed product Will hc delivered ready
for usc in a month less than even the
remarkably short period agreed upon
This enormous construction program
il being carried ont iy the du Pont 60
through its subsidiary, the DIN Pont
Engineering Go. directly from its home
office in Wilmington and has the super
VISION and attention of the headquarters
statf from the chief engineer down through
the various lines Of specialists md has
the active and enthusiastic support Of
an other departments of the company
Construction work IN The field i beng
directed by resident engineer and a
fun staff ol experts These united efforts
have resulted in the work beng pushed 50
RAPIDLY that Il is now fullN three months
ahead Of the original contract schedule.
The government has allowed these men
free rem in the huldlng Of old Hickory,
though the original plan was 70 have
rvcr1 thing done under the direct super
VISION of officials from the Ordnance
Department The plan was changed be
cause Il Was rcalzcd here that the only
assistance the government would need
would be to speed mp the delivery OF
materials on the ground at Nashville